So you think we will able to travel abroad in the summer?

[katie20202]

Hi

I've got a holiday booked in august and I'm just wondering if any one else has a holiday booked? Do you think we will get to go? Oh I hope so! You read all the supposed plans like need a COVID test or be vaccinated!

And if you want to go on holiday twice or a city break that is £1k for EACH holiday.

I am not at all convinced that Shapps is up to the job based on how he managed last year.

[quote name674398]@zafferana oh amazing, we are set to do that in 2023 (I have a 5 year holiday plan 😂😂) we plan to hire an RV for half of it. I really hope you can go![/quote]
Omg I love the thought of a 5 year holiday plan. My dream!

I've just looked at 3 nights in the Lakes in a pub/b & b we've stayed in before.

They want £700 for 3 nights!!! It's not upmarket just an average pub in Keswick.

I was stunned. We can go to the Algarve for 7 nights for £1200 B and B - less if we go s/c

£700 to dodge the rain and wander round, fighting for a table in a pub. No thanks

Dunno. Booked for Spain in august changed from last year and I might change it again but I think there is about a 20% chance we will be going. Both dh and I will have had two jabs by then which helps perhaps.
But at the moment masks are compulsory outdoors everywhere in Spain which sounds like a giggle.
I don’t mind being tested if not too expensive. But I won’t want the kids tested and am worried about what would happen if we tested positive while out there and/or the country we were in suddenly went to red status. It all sounds too stressful with kids tbh. If it was just dh and I we’d prob try and escape somewhere.

I think the cost of travel insurance and health provision (possibly stretched to it's limit) at the holiday destination is going to be a big problem.

This on top of cost of testing/travel/potential quarantine etc puts me and my family right off going abroad this year.

In the last five years' worth of overseas holidays emergency surgery for appendicitis; a huge bill for minor injuries after a car accident; and a near fatal diving accident have all put a dent in our confidence about hospital care overseas. That's without Covid added to the mix.

The world isn't back to 'normal' yet.

@QuiltingFlower I was quoted just £35 for travel insurance for my family including complete Covid cover.

@katie20202

Hi

I've got a holiday booked in august and I'm just wondering if any one else has a holiday booked? Do you think we will get to go? Oh I hope so! You read all the supposed plans like need a COVID test or be vaccinated!

Will they? Probably.

Should they?
No. Not until the variations are under control and we know that our vaccination programme won't be compromised because some selfish idiots cannot possibly manage without a holiday abroad!

Many people want to travel abroad to see family who they haven't seen for well over each year and wanting a holiday abroad is not being a "selfish idiot" if it can be done safely. It's been a horrendous time for so many people and if there is a way to have some joy back into people's lives with special measures in place to reduce the risk then what is the problem? Is it being a "selfish idiot" to worry about all those who work in travel and tourism who have seen their industry decimated and livelihoods destroyed?
We have to start to live with this now and cannot lock everything down forever. The economic consequences are catastrophic. We are in a very good position with the vaccines- other countries are heading that way too and the vaccines work against all the variants.

@EileenGC Thanks for that, it's just so up in the air isn't it. Hopefully we will all know more in the next few days, the balance is payable by 17th of may so I have a few weeks to decide.

@BG2015 Jesus that's taking the piss!! Not a chance I'd be paying those prices.

@LyndaLaHughes I agree. We have family in the Caribbean and we’re now thinking we will go out there this summer. We will be able to isolate in the family home and DH and I will both be fully vaccinated by then. We won’t be meeting anyone inside and after the year we’ve had (critical worker, Covid over Christmas, risk of redundancy coming up) if we can have just one thing to look forward to whilst helping to support the economy in our family’s homeland then we’ll be going for it.
Plus, when I’ve had a cursory look, a week on the English coast costs the same as flights to the Caribbean!

@LyndaLaHughes where have you seen that the vaccines work against all variants? It’s great news if that is true.

Paul Charles is predicting this over on Twitter!

That sounds promising as it seems the list would be updated regularly and people’s holidays wouldn’t need to be cut short. A lot can change in 3 weeks though... it will be interesting to see how they manage it.

It would just be tricky regarding when it would begin. And where you would sit within the the reviews.

Apparently the list of countries and corresponding colour on the traffic light system will be released this Friday (Evening Standard).

[quote Muchtoomuchtodo]@LyndaLaHughes where have you seen that the vaccines work against all variants? It’s great news if that is true.[/quote]
I follow a number of scientists on Twitter - it's been well reported in the news that the vaccines do work against the SA, Brazil and other variants in the news- albeit possibly slightly less effective against the SA- but still prevent severe disease. Its now reported that they've found the vaccines are effective against the Indian variant too. We started with such fantastic levels of efficacy even with a reduction- these are incredibly effective vaccines. Moreover, come the Autumn when boosters are used, they will have been adjusted to maintain those high levels of efficacy against new variants. At the end of the day- the role of a vaccine is to prevent severe disease and death. It's incredibly impressive that these vaccines are now being proven to also reduce transmission too.

It does not seem like much effort is being put into facilitating foreign travel, despite the fact that I think it will be allowed. I went to Madeira last autumn and was made to feel very welcome. Free pcr test on arrival, results uploaded to a QR code on mobile phone, which I had filled out with my personal details ahead of the visit. Mask and social distancing as at home. All well organised, felt very safe. If they were serious about opening up to travel we would already have our vaccination status on such a scannable system. Obviously I realise that not everyone has a smartphone, but something could be sorted out, surely?

We're going but have dual nationality.

I think if your going overseas this year for holidays you should budget for the worst. Make sure if needs be you have the £1700 per person to cover the costs of going into a quarantine hotel for two weeks on your return, or the extra costs of staying in the country your visiting for an extended period.

Also, I would say that we don't have the infrastructure in the UK to accommodate everyone that wants to take a holiday if you include those who would normally go abroad.

I’ve read that the government will give two weeks notice of changing the status of a country.
We can only go to a green country. DH is a doctor and not practical to self isolate at home after a holiday.

@simbobs

Also, I would say that we don't have the infrastructure in the UK to accommodate everyone that wants to take a holiday if you include those who would normally go abroad.

To accommodate them where? In quarantine hotels? I doubt many people would choose to holiday in a red list country.

@EileenGC, sorry, I meant that our tourist industry would be overwhelmed if no overseas holidays allowed when you take into account all of the people who normally stay in the UK, coupled with those who would usually go abroad.

From Sky News. It looks like EU countries will let vaccinated travellers from the U.K. travel to their countries but the UK’s traffic light system has different criteria.

“On Monday, new proposals released by the European Commission - which require approval by the EU's 27 member states - would let in fully vaccinated foreign citizens and those from countries with a "good epidemiological situation".

“Travellers from Britain, Russia and several other countries would meet the new criteria, according to data provided by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”