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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Greece or Devon

43 replies

michaelmosleyisagod · 26/07/2021 21:11

Like many others, we are in a quandary - what would you do?

Holiday A booked at beginning of August (currently cancellable) in Devon for a week

Holiday B booked at end of August (also cancellable apart from flights, which we can move) in Greece for two weeks

Need to make a decision this week. Completely torn.

Anyone else in similar position? What decision have you made?

OP posts:
TreaslakeandBack · 26/07/2021 21:20

We were in exactly this position although it was Portugal not Greece and we went to Devon.
It was great due to the heatwave.
If you are both double jabbed and kids under 18 I might risk it, especially if you can WFH.

Original poster
michaelmosleyisagod · 26/07/2021 21:32

Yes - should have said - both double-jabbed with two school age kids. We can WFH but if we had to isolate on way back it would impact kids going back to school by one week

OP posts:
Original poster
michaelmosleyisagod · 26/07/2021 21:32

@TreaslakeandBack

We were in exactly this position although it was Portugal not Greece and we went to Devon. It was great due to the heatwave. If you are both double jabbed and kids under 18 I might risk it, especially if you can WFH.
Glad you had a good time - the weather makes such a difference!
OP posts:
HazyDaisy123456 · 26/07/2021 21:42

Depends how risk averse you are. We were due to go to Portugal last year and cancelled it loosing our deposit as we knew if it went ahead we wouldn’t feel comfortable going being in an airport and on a plane and lots of vagueness about what would happen re insurance i.e. if you developed covid aboard etc.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 26/07/2021 21:47

I’m not going abroad this year because I have young children and the idea of quarantining abroad, being sick abroad, isolating, messing up the eldests start of school isn’t worth it to me. If it was just me hell yes I’d be on a beach abroad now!

Stillgoings · 28/07/2021 08:11

We had two booked and chose the UK break. Less stressful and we had s fantastic time

WindUpBird · 28/07/2021 18:38

I’m in Devon now and we have had an absolutely brilliant week. We normally spend a lot of time planning the perfect family holiday to somewhere in Europe, so I wasn’t too excited about Devon… However, it is stunning here. We are in East Devon & have kayaked from Exeter Quay, cycled the Exe estuary, walked the coastal path, visited lovely towns & villages, swum in the sea etc. I’m very spoilt and it is not the same as being abroad but I feel v lucky to have had a holiday this year…
( I would rather be in Greece, though Smile )

Amboseli · 28/07/2021 22:42

We had Devon and Majorca booked.

Came back yesterday from 10 days in Majorca. It was absolutely worth it. We're both double jabbed, teens under 18 so no quarantine.

The best thing of all was it felt like there was no pandemic and that we had "escaped" from it for 10 days.

NautaOcts · 28/07/2021 22:45

Weather forecast would swing it for me
If weather looks good for Devon I’d stick with that. If looks dodgy I’d take my chances with Greece

LizzieBet14 · 28/07/2021 23:01

Devon. Wouldn't risk the kids missing the first week back at school.....

ArabellaPilkington · 29/07/2021 05:56

Greece, if you can cope with the pre travel stress.

We are going Sunday and I thought having been with a friend to Majorca a few weeks ago I would breeze through mentally these few weeks between.

It is not for the faint hearted or anxious of mind. But if we make it by God it'll be worth it!!

FlyingScott · 29/07/2021 06:00

You mean you booked two holidays with no intention of going on both of them?

Frenchfancy · 29/07/2021 06:03

Selfish booking of holidays you don't intend to take will eventually end up in some companies going out of business and prices going up for everyone.

ApplyWithin · 29/07/2021 06:08

Greece! Totally worth it. Very easy you don’t need tests before you go, just when returning two days before departure and two days after you get back. Didn’t feel onerous for us once we’d got our heads around it. 100% worth it for guaranteed sunshine and to escape the UK. I couldn’t bear another summer making the best of it in Dorset/Lakes/Sussex, dodgy weather, expensive days-out, rip-off holiday lets etc etc

We are not Covid worriers and haven’t thought about it at all since being away, other than remembering which parts of hotel you have to wear a mask in. All very natural and easy. My children have loved it.

Go for it.

garlictwist · 29/07/2021 06:12

Greece in august sounds like it would be unbearably hot! I would go with Devon and try and get to Greece later in the year when it will be cooler and maybe the pandemic stuff will have died off a bit.

Cornishskies · 29/07/2021 06:15

As a small business owner in the hospitality/ tourism trade it shouldn’t surprise me but I’m still shocked that people think it’s acceptable to book and then just cancel a holiday with such short notice. With no thought to the people’s business’s & livelihoods after so long locked down with no trade . Many of us are desperately trying to make up for horrendous financial losses. This could be devastating to them in a peak month when they will have turned away many people because you had your booking [and it will be too late for them to rebook Angry

ArabellaPilkington · 29/07/2021 06:35

"Unbearably hot"

Bring it 😎 🌞

roses2 · 29/07/2021 06:49

Greece definitely. Even with the tests it will probably be cheaper than Devon!

Plus there is cold wet weather forecast for the first two weeks of August in the UK.

Also shame on you for booking two holidays of which one was the intent to cancel.

TreaslakeandBack · 29/07/2021 06:56

I use Booking.com because it offers free cancellation. Surely if that flexibility is offered it is ok to use it?

AnyFucker · 29/07/2021 06:57

Ah. One of “those” types aren’t you ?

As long as you get your “well earned” holiday, eh

Buckleyourseatbelt · 29/07/2021 07:02

Devon. As you’ve booked it and it’s next week. Bit shitty to cancel last minute.

ZenNudist · 29/07/2021 07:05

I'd go Devon but you might be different from me and OK with heat. I couldn't cope with August heat in Greece. Covid wise you'd probably be OK.

Cornishskies · 29/07/2021 07:07

@TreaslakeandBack I’m sure that whilst booking.com will continue to make their mega profits as a massive company, the small business’s they use to earn their money will be the ones that suffer the loss of a cancellation. Being able to use something doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

Pinkallium · 29/07/2021 07:08

I was recently ‘gazumped’ on a uk holiday and had it cancelled last minute by the air bnb host. Interesting to see that it happens the other way round too. Pretty shameful behaviour IMO.

Greeceplease · 29/07/2021 07:22

Am on Greece at the moment and it's fab. Zipped through the airport at both sides - Covid test when got here took literally seconds. Most stressful part was waiting for PCR result for son - felt confident it would be negative but was more worried it wouldn't arrive in time (it did). If I had to do that bit again, I'd go for the antigen test that I'm pretty sure Greece accept - in our testing centre it was half the price of the PCR and the results came in one hour so would have avoided that bit of stress we did have. Other nice thing: rows of empty seats on our Easyjet flight and that was during the school holidays.