Anyone else with Christmas plans in the UK feeling jittery?

[QuentininQuarantino]

Last year's Christmas was awful, stuck alone in our host country which was in lockdown. Especially as we only cancelled our UK trip a couple of weeks in advance.

Now it feels a bit like history repeating itself. Most of the presents for the DC are at my parents house in the UK (really specific things that can't be bought here from the letter to father christmas!) and the DC are so excited.

(Also, thanks to fucking Brexit, we have told everyone to post everything to my parents house because of the huge import charges we keep getting stung with.)

We're only over the channel in France, and I keep telling myself its only 3/4 weeks to go.. but I've got that dreadful pit-of-the-stomach feeling.

Anyone else? Fancy some mutual support?

We are currently still keeping fingers and toes crossed that we can go next week. We'll probably have to take the ferry (not from France...but since we are going by car it doesn't really matter which port I drive to) instead of the tunnel.
We should be able to get back since we have EU residency and are fully vaccinated and boostered. If absolutely needed, we would be able to return at short notice but I hope we don't need to.
It's so frustrating, though, not being able to properly plan anything. We've also got a cottage booked in the UK and would lose about 2k because it cannot be cancelled so close to the arrival date.

Just looking on one of my British Expats FB groups. On one thread 9 people said they’ve cancelled their trip home in the last few days. The people who are currently in the UK are hardly seeing anyone because so many people have Covid, and if they get it they can’t fly back. Several have said they tried meeting up with friends but next day one of the friends tested positive.

One has come back and immediately tested positive and is now missing Christmas with his family and feels like shit.

It’s all so crap. We’re definitely not going.

We're risking it, although I'm still pretty conflicted. We basically won't be moving from my parents' house, apart from Christmas day at my aunt's. It's probably not the wisest decision, but I just can't face the thought of telling my parents we're cancelling and they won't see their granddaughter. They've had such a hard two years, I can't do it.

We've just cancelled everything. With Germany reclassifying the UK, it's just not feasible anymore. "High risk area" would have been doable because we are fully vaccinated. "Virus variant area" is a step too far. We cannot quarantine for 14 days upon return... 😪 We are bound by school holidays and cannot just extend them.

@LaMadrilena

We're risking it, although I'm still pretty conflicted. We basically won't be moving from my parents' house, apart from Christmas day at my aunt's. It's probably not the wisest decision, but I just can't face the thought of telling my parents we're cancelling and they won't see their granddaughter. They've had such a hard two years, I can't do it.

Same… leaving Wednesday morning, driving and going through the shuttle. Staying with family, rurally.. it should be okay but there’s always a risk but I can’t think that far ahead!

DS PCR came back negative this morning (his class was closed due to a positive case in the class) so that’s a big hurdle cleared. We have packed today which is scary because if we cancel it will be so much more miserable having to unpack!

I’m so sorry @Dizzyhedgehog

I wish I'd found this thread when I was trying to make my choice... might have felt slightly less alone. We were due to travel by eurostar today but moved our tickets just before fees came in to change them. DH is in the education system so really can't make it work if we have to quarantine when coming back (or worse if we can't travel back due to testing positive).
I just feel so rubbish about it all - we were supposed to be with my parents tonight and our toddler keeps asking where his uncle is

So far 2 of my friends' kids back from UK uni have tested positive on the day 2 test. So even though I'm not going anywhere I can't see them either.

For anyone who's flying to the UK, have you made plans for what you'll do if one of you tests positive for Covid before the flight back?

DH has been doing that the last few days, as he and DD are flying back tomorrow.

I think eventually he worked out that one of his brothers would drop off a car somewhere near where he's staying in London, as they wouldn't be able to take public transport. DH and DD would then drive to MIL's house. MIL would be picked up by another brother, and taken to his house. DH and DD would isolate in MIL's house, while everyone else celebrates Christmas.

They'd then have to find a doctor who would be willing to write a letter saying they are recovered from Covid, and, all being well, fly home approx 11 (?) days later. That's assuming they both get sick at the same time, not one after the other. And assuming they're actually well enough to travel.

Just some stuff to think about.

Fortunately they both tested negative this morning, so they're flying home tomorrow, and we can all spend Christmas together.

We're off to the airport in 20 min. @ZZTopGuitarSolo We have no plan! I guess I'll just have to work from my parents'house, and DH who can't work remotely will have to look after DD and hope he doesn't get fired. I'm shitting myself to be honest.

Good luck! And hopefully Happy Christmas!

We flew from Singapore yesterday. Heathrow was easy peasy. Staying rurally. No plan for if we test positive here - though I've sourced a few airbnbs which are free including the last one we are in. Our big issue is that all omicron positive flights are being government quarantined on return or sent to infectious diseases institute if positive yourself. After many tearful discussions decided the risk is worth it given we haven't left the island in 2 years and not seen family during that time. Honestly it was so lovely to be here yesterday, I'm really glad we came. Perhaps stupid!

Hooray @backatschool ! Merry Christmas with your family!

We’re en route having got negative antigen tests this morning - it’s a two day journey but we’re very jolly with Chris Rea “driving home for Christmas” on repeat in the car and a few little tears of emotion! I’ll be a wreck by the time we get into Folkstone!

Safe travels @QuentininQuarantino (and everyone else who is in transit)

I should have been snarfing a proper sausage sarnie for my breakfast in Portsmouth today - trying not to think about that

We have been for a lovely walk in the winter sunshine and bought some champagne to take to friends for our hastily re-arranged Christmas lunch plans.

We made it back, got our negative 2-day PCRs, only to find out this morning that my BIL back in Spain has tested positive. We were with his wife on Monday, she's fine but waiting on the result of a PCR. What to do? We can only do LFTs and cross our fingers...

I’m late to this thread and suspect in the same country to @Tropicalsquirrel and know I am to @backatschool waves

We also made it back to the UK (early December t so choice was easier to make) but are trying to limit what we do due to risk of testing positive and/or being quarantined on arrival. Also suspect we have done a stupid thing, but we just couldn’t face cancelling.

Happy holiday to all, and good luck!

Merry Christmas emigrants! We made it back and it’s blissful! Very extended quarantine as the test isn’t going anywhere on all these bank holidays but it’s nice watching the dc with their gps and putting my feet up! Now just to keep COVID safe and get back…

Hello @Binkybix and good news Singapore just lifted the omicron measures re: quarantine! Still need to dodge the covid bullets here but I'm way less stressed about the implications now.
Merry Christmas @QuentininQuarantino and all the other travellers! So glad you made it back and enjoying it so far.

Forgot to update! We made it! After my SIL here in Spain confirmed her PCR was negative, we had Christmas day with my extended family in UK. My baby's first Christmas, with her grandparents and great grandma - 100-year age gap at the table! Uneventful flight back. And now my SIL has a positive PCR, and so do two of her son's... But mild symptoms, and it looks like we've got away with it. Happy new year to everyone!

Glad that everything went to plan @LaMadrilena.

OH and I have both been ill all Christmas with nasty colds (not covid) so I am quite relieved that we stayed put.

No idea when we will make it to the UK to see DGC3, but DD and DGCs 1 and 2 will be visiting in a couple of weeks (fingers crossed for no more rule changes) so we will have a mini-Christmas even though the "big" presents are sitting in the UK.

Hope 2022 is a better year for all of us with family spread across the world.

We went back to the UK on 23rd December, it was the first time since Covid started. Had tests before flying, then the PCR upon landing, results back in 14 hours, not the quoted 48 which was good as we were in an airport hotel room! Got pinged on the first day to by NHS, presumably we'd been near someone in the airport as it was the only place we'd been to ( how they got my number I have no idea, maybe off locator form?) Didn't have to quarantine luckily as fully vaxxed + booster, but we tested daily for 10 days, even though the NHS said 7. Can't believe you can just walk into a Chemist and get a box of tests for free, I told them I was no longer a UK resident and offered to pay for them but they couldn't charge me for them. They are €12 each where I live! Literally everyone tests there, we found that very different, we'd never done a home test before. Outdoor and indoor mask usage increased while we were there which was great, but I noticed I was the only one wearing an FFP2 mask outdoors. There wasn't the 'fear' of Covid that I've experienced here in Europe, people seemed to be going about their lives as normal. Felt extremely nervous going to pubs and restaurants without a Covid passport being checked first, I guess it's something we've got so used to here. Had to test to test to fly back too and we managed to return Covid free, but continued to test for a few days when we got back, just to be sure. I'm not waiting so long to go back, If I've been at the worst possible time, I'll do it again. Nearly cancelled several times based on being terrified of what the news had reported, however it was not as bad as what we'd expected (we were not in London though...) The stressful part of it was all the forms to fill in to go there and come back. Literally hours of filling in and uploading stuff.

So happy for those who made it!

Glad we didn't go as my brother tested positive the day before we would have arrived, meaning we could not have stayed at my dad's for quarantine as planned, nor could we have visited any of that side of the family as they'd all been exposed.

Anyway we are going to try again this summer.