Hi, I can answer some of your questions but not all as I am still currently on holiday! Covid vaccine passports - I printed out, via the NHS Wales website, there was an option to send it to yourself via email,
which I then printed. Airport (Bristol, then Ibiza) both fine, no chaos at all. All checks dealt with quickly and efficiently. Out here in Ibiza, we are all inclusive so mainly in the resort, gloves and masks to serve your food at the buffet stations but can take them off at the table. We are in a quiet area so a few restaurants about which we may go to at the end of the week - I may book it if necessary.

Pre departure tests - they are able to be done here in the hotel, so we will do that 48hrs before we fly.

Oh and the beach here is very laid back, some people wearing masks walking about but not all. It's very normal.

Hi, the pre departure test, is that one you took with you or something the hotel does?

The hotel has testing between 4-5 every day here, which is €30 each, and I assume you do the LFT in front of them and they give you a fit to fly certificate. I can report back on that once I've done it though on Friday

Following l

Thank you @hellswelshy i really want a last minute booking later in the month but of course by doing that i risk the fly home test not arriving in time.
Who did you book your day 2 PCR test with once home?

No problem. My dh has just popped up to the room in the hotel where they are doing the tests and they confirmed we can just turn up Friday to do it, no appointments needed - the hotel is not full so I suppose they are not too busy. Day two tests for us had to be booked via NHS Wales website, no choice for us there.

• did you just need your vaccination pass on the NHS app or gave you also required paper evidence? (If so how did you obtain that?)

• what was it like at the airport? (UK and Spain) I'm imagining chaos??

• what's it like out there in terms of Covid restrictions. Do you have to book everything or can you walk up eg restaurants / beaches?

• how did you find arranging your pcr tests? It's Amber right now, so we do one test 3 days before w me come home and another at home, right?

• did anyone ask to see these results? How did you present them?

And covid restrictions at restaurants etc - they have limits on numbers at tables and you just need to wear your mask if walking around the restaurant but not at your table or if drinking. When we went dancing was prohibited but dining and beach beds etc were as normal apart from the number restrictions (think max 9 outside tables and 6 indoors or something, but check the island's rules as they do tend to change).

Got back from Mallorca on 23 July. We printed everything out that was printable on advice of friends who had traveled earlier and said it was quicker.
No noticeable delays at our end, airport was quiet, plane two thirds full, but school hols hadn’t started.
More scrutiny on entry into Palma.
Masks strictly enforced on plane, in taxi and indoors at the hotel and shops. Bars not so strict as mostly outdoors.
Island was pretty quiet - I’d say winter levels of visitors but as I say schools hadn’t broken up.
Ahead of Coming home, booked and paid online for antigen test at clinic local to hotel - when we got to the address it didn’t exist. There’s a lot of that going on so don’t book in advance, go to a walk in.
Paperwork scrutinised at check in and very long queues (an hour) at the desks. Take water.
No scrutiny of any docs other than passport at UK border on return.
Day 2 pcr tests negative, quarantined by T n T on Day 6 owing to contact with positive case on plane (they said). All friends who have been away since early/ mid July have been quarantined on return - they quarantine the whole plane if there’s one positive on Day 2. That’s 6 flights that I personally know of. Be prepared for that.

@JosephineDeBeauharnais I was a bit worried about being contacted after returning because of someone testing positive on the plane. I'd heard they were routinely calling everyone and there's no way of checking if it's true that someone on the flight tested positive.

We've been back 8 days now and not heard anything so assuming nobody tested positive.

I went with TUI and apparently everyone that flew home on the same day as us had problems registering their day 2 tests. We couldn't do it until day 3 meaning 48 hours prior was the day after the flight.

So if anyone did test positive they would only trace contacts up to the day after the flight. I guess we got lucky.

We flew back on the Friday, day 2 test submitted Sunday but weren’t contacted until the Wednesday evening by which time we’d been out and about for 6 days .
I know it was related to the plane because I set up an email account purely for the purpose so it can only have come from the passenger locator form.

Double vaccinated people don't have to self isolate if in close contact with a positive case though from I think, 19th August??
Presume this will apply to travel too, and contact on planes?

And is it the whole plane or just within two rows??

You don’t have to show all these different things when you are going through the airport.

When you complete the passenger locator form you put all the details on there and just show the QR code that you get once all those details (tests/vaccines) are attached

This is the Spanish one
www.spth.gob.es/faq?tab=1

The one to come back to the UK is here

www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk

Test 2 days before you go and you need to book your day 2/day 8 test before you come back(depending on age/status). That’s needed to complete the passenger locator form.

Personally I found Ibiza to be less crowded, not as busy, absolutely perfect.
Just masks in shops and in restaurants when you’re walking around.
Airports not busy either.

Another one here at the moment - it’s all gone surprisingly smoothly so far. I’m double vaxxed but young teens with me have only had one so far.
Answers - we just showed the nhs app on phone at airport check in.
The kids had to show proof of pcr test done day before via email.
We all had to show Spanish qr code that we all filled in day before (another app)
Airport pretty empty , plane only half full
On arrival they took temp and scanned the same qr code- no queues
We go home Friday - just taken the test to go home. We brought them with us from breathe assured and did via zoom which was really easy and friendly as there is no clinic near us. Others have found super easy clinics in their resort so you might want to check.
Medium busy here. Mostly Spanish families and some English. Only one popular restaurant that we couldn’t get in.
Haven’t filled out return form yet
Ordered my day 2 tests on holiday as you need a code for the return form
Teens have ordered day 2 and day 8 tests for our return. Been a bit of a bloody expensive hassle but has on the whole, been worth it. Happy to answer any questions as I felt overwhelmed before.

Hey! We are flying to Menorca on Saturday and a few friends of ours flew today. Print out your covid vaccine status for ease and have the app ready too.

You need to take an antigen test within 72 hours of your flight back to the UK. We have ordered ours to take with us from c19testing which cost £29 and if you order before 8pm you get next day delivery tracked with DPD (ours arrived today no issues). I will pack it in my suitcase and take it 3 days before our flight back. You then take a pic of result and upload it to the link they give you and then then email your fit to fly certificate v quickly.

For our day 2 test I'm going to order through biograd diagnostics (£50) but am just waiting for the government announcement tomorrow just incase Boris surprises us with anything.

Our friends have a house there so have been out for a few weeks and they said it's quiet but nice atmosphere, book some restaurants if you can but no big deal if you're a small group and haven't. Masks in communal areas but otherwise all okay.

Enjoy your holiday

Of our friendship group who have travelled in past month, it’s only the Menorca ones who haven’t been quarantined on return.

josephine even for the double vaccinated and under 18's, from 16th August I thought these close contacts don't self isolate. Presuming it will apply to air travel?

Sorry to hijack but another query. If a person is vaccinated say 12 days before travel to an amber country for a week, the fourteen days will have passed by the time they return. So for testing purposes, they would then be classed as fully vaccinated and only do the day 2 test??

@cptartapp yes, as long as the day you arrive back is 14 days or more since your 2nd vaccine then just day 2 test needed

Thanks for that.