Travel now with testing

[starchildmum]

Hi

I am seriously considering to travel to Spain for Easter to our booked destination - obviously with all the necessary testing: before, after, during costing an extra couple of hundred pounds but I am desperate to go. I am European. I felt save in Europe in general but particularly during the pandemic: we stayed 1 month in France last summer in total isolation and spent 1 week in Greece when we had the corridors. People are very very considerate abroad and careful with masks etc.
Anyone heard of any airport checks at the airport, other then checking the tests.

For us last year they did not even check the passenger locator forms. On all 4 flights I took! I guess its unheard off that you will be sent home, right. I think it all depends on the required tests. Is it manageable?? It looks like for a family of 4 I need 16 test, right?

Any first hand experience?
Please no opinions on travel in general.

Are there any flights going?

The regulations differ by area but you need to consider that there are currently:

Curfews.
Restrictions on numbers of people together.
Masks all the time outside (kids too).
Limited reasons for being outside.
You need to be able to demonstrate a valid reason for travelling.
You would also all need to quarantine when you return to the UK

Easter isn't that far away.
Just because things are beginning to ease in the UK, it doesn't mean that there are no restrictions in place in other countries.

Here in France, all bars and restaurants have been closed since the end of October and there are no signs of them opening anytime soon.

It's currently illegal to travel abroad for a holiday OP. AFAIK you can only travel for business or in an emergency (I'm not sure what consists 'an emergency', but I've heard that the death of a close relative counts).

www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

It certainly doesn’t seem to be illegal to travel to London for a holiday from mainland Europe! We are mobbed with tourists just now.

Are you sure about that @Liquorishtoffee? There are a lot of Europeans who LIVE in London!

Nope - definitely on their hols. I did wonder (I’ve lived here for over 30 years now and in a very mixed area) then was chatting to some people in the queue for the loos... and for some reason people always stop me for directions (so I either look local or look like I know where I’m going).

Air B&Bs... we have some flats in our block and there is a block around the corner where we see people coming and going with suitcases. There’s also a couple of YHA type places nearby which definitely have people staying in them.

I've just done some googling and apparently the UK's borders are NOT closed. Visitors can come here, but they have to test negative and isolate for 10 days on arrival. Anyone arriving from 'red list' countries has to do that isolation in a quarantine hotel at a cost of £1750.

Isolate - is anyone actually checking? Quite a few larger groups of travellers/several couples together.

God knows! I know last summer the 'you must isolate when you return from holiday' edicts were widely ignored by people I know and no one ever checked. My friend coming in from Spain with her two kids didn't even fill out the online form - she just said her DH had done it (he flew separately) and the border agent just said 'Oh, okay' and let them through