[Travel] Holiday plans this summer?

[nicko31]

Do you think he might be getting suspicious that he's not wanted?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53543198

Rumours about he was out selling timeshares this morning on the beach at Marbella using his pen name

 

[The Maharajah of Sydney]

I think Gov rules out testing at airports on arrival partly because it is possibly for people to have picked up the infection but still test negative in the first few days.

That’s why countries like Australia etc put people in hotels for 14 days on arrival and kept testing them throughout the period.

Also the logistics would be challenging no doubt.

They only get tested once, on the 11th day, but it's not mandatory and they can refuse it.
If they refuse to be tested they then have to stay a further 10 days.

 

[Denis]

I’ve booked to go to Ibiza on 15th August,, I’m retired. I will still go unless the holiday is cancelled. (TUI all inclusive). If I have to quarantine, so be it. I already shop online for groceries. I’d probably take chance and go for a little walk up by local Foredown tower.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

I’ve booked to go to Ibiza on 15th August,, I’m retired. I will still go unless the holiday is cancelled. (TUI all inclusive). If I have to quarantine, so be it. I already shop online for groceries. I’d probably take chance and go for a little walk up by local Foredown tower.

TUI have said from the start that they will not fly people to destinations which require a quarantine on return to the UK. So they are cancelling all holidays to Spain- I’m not sure how far in advance they will be doing that.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I notice that EasyJet have started to row back on the timetable they put up a few weeks ago. A number of the Berlin Gatwick September flights they advertised have now been cancelled.

I have been quite supportive of them over Covid but they really tested my patience when the wife’s Plus membership number didn’t work online. Took repeated calls, which took ages to get through, to resolve the issue. The actual staff were fine, brilliant in fact, but they were hamstrung by their resource and technology.

 

[nicko31]

So the FCO advice is no non-essential travel to mainland Spain but its OK to the Balerics and the Canaries, but for all of all you have to self isolate for 2 weeks. Plus most of the cases are around Catalonia

Chuck in the 4 hours notice and 2 government ministers in Spain (one that left on Saturday morning) and its fair to say this is a clusterf**k and a strategy no other country in Europe seems to be adopting

 

[Jim in the West]

We managed to fit in a week on the Costa Blanca earlier this month (been back for 9 days now). I have to say I felt A LOT safer in Spain than here. Pretty much everyone was wearing a mask (whether in a shop or on the streets). Some people even wearing masks on the beach. You couldn't get into a shop without a mask (staff on the door, plus hand-sanitising stations everywhere). The government have been pretty half-hearted about everything to do with Covid, apart from the foreign travel rules - maybe they're hoping that we'll forget everything else and get really upset about not being able to go to Spain?

 

[Surf's Up]

Booked to travel by ferry from Portsmouth to Santander in early September and then to drive down to Andalucia. Due to come back late September. Brittany Ferries are operating on 50% capacity and seem to have all the necessary precautions in place. We'll leave it to the latest possible moment before cancelling and to allow the situation to evolve but may decide to go anyway and quarantine for 2 weeks on return.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Booked to travel by ferry from Portsmouth to Santander in early September and then to drive down to Andalucia. Due to come back late September. Brittany Ferries are operating on 50% capacity and seem to have all the necessary precautions in place. We'll leave it to the latest possible moment before cancelling and to allow the situation to evolve but may decide to go anyway and quarantine for 2 weeks on return.

I guess for people deciding whether to book / go away it's 3 factors-

1. Current FCO advice is against all non-essential travel to mainland Spain so that means all travel insurance invalidated.
2. 14 day quarantine on return
3. Local lockdown measures in place at your destination.

There is probably enough uncertainty now to put most people off making new bookings. I guess the Spain thing has just highlighted what was always the case, that the relevant restrictions can change at the drop of a hat.

 

[The Wizard]

FCO advice now covers the entirety of Spain, not just the mainland. Spain’s official spokesmen on COVID today at the press conference said the U.K. quarantine rule was a good thing as it would stop U.K. tourists coming to Spain

https://twitter.com/matthewbennett/status/1287787772837867521?s=21

 

[bhafc99]

Quarantine seems a joke anyway. When I arrived into LHR just over a week ago, they were splitting people at random - 80% or so had to join the queue to be interviewed and show their form to officials, but 20% were just told to go straight through the egates.

So even though I came from Dubai and am meant to be quarantining, no-one checked me or spoke to me when I arrived....


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[Sorrel]

I rarely have time or resources for any sort of holiday - and this year I'm not alone in not going anywhere. I suspect I will travel again at some point, but I've not left the UK since early 2016 and so I don't notice this year as being that different in terms of holidays...

 

[portlock seagull]

Holiday here people. Just a suggestion...?

 

[METALMICKY]

Holiday here people. Just a suggestion...?

Is the correct answer! Of course there is the weather but just don't see the point of going abroad and risking all the potential and unpredictable issues. If it all goes pear shaped much better to be nearer home and potentially spent less money. And why spend big on what might be a severely curtailed holiday experience. You will also be supporting the UK holiday economy. For that big foreign jaunt just sit tight for next summer when the situation may have hopefully improved.

 

[Tokyohands]

Seeing all the tourists in Spain moaning about the sudden UK quarantine decision made me laugh.

 

[Brok]

I’ve done a canal holiday in March once...it was The Cheshire ring and we had hail, ice, gales and sunshine during one day...still a great time...ive done the Shroppy too.

Sounds a bit like yesterday, in bloomin' July!

 

[S.T.U cgull]

We managed to fit in a week on the Costa Blanca earlier this month (been back for 9 days now). I have to say I felt A LOT safer in Spain than here. Pretty much everyone was wearing a mask (whether in a shop or on the streets). Some people even wearing masks on the beach. You couldn't get into a shop without a mask (staff on the door, plus hand-sanitising stations everywhere). The government have been pretty half-hearted about everything to do with Covid, apart from the foreign travel rules - maybe they're hoping that we'll forget everything else and get really upset about not being able to go to Spain?

Also just back from Spain and agree that it feels much safer there and taken seriously. In my mind it is hard to see this as anything other than a stunt / move to deflect attention away from our governments haphazard management of the virus.

Seeing as the region I visited in Spain had ZERO cases in the past 10 days; would I be quarantining? No chance... Upon Landing back in the U.K. last week there was nobody collecting or checking arrival forms!!

 

[S.T.U cgull]

Is the correct answer! Of course there is the weather but just don't see the point of going abroad and risking all the potential and unpredictable issues. If it all goes pear shaped much better to be nearer home and potentially spent less money. And why spend big on what might be a severely curtailed holiday experience. You will also be supporting the UK holiday economy. For that big foreign jaunt just sit tight for next summer when the situation may have hopefully improved.

Im not sure what accommodation you choose for your holidays but I can assure you a 4/5* hotel in the U.K. is double the cost of it’s counterpart in Spain / Portugal. Likewise for food & drinks - even the travel prices come in more or less the same as train tickets or return fuel if you book smartly.

 

[Springal]

Agreed we just went to Cornwall for 5 nights, staying in Falmouth & St Ives. Ignoring the bang average weather, we found both places absolutely chokka. A lot of places shut as too small to accommodate with Covid regs, and a lot of half decent restaurants were booked up many days in advanced.

My missus is quite organised but I refuse to be on holiday and have everything fully booked up each day leaving no room for spontaneity. Was a good trip regardless and a long time since I did one - but with COVID not sure there is the capacity for some of these places as staycations

 

[beorhthelm]

its fine people saying they feel safer in Spain, fact is new cases have trebled in two weeks, to levels seen in May. Spain have re-introduced some lockdown themselves, other countries put quarantine or travel restrictions on travel from Spain. they had really tight lockdown and yet the virus is still present in the common population.