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?

Thank you!
I know we have made the right decision, but it still hurts.

I had a significant milestone birthday at the beginning of this year and all our plans for that were cancelled too.

"Never mind, there's always Christmas" we said.

Except there isn't

We’ve also just re-booked our flights

Same reason as you Percy and I’m absolutely gutted. It is the right decision though. I haven’t seen my family for 2 1/2 years.

@QuentininQuarantino we got our first 2 AZ in the UK. It's a bit of a bind because the country we live in is introducing covid passes for pretty much everything next week- if we got boosted there it would put us on the national system but take forever to show up on the NHS system. But tbh this is the easier option as well.

But... but... you can all just 'hop on a plane or a ferry'! Stop making such a fuss about nothing!

Just kidding, obviously. God, this is a fecking nightmare isn't it?

@ZZTopGuitarSolo

But... but... you can all just 'hop on a plane or a ferry'! Stop making such a fuss about nothing!

Just kidding, obviously. God, this is a fecking nightmare isn't it?

don’t forget the classic “you chose to live abroad”

Damn, 20 year old me should have foreseen a pandemic 20 odd years ago when I first moved here!

[quote plantastic]@QuentininQuarantino we got our first 2 AZ in the UK. It's a bit of a bind because the country we live in is introducing covid passes for pretty much everything next week- if we got boosted there it would put us on the national system but take forever to show up on the NHS system. But tbh this is the easier option as well.[/quote]
DS is currently here from Australia, and to travel had to get an International Vaccine Passport which showed the two AZ jabs he had received. Yesterday he got a Pfizer booster, and that will be added to his NHS app, and can be put on his International Passport - so he's been told.

I'm supposed to be going back to the UK for a week this Monday with DH and DD. I'm getting really worried now. Not so much about getting I'll, or even taking the virus home (I'm thinking that airports and planes are relatively safe given that everyone in them has to be vaccinated, masked etc.), but about either getting stuck there, or about telling my parents that we're not going to see them after all. I'm just so stressed.

We’re back after 12 days in the UK. The benefits outweighed the costs, but only just. It was so good to be on British soil after two years.

BUT there was so much stress about catching COVID during our stay ((have we got it? Did we catch it in the airport? What if, what if…) that we chose private transport rather than public so rented car and taxis.

Most of our non-family day trips were to open air places. A walk down Oxford Street felt like tempting fate. No way could we have organized or afforded an isolation period. So every day was a calculated risk.

And so much expense. Private 2-day and fit -to-fly PCR tests for three people came to almost £500. I know I could have self administered but I’m not trained or confident enough to do it.
Our fit to fly tests were so late arriving (32 hrs!) that I was already looking into later flights. Which would have meant more money down the drain.

I think the cost and the emotional burden is now making travelling to the UK prohibitive. Another blow to UK tourism.
If I’d known how joyless it would be I would have cancelled.
No way am I doing it again in April, my usual time to see family. I’m putting my timeshare up for rent.

We aren't going and neither are many of our friends here. We did go back a couple of weeks ago but really don't want to get stuck there

Due to fly to UK in couple of days to see family for first time in 2 years. Anxiety levels through the roof, I flit between cancelling it then crying (a lot) and then thinking sod it, we'll risk it. More worried about being stuck than being ill, we can afford 10 days in a hotel if push came to shove but not ideal. it's not a big city so hoping that's on my side and we've had our booster jabs.

The new announcements by the French today will have scuppered plans for many, many people.

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-british-tourists-to-be-banned-from-france-amid-rise-in-omicron-cases-12497105?fbclid=IwAR0SfT8kXfwcu7I2jxJGzgAeEqMre-53cj5yG55EX3LRGIDoNS8CzH3aOE4

I am sure ther will be some further clarification forthcoming.

Sending hugs and sympathy to anyone for whom this is the straw that breaks the camel's back.

I am glad we pulled the plug when we did.

Doesn't look good. There is an update on the french consulate site which states that you have to have "motif imperieux pour se rendre ou venir en France" Later on in the same page, it describes the rules for going to England and doesn't mention that at all... Either way for us, we give up... now to try to change the tickets and test appointments....

@sleepy78

There is a lot of conflicting information flying around - hopefully it will all become clearer later today.

Sorry you are having to cancel.

I’m at the stage where I want to cancel our trip but I probably can’t get a refund unless either the UK or the US imposes some rules that make travel impossible.

The UK won’t.

I’m hoping the US will but I doubt it.

Hmmph.

Does anybody know the 'compelling reasons', the bbc is listing 'family visits' as one but I can't see anything on the french government website to suggest this is true.

It's caused a bit of panic here in Belgium as no one is sure what this will mean for transit. Also last year, Belgium and NL also shut to UK travellers. Even more relieved I didn't plan to go anywhere. So sorry for those of you who have had all your plans ruined.

We're supposed to be travelling from France to the UK to spend Christmas with the family so I'm trying to find out if we will be allowed out of France and back in again. I don't want to be stuck in the UK, equally I don't want to drive all through France and not be allowed out at Calais. Hopefully we will have some clarity later today. If we can't go I'm going to have to find out if I can get a refund on all the tests I've bought!

uk.ambafrance.org/Covid-19-Conditions-de-deplacement-entre-la-France-et-le-Royaume-Uni-28925

We're still leaving tomorrow to the UK. My husband, son and parents in law all have French or EU passports and I have my carte de sejour so we will be let back in. They will allow French back into France. We're going by car and are staying with my parents. We won't be seeing many people over Christmas so it feels reasonably safe. Still won't relax until we are there!

@Magenta83

We're still leaving tomorrow to the UK. My husband, son and parents in law all have French or EU passports and I have my carte de sejour so we will be let back in. They will allow French back into France. We're going by car and are staying with my parents. We won't be seeing many people over Christmas so it feels reasonably safe. Still won't relax until we are there!

Exactly this situation except we’re not going until 23:rd AND we have Spanish residency not French (long story)

Solidarity with all of you. This would have been us in previous years, except we moved back to the U.K. for work not long prior to COVID.

We are still in the position of not being able to see DH’s family until next year at the earlier, although the Premier is likely to change that with Omicron.

I try not to think about the fact that my in laws have never met DS who is practically 1, as it’s just too sad. We’ll never have a photo of them holding him as a newborn & trying to get him to pose for a photo now that he’s walking, talking and climbing is near impossible!

I feel sick with worry about this. We are to meet with with husband (EU national working in 🇫🇷 ) in Italy for Christmas. We then return to UK after NY and then end of that week, we relocate to 🇫🇷 to join husband. I don’t have a carte yet, but having checked the rules, it looks like we should be able to join my husband there as he is resident and also EU.

Now to research where to get a PCR test that gives results quickly within the 24 hour period ….

I'm going to cancel. The airline will give us a credit. I hope we'll use it this summer when (hopefully!) we get to celebrate two 80th birthdays.

If we miss those then I will... I don't know... there's nothing I can do. Just stamp my feet and pout.

I wanted to meet my 3 new nephews. See my dad while he's still alive - he's not all that well. See MIL before her dementia progresses further. Show my daughter around the places I love. See some friends.

cries

Really hoping to go in summer instead.

@ZZTopGuitarSolo

So sorry to hear that. Much pouting and foot stamping here too!

We bailed out earlier in the week so have had a couple of days to come to terms with it. We are resigned to the fact that we have done the right thing, and from today there will be thousands of other people in the same situation.

The FB UK/France travel page has, predictably, gone insane with lots of "but what about xyz?" posts (and the predictable "how dare the French tell us where we can and can't go") I think I am going to mute it for a while as we won't be travelling anywhere for the forseeable and it is making me mad.

My daughter is planning to get here with the children in a few weeks. As we are both in mainland Europe that currently remains straighforward, but I am trying not to get my hopes up.

@Oriunda

I feel sick with worry about this. We are to meet with with husband (EU national working in 🇫🇷 ) in Italy for Christmas. We then return to UK after NY and then end of that week, we relocate to 🇫🇷 to join husband. I don’t have a carte yet, but having checked the rules, it looks like we should be able to join my husband there as he is resident and also EU.

Now to research where to get a PCR test that gives results quickly within the 24 hour period ….

@Oriunda C19 are good