Pre booked "Amber" list holidays. Are you going?

[Piptastic]

Just that really.

If you have an existing booking for a holiday to an "Amber" country, in the next few months, are you going to go?

I've got one booked and just curious what everyone has decided after todays announcement.

so my VBRO house rental have said they will refund me in full in Spain as Spain isn't open to tourists when we are due to arrive.

Still playing chicken with Easyjet. i need them to cancel i think - which might happen. But will play by ear for now. It's impossible to apply for a refund on their site even though it says it should be possible. I will wait for now.

We're booked in order to see family. Spent a long time today looking at changing how we were travelling to get discounted tests and pricing it all up. Even if we were willing/could pay that though, as mentioned before were not covered by insurance whilst the government are saying we should not travel for leisure purposes to amber list countries . I can't see a way around that one especially as one of us has a medical condition.

@GreatBritishBummertime

Anyone know the dates reviews are happening and when changes will be effective from? We booked a holiday to Rhodes on the 7th of July thinking it should be two reviews away, but if the next review's changes aren't effective until the 7th of June we might be buggered.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/green-list-update-revealing-countries-24093657.amp

The 'Green List' of destinations where Brits can travel without going into quarantine is expected to be updated on June 7, Number 10 has confirmed.It's been reported major destinations major tourist destinations including France, Spain and Greece are unlikely to feature on the government's green list when it's reviewed.A third updated list is likely to be revealed in time for a review of the Government’s foreign travel policy on June 28.

Depending upon the entry requirements of the county itself - yes.

I fully expect it to be on the green list by August, but if not we will quarantine at home and do the test to release thing on day 5. I factored time into our schedule to allow for a potential quarantine.

Also both dh and I will have had both vaccinations by the time we go.

I’ve checked my Jet2 insurance and I’m still covered, as long as the FCDO do not travel advice only relates to COVID.

We are booked for Tenerife in July and will go if we possibly can. Luckily we can both work from home so isolating on return isn’t an issue.

But I’m still not clear. I thought everyone had to isolate for two weeks in a special hotel now?

@mermaidsariel

But I’m still not clear. I thought everyone had to isolate for two weeks in a special hotel now?

Only if arriving in the UK from one of the countries on the Red List..

www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england

Does anyone know what happens if you test positive in Spain for example, prior to return, do you have to find accommodation yourself? How long to you have to wait till you can fly home? Does insurance cover this? That’s what puts me off!

@Pinchoftums

I've cancelled as I can't be dealing with the tests before and after, delays at airports, the possibility of the status changing when we are there or before. Gutted but relieved as it was stressing me out!

I'm about to do the same. Am prepared to lose the flights, can't be arsed with thinking about it anymore.

I am hoping my flights are cancelled but think that might be wishful thinking. I don't really want to re-book anywhere else as we are just not massive travellers (already have summer placed close to home) and certainly not with little ones in a pandemic. It's just not a massive amount of fun and we are tied to school hols. Maybe we book something in October half term and hope for the best. I suppose it's better than losing the money completely. I will play chicken with the Easyjet site for a bit longer.

I've been looking today. The Greek pm is here in the uk today campaigning for the Greek islands that are very low to be allowed on the green list. They are working very hard to have them fully vaccinated by the end of June. Schapps is quoted as saying that he wants an island approach like last year. So I'm still keeping everything crossed for my early July trip to Corfu.

@Nhsisfucked

Does anyone know what happens if you test positive in Spain for example, prior to return, do you have to find accommodation yourself? How long to you have to wait till you can fly home? Does insurance cover this? That’s what puts me off!

If you test positive whilst abroad you are very likely to have find your own accommodation unless booked as a package which has some kind of provision for that booked into the package. Some countries will allow self isolation and others would require some kind of compulsory quarantine facility. The biggest issue is that a good percentage of people who test positive go on to test positive for much longer than the 10 or 14 days isolation period and there is no way to return home without a negative test. It's one of those situations where if you can't afford the time or money of a worst case scenario it really is more sensible not to go.

@ChiefBabySniffer thanks for sharing that. I truly hope they do take that island approach. I have another trip booked for third week of August to a Greek island....

I'm really wanting to book a short break to New York in December for DHs 40th. We would however struggle with work if we had to isolate for 10 days on return. Any thoughts on how likely it us that USA will be on the green list come December or that Scotland will have moved to allowing test and release like England currently have?

TUI are not offering refunds for holidays to Amber list countries by the way

@Paddingtonthebear

TUI are not offering refunds for holidays to Amber list countries by the way

Are they giving the option to amend though? I'm booked with Jet2 but not til July. I would go if still Amber but understand not everyone can do that. Ideal scenario is that they take you if you want to go, or offer a fee free swap.

Yes online they have given us the option to amend the holiday so we’ve moved it to next year. The other option was to cancel now and lose the deposit, or pay the full outstanding balance by end of May but no refund after that if you choose not to travel.

@Piptastic www.battleface.com will provide insurance even for countries on the FCDO amber list countries and continue to cover you should they turn red. DS is currently in Mexico (and has been in other countries in Central America) and is covered by them.

So this has come out this morning. FFS. I know it's not exactly new news but it feels like a much stronger message against travelling. So that the government can say 'oh look we're letting you go on holiday' but then not actually making it viable by only really having one viable destination on the green list. Makes me so angry. More mixed messaging. I feel sorry for the tour operators.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57158372

We ended up cancelling. So gutted but we couldn’t get travel insurance to cover us and all the other providers had so many stipulations it just want worth the risk.

[quote chocolatesaltyballs22]So this has come out this morning. FFS. I know it's not exactly new news but it feels like a much stronger message against travelling. So that the government can say 'oh look we're letting you go on holiday' but then not actually making it viable by only really having one viable destination on the green list. Makes me so angry. More mixed messaging. I feel sorry for the tour operators.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57158372[/quote]
It's really frustrating - I have a holiday booked in an amber place. Can't cancel without losing the money, can't claim on the insurance because it isn't banned, and am criticised for being selfish if I do go. If I do go, I have countless tests to pay for for my children, potential isolation which I can't do, and empty resorts because no one else is going.

I feel your pain @HelenHywater. There's meant to be a government briefing later after the EU have announced they will let us Brits in - no doubt the government aren't too happy about that as it puts pressure on them to ease restrictions.

They can advise all they want but the legal ban on leisure travel was lifted on Monday and nothing was put in its place to stop people legally travelling to amber or red list countries for any reason they choose. There are other mechanisms in place which will make many people think twice - travelling against FCDO advice as red and amber countries are makes insurance virtually but not completely impossible, 10 days self quarantine on return or additional test costs for test to release and hotel quarantine for red list countries plus only allowing In citizens and residents.

Two Amber Holidays booked, early July and late August
I will be going on both.
We are all fully vaccinated, I will happily do tests and self isolation.
It is not illegal and tui are flying so we are going.