Travelling abroad for a holiday

[kleew1]

Has anyone done it?

Was the holiday different as a result of covid? How was airport etc and where did you go?

We are going to canaries in September so curious to know.

@Coogee, seems the typical holiday destinations are set up in a different way to facilitate tourism but not all countries are.

@PandoraP Collinson for the tests to return to the U.K. Got a discount code via BA but they are not too expensive even if you pay full price. About £28 per person I think.

Yeah we didn’t get a fit to fly certificate either. Just the same piece of paper saying the test was negative and stamped by the clinic that the Spanish citizens get when they pay for a test.

seems the typical holiday destinations are set up in a different way to facilitate tourism but not all countries are.

It’s nothing to do with tourism, it’s to encourage their own people to get vaccinated. The tests were free, like in the UK, so no incentive. Paying €10 twice a week soon adds up to a considerable sum.

@BunsyGirl, thanks will take a look.

@Coogee, my point is not all countries issue you with a test certificate accepted in the UK hence you need to go to a private provider. On your return you cannot use the NHS free tests either. Same thing.

[quote PandoraP]@BunsyGirl, thanks will take a look.

@Coogee, my point is not all countries issue you with a test certificate accepted in the UK hence you need to go to a private provider. On your return you cannot use the NHS free tests either. Same thing.[/quote]
I think what @Coogee is saying is that it’s nothing to do with tourists. It’s exactly the system they use for their own citizens. In Spain LFT’s aren’t free, they have to be paid for. They get a paper copy of their negative result. We bought the same test in the same clinic (private) as the Spanish citizens use and were issued with the same paperwork.

@Neverrains, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that countries like Greece and Spain issue certificates which just happens to fit the fit to fly requirements too. Thats great obviously. My experience was more that travel is currently not made easy and that’s understandable obviously in a pandemic.

[quote PandoraP]@Neverrains, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that countries like Greece and Spain issue certificates which just happens to fit the fit to fly requirements too. Thats great obviously. My experience was more that travel is currently not made easy and that’s understandable obviously in a pandemic.[/quote]
They’re not certificates. They’re just confirmation of a negative result. The Spaniards need them for their employers etc.

I believe in Europe (well France at least) that if you have the EH111 health card it is still valid until it expiry date and so a PCR test is free or you can claim the money back.
But do check just in case the rules have change again!

@Neverrains, it must be some sort of certificates as you will need that to travel back to the Uk.
Of course these countries are facilitating tourism. In other countries tests are for locals or if you experience symptoms. They will not provide certificates. I think this is the case in the U.K. too as we had to go to a test centre to do the test before flying out.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that countries like Greece and Spain issue certificates which just happens to fit the fit to fly requirements too.

Of course it’s a coincidence. The certificates show the result and the type of test used. They are standard LFT tests as used everywhere. Probably made in the same factory as the NHS ones.

@Coogee, what I am saying is that in some countries (not interested in facilitating tourism) tourists cannot get the same test as locals. You have to be resident to get them. Sorry I don’t think for a minute that it’s a coincidence that Greece and Spain have test centres where tourists stand side by side with locals for a test. Just something to be aware of when you travel that tests aren’t necessarily that accessible in all countries right?

@Whammyyammy

I'm loving all the scaremongering, please stay locked in doors at home with your masks and foil hats on. Empty flights and quiet beaches are pure bliss for those of us that are getting on with life

@Whammyyammy what scaremongering would that be? On this thread? I haven't seen any. Just posters with holidays planned, or thinking of going, asking advice from those who have already travelled . The few that are posting saying they can't be bothered are hardly scaremongering!

@PandoraP I think tests are accessible in most European countries but in some you will pay more than others. However, as you can take the tests with you and do them from your hotel room, villa etc, it’s not much of an issue. The only real hassle for me was filling in the forms before travel but no worse than the bloody ESTA forms for the USA which I’ve been doing for years.

@BunsyGirl, bringing tests with you is a game changer for me. I didn’t realise you could that and get the required certificate. I didn’t have much time to research when I went which cost me a small fortune!

[quote PandoraP]@Neverrains, it must be some sort of certificates as you will need that to travel back to the Uk.
Of course these countries are facilitating tourism. In other countries tests are for locals or if you experience symptoms. They will not provide certificates. I think this is the case in the U.K. too as we had to go to a test centre to do the test before flying out.[/quote]
It was a piece of headed paper from the clinic which said what test we’d had and the result. That was all the info. Same as the Spanish people are issued with. It was fine for Ryanair’s requirements.

[quote PandoraP]@Coogee, what I am saying is that in some countries (not interested in facilitating tourism) tourists cannot get the same test as locals. You have to be resident to get them. Sorry I don’t think for a minute that it’s a coincidence that Greece and Spain have test centres where tourists stand side by side with locals for a test. Just something to be aware of when you travel that tests aren’t necessarily that accessible in all countries right?[/quote]
It sounds like the different to where you went is that the Spaniards have to pay for those tests anyway, whereas it sounds like in the country you visited the tests are free for locals?
Anyway it’s irrelevant really. We took the same test that the Spaniards pay for, at the same price. We were far from a touristy area having the test, in fact it was a village in the middle of nowhere! Some countries charge more, some less. Just like the U.K. try and fleece you, other countries will too. Always best to do your research and budget accordingly before you go.

@Neverrains, the tests were free for all I think, but you didn’t get a certificate acceptable for travel just like in the Uk. You cannot go to an NHS test centre and get the certificate you need. To get the certificate we had to pay more than £100 per person at a private clinic!!

[quote PandoraP]@Neverrains, the tests were free for all I think, but you didn’t get a certificate acceptable for travel just like in the Uk. You cannot go to an NHS test centre and get the certificate you need. To get the certificate we had to pay more than £100 per person at a private clinic!![/quote]
Yes i understand that. What i’m saying is that the tests aren’t free for all in Spain, which is why we could get the same tests as the Spanish citizens for travel. They pay for their tests, are issues with a piece of paper saying it was negative, and we got the same.

@Neverrains, might have to go Spain instead then

@PandoraP - which country were you in, £100 seems excessive as you say.

@Greencharge, Norway.

[quote PandoraP]@Greencharge, Norway.[/quote]
That explains. Norway is beautiful but eye-wateringly expensive!

Having done a lot of research, I have to say it is REALLY important that you research worst case scenario so you can try to mitigate against it.

I booked a holiday to Barbados at the end of January. I read the protocols around testing in both direction. However, what I hadn't quite understood is
-if you were sitting near to someone on the plane who subsequently tests positive you are confined to your hotel room for 5 days. Ditto if you have been on an organised trip or your and someone tests positive. You are tested on day 5 but the results can take up to 28 hours.

• if you test positive on that test you are carted off to Harrisons Point where you will be on a medical ward sharing one toilet. You stay for a minimum of 72 hours.

-if you test positive on the test before you fly home you are also taken to Harrison Point. You are basically imprisoned until you test negative or for 14 days whichever is sooner.

In Greece you are taken to a quarentine hotel if you test positive at any point. It sounds pretty grim.

Obviously these are very rare but I think people are travelling and then being totally shocked when these things happen!

@Movinghouseatlast

Having done a lot of research, I have to say it is REALLY important that you research worst case scenario so you can try to mitigate against it.

I booked a holiday to Barbados at the end of January. I read the protocols around testing in both direction. However, what I hadn't quite understood is
-if you were sitting near to someone on the plane who subsequently tests positive you are confined to your hotel room for 5 days. Ditto if you have been on an organised trip or your and someone tests positive. You are tested on day 5 but the results can take up to 28 hours.

• if you test positive on that test you are carted off to Harrisons Point where you will be on a medical ward sharing one toilet. You stay for a minimum of 72 hours.

-if you test positive on the test before you fly home you are also taken to Harrison Point. You are basically imprisoned until you test negative or for 14 days whichever is sooner.

In Greece you are taken to a quarentine hotel if you test positive at any point. It sounds pretty grim.

Obviously these are very rare but I think people are travelling and then being totally shocked when these things happen!

Absolutely it's a good idea to know what the risks are.

So you should also consider the plane crashing, terrorism, masked gunmen, cholera etc etc