Anyone else still hopeful for overseas this summer

[TheExtraGuineaPig]

We are booked to go to Greece for the last 2 weeks of July. I'm sort of resigned it won't happen but the optimistic part of my brain is telling me there could be significant additions to the green list or the system could be overhauled for the main holiday season.

Anyone else doing this sort of wishful thinking?

Ah, I see. Yes I had misunderstood.

We're booked to go to Crete 18 July. We'll be going unless it goes red. I am a bit nervous but we didn't go anywhere last year not even in the UK and I can't wait another year for a holiday.

We'll do the 5 day test to release and have been double jabbed.

Let's see how it pans out ...

Booked for Greek isles in 3 weeks and hoping the tour operator doesn't cancel. We can quarantine when we get home. Also booked for Carribean in Oct. I hope people who are able to do travel. The industry so needs it.

@twilightermummy Flights were with Easyjet to Mykonos

Las Vegas and California in September. Fully vaccinated so we should be OK to go.

I'm feeling increasingly gloomy and today I'm angry and fed up about it too. DH and I are fully vaccinated and we and our DC are US citizens. We are ALLOWED to go to the USA, but because of FCO advice we can't get travel insurance (and you'd be crazy to travel to the US without, just in case someone ends in hospital), and either four/five PCR tests + five/ten days of quarantine on return. We're due to go 7th August and I've always thought that surely, by then, we'd be okay. Now, with this fucking Indian variant, I'm not so sure. Either way, it's going to go down to the wire and the uncertainty is driving me totally crazy!

Yes I think there will be some geeen countries

Just resurrecting this thread in view of this latest news today:

www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/jun/16/vaccinated-british-travellers-could-skip-quarantine-on-return-under-new-plans

What do we think? I think they will still keep the requirement for testing. Hope this comes in for the next review next week. The travel industry could do with a boost (and from a selfish perspective I'd like to go on holiday!)

Gave up on this year. Was due to go in August but have moved it to next year.

I had resigned myself to not going this Summer and in process of organising UK break, now another leak, just bloody say yes or no. Have a trip booked for October too and more hopeful that will go ahead, at this rate i'll be needing a booster as more than 6 months since my first!

@Moirarose2021 the press leaks usually come true, especially when they're positioned like this one has been. But yes, stop with the games and just make it happen.

Still living in hope we can visit our daughter this year who lives overseas but who knows!

I didn’t see that, thanks, it’s interesting.

I think it’s just a ploy to get more people taking up vaccination and am not sure politically they will allow ‘discrimination against people who can’t/ won’t vax’.

But from a purely selfish POV, it would be excellent news for my end of year trip planned which is just me and DH and we will both be fully vaccinated by then.

@chocolatesaltyballs22

Just resurrecting this thread in view of this latest news today:

www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/jun/16/vaccinated-british-travellers-could-skip-quarantine-on-return-under-new-plans

What do we think? I think they will still keep the requirement for testing. Hope this comes in for the next review next week. The travel industry could do with a boost (and from a selfish perspective I'd like to go on holiday!)

What do I think? I think that requiring fully vaccinated travellers and their DC to take four PCR tests at a cost of approx. £100 per test (so £1600 for a family of four), is outrageous! Yes, get rid of the quarantine, but bloody well get rid of the testing as well, or reduce it substantially, both in number of tests required and cost. Why is each test so expensive in this country when the same test is offered much cheaper abroad?????

Oh I completely agree about the testing @zafferana. I guess I just expected things to be shit for a long time to come so any snippet of positive movement in the right direction made me happy. But the testing definitely needs to be reduced and made cheaper.

What do I think? I think that requiring fully vaccinated travellers and their DC to take four PCR tests at a cost of approx. £100 per test (so £1600 for a family of four), is outrageous! Yes, get rid of the quarantine, but bloody well get rid of the testing as well, or reduce it substantially, both in number of tests required and cost. Why is each test so expensive in this country when the same test is offered much cheaper abroad?????

Where do you get four tests from? And £100 a test for that matter. The suggestion is that fully vaccinated people can follow green country rules, so two tests coming back, and there’s a few countries that don't require tests to enter, so none there. TUI sell a two test pack with their holidays for £20, £60 if you need an outgoing test.

I think things are still going to shit for a long time @chocolatesaltyballs22, but like you I welcome any good news, however paltry.

The thing that annoys me is that the govt isn't following the science, which shows how effective vaccines are, it's following public opinion polls which show that a majority of people are still very anxious about Covid (not surprising after 15 months of media scare-mongering), and want our borders to remain closed indefinitely. That was all well and good while the rest of the western world was following suit and trying to vaccinate everyone, but the EU has just said it will allow fully vaxxed Americans to visit this summer, but not full vaxxed Brits>=. Now why would they do that, when it doesn't make economic sense? Could it possibly be a quid pro quo to the UK for putting the entire EU on its wretched Amber list, by any chance?

Where do you get four tests from? And £100 a test for that matter. The suggestion is that fully vaccinated people can follow green country rules, so two tests coming back, and there’s a few countries that don't require tests to enter, so none there. TUI sell a two test pack with their holidays for £20, £60 if you need an outgoing test.

Four tests:
One within 72 hours of outbound flight
One within 72 hours of inbound flight
Test on day two after return
Test on day eight after return

Tests available from govt approved test suppliers vary in price, but from any I've checked (and I checked several) the price ranged from £80-£120 each, so with an average of £100. We will not be travelling with TUI.

That was to @Aposterhasnoname

If amber it's currently one test to go out (if country you're visiting requires it), one to return and then tests on days 2 and 8. I hadn't seen that all green conditions would apply if you were fully vaccinated. But I agree that you can get cheaper packages now, although still not cheap especially if testing for a family. My concern is that a lot of these companies don't appear to be very reliable.

@zafferana

Where do you get four tests from? And £100 a test for that matter. The suggestion is that fully vaccinated people can follow green country rules, so two tests coming back, and there’s a few countries that don't require tests to enter, so none there. TUI sell a two test pack with their holidays for £20, £60 if you need an outgoing test.

Four tests:
One within 72 hours of outbound flight
One within 72 hours of inbound flight
Test on day two after return
Test on day eight after return

Tests available from govt approved test suppliers vary in price, but from any I've checked (and I checked several) the price ranged from £80-£120 each, so with an average of £100. We will not be travelling with TUI.

But those four tests are current requirements for an amber country that requires a test to enter. The suggestion is that fully vaccinated people will use green country rules. If you go to a country that doesn’t make you test to enter you’ll only need two tests.

You’re choice not to travel with TUI, but I’ll bet my house there will be a lot more cheap packs making an appearance ashen and if this comes in.

@Aposterhasnoname I can't find any information about the proposed change relating to a change in the current testing regime, only that inbound travellers from amber list countries would no longer have to quarantine. I've read the Guardian article again - no mention - and there is no mention in an article in the Independent today either.

As for the four tests - this applies to our destination country. I appreciate that some amber countries do not require this.

Well we were getting ourselves psyched up to cancel Greek Islands foir July til I saw this story. It originated in The Telegraph which seems to be the way a lot of policy has been floated - so I'm really hopeful!

Please let this be true, and if the testing requirements fall in line with the green country I can actually see me family this summer!! Finally some hope!

I have that too... at the moment I'm thinking of holiday because we have money tied up in it (!) but I am half Brit half from another EU country - and my brother has emigrated back there with his family - and I'm desperate to go and see them all (and most of all desperate for my parents to see their son and grandson) X