[Travel] Holiday plans this summer?

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

No point in booking a foreign holiday anytime before the summer I'd suggest. Any money you give to a holiday company won't provide you with a holiday, it'll only provide you with a holiday voucher. Keep your cash in your pocket and book last minute would be my advice. Or maybe just give a foreign holiday a miss this year

 

[dazzer6666]

3 abroad and one UK booked so far - overseas are end of May (doubtful I would think), end September and end October (hopefully OK). UK end August and self catering so would expect that to be ok too.

Everything is cancellable for a full refund except Easyjet flights in one case.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

3 abroad and one UK booked so far - overseas are end of May (doubtful I would think), end September and end October (hopefully OK). UK end August and self catering so would expect that to be ok too.

Everything is cancellable for a full refund except Easyjet flights in one case.

Brave, given all the uncertainty. We were talking last night about our theatre tickets in Liverpool in May. Thinking of trying to defer for a few months.

 

[Beach Hut]

Three abroad booked albeit one was last summer moved on a year

 

[dazzer6666]

Brave, given all the uncertainty. We were talking last night about our theatre tickets in Liverpool in May. Thinking of trying to defer for a few months.

Not really brave as all fully refundable (in fact most not actually paid for except flights)......but some good value around so wanted to lock in the savings (saved 35% on a pair of long haul flights for example). No big deal if it doesn’t happen.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Not really brave as all fully refundable (in fact most not actually paid for except flights)......but some good value around so wanted to lock in the savings (saved 35% on a pair of long haul flights for example). No big deal if it doesn’t happen.

Fair enough. I suppose I meant optimistic rather than brave. We will have been vaccinated by May but with the uncertainty over the new variants and the fact that most will still be waiting for their jab, we think we will still be being cautious. I really can’t afford to get Covid and 90 % protection only works for me if infection rates are much lower than at present. Fingers crossed that will be the case but there are unknown unknowns about the next few months.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

What I'm really looking forward to is the following binfest

Lots of 70 and 80 year old start booking holidays as they've had their vaccine and can go to Spain or wherever without any issues. Meanwhile, the younger generation who've stayed in to protect the elderly are stuck in the UK as Country A won't let them in without a COVID vaccine passport as they are too far down the queue to obtain it. You can see it coming.

 

[banjo]

I moved last year’s to this year. Might be doing the same I think.

 

[zefarelly]

What I'm really looking forward to is the following binfest

Lots of 70 and 80 year old start booking holidays as they've had their vaccine and can go to Spain or wherever without any issues. Meanwhile, the younger generation who've stayed in to protect the elderly are stuck in the UK as Country A won't let them in without a COVID vaccine passport as they are too far down the queue to obtain it. You can see it coming.

pensioners/boomers are the only ones who can afford a bloody holiday too.

weather permiting I'll be on the beach for a swim every day. another summer of scootering to work, and more holiday at home. thankfully we have a half decent one. we're supposed to be going to Aus in July, can't see it happening. ( I'm not bothered TBH )

 

[nicko31]

What I'm really looking forward to is the following binfest

Lots of 70 and 80 year old start booking holidays as they've had their vaccine and can go to Spain or wherever without any issues. Meanwhile, the younger generation who've stayed in to protect the elderly are stuck in the UK as Country A won't let them in without a COVID vaccine passport as they are too far down the queue to obtain it. You can see it coming.

Not sure about that.

Most of Europe I think will be OK this summer with an antigen or PCR test. I would favour the later for all travel in and out unless vaccinated, we need to get this under control.

 

[crodonilson]

No point in booking a foreign holiday anytime before the summer I'd suggest. Any money you give to a holiday company won't provide you with a holiday, it'll only provide you with a holiday voucher. Keep your cash in your pocket and book last minute would be my advice. Or maybe just give a foreign holiday a miss this year

Absolutely this.

Life will be nowhere near normal in the UK this summer and we're well ahead with vaccination plans, I can't imagine whether foreign holidays will be allowed or encouraged, if they do it will be a highly sanitised, different experience.

 

[shingle]

Partly holiday, partly work, but have booked cheap flight only to Aqaba in Jordan for November and am thinking about another flight only (on TAP only £220) to Cancun in April but a combination of continued restrictions and possible jab around this time will put the kybosh on that. I have read though that holiday companies have been taking loads of bookings from the over 50's

 

[pasty]

We had 11 family members booked into a villa in Alicante in June last year but obviously couldn't go, but instead of cancelling outright the villa company said we can have it for the same week this year at the same price. Still not convinced it's going to happen this year though.

Also, after much badgering of Mrs P, she has finally agreed to go skiing for Christmas 2021, so seriously hoping things will have got better enough for us to do that.

 

[mwrpoole]

I suspect many countries will only allow holiday visitors if you've had the vaccine. I'm hoping to go to Cyprus in July/August and they've announced that from 1st March if you've had the vaccine you're allowed to go. My gran has had the vaccine and she tells me she was given a little certificate after the 2nd dose to show she's had it.

Not sure how that works for children though.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

We had 11 family members booked into a villa in Alicante in June last year but obviously couldn't go, but instead of cancelling outright the villa company said we can have it for the same week this year at the same price. Still not convinced it's going to happen this year though.

Also, after much badgering of Mrs P, she has finally agreed to go skiing for Christmas 2021, so seriously hoping things will have got better enough for us to do that.

I'm in a similar boat. We have a villa in Majorca booked for 10. We moved it onto this year from last but they creamed a bit more of the deposit off us to do so. I should book the flights but its no way near guaranteed to go ahead and even it it does it's not going to be much fun if we have to be masked up on the beach for example. If it doesn't its money in the bin.

If I didn't have it booked I'd sack off foreign travel this year.

 

[Weststander]

Absolutely this.

Life will be nowhere near normal in the UK this summer and we're well ahead with vaccination plans, I can't imagine whether foreign holidays will be allowed or encouraged, if they do it will be a highly sanitised, different experience.

Possibly 25m vaccinated by Easter? With every vulnerable group and all emergency workers covered.

Life in every way is going to be positively far better in the UK from April onwards, imho.

It's important to point out also that scientists including Dr Chris Smith are clear that now vaccines are up and running, their codes will be adaptable very quickly to future strains. Becoming like the cat-and-mouse of flu jabs, that's how they describe it.

In the main other nations are happy to accept tourists from countries with low CV19 metrics, and this will be enhanced where they require evidence of vaccinatations.

Based on this, my instinct is that tourism and travel overseas this summer will flourish compared to summer 2020.

 

[zefarelly]

No ones mentioned B****t yet . . . I've bee looking at some of the complications of taking cars to the continent ( for example racing at Spa )

It's not worth the hassle at the moment, and its expensive, if racing wasn't too expensive already.

 

[Weststander]

No ones mentioned B****t yet . . . I've bee looking at some of the complications of taking cars to the continent ( for example racing at Spa )

It's not worth the hassle at the moment, and its expensive, if racing wasn't too expensive already.

The same here, I looked into it, the old hassles from pre freedom of movement have resurfaced.

Passports - separately, everyone looking to travel should make sure that all the group's passports have 6 months left to run on them when you travel, and allow at least 3 or 4 weeks for the Passport Office to deal with a renewal.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Absolutely this.

Life will be nowhere near normal in the UK this summer and we're well ahead with vaccination plans, I can't imagine whether foreign holidays will be allowed or encouraged, if they do it will be a highly sanitised, different experience.

Disagree.

If we have no Summer flights then it's goodbye to the Aviation Industry and some major Holiday Companies too.

I see late Summer (from September onwards) as being fairly 'normal'

I admit to having flights book in March (won't be going) end June (possible) mid September (sure this will be fine) and December (100% sure will be OK)

As an aside I went to Greece in September 2020 - it certainly wasn't 'highly sanitised'

 

[crodonilson]

Possibly 25m vaccinated by Easter? With every vulnerable group and all emergency workers covered.

Life in every way is going to be positively far better in the UK from April onwards, imho.

It's important to point out also that scientists including Dr Chris Smith are clear that now vaccines are up and running, their codes will be adaptable very quickly to future strains. Becoming like the cat-and-mouse of flu jabs, that's how they describe it.

In the main other nations are happy to accept tourists from countries with low CV19 metrics, and this will be enhanced where they require evidence of vaccinatations.

Based on this, my instinct is that tourism and travel overseas this summer will flourish compared to summer 2020.

Most countries are a long way behind us though and I think the majority are also vaccinating as recommended within 4 weeks of first jab so it is highly likely by summer foreign destinations will only have a small fraction of their populations fully immunised. Given all of the mutations the worst thing that could happen is millions cris-crossing Europe and further afield bringing back a host of different strains, and inevitably these will mutate into strains that the vaccines will not be fully effective against. I hope domestic life and holidays are near normal this summer but I think there will inevitably still be some restrictions.