Summer holidays abroad ‘extremely unlikely’ as third wave hits Europe

What has been said is that countries with low vaccination count and high cases of Covid have a greater potential for mutations that the vaccines may not be able to handle. Therefore it would be beneficial to not travel to help prevent further outbreaks and mutations

Money needs to be spent in our own country supporting hospitality. Why spend money supporting it in other countries?

The thought of not going abroad this year wasn't bothering me. We have a tiny caravan and were planning to tour Scotland for 4 weeks when the campsites are all open.
Now my daughter and son in law have broken the news that they are to be moved to Europe by his work in July, along with my 3 grandchildren (due to Brexit) I am really upset, especially after a year of only a few garden visits during the time that was allowed. I know that I'm going to be desperate to visit by the time we can travel safely.

I have family living in Europe. It's hard.

Most holiday places abroad will be warm if not very warm. Don't fancy wearing a face mask in crowded places in the heat never mind the lack of vaccination in a lot of countries. Summer airports are bad enough but the attitude of some when travel restrictions are lifted makes me shudder. No way will I be going abroad - anywhere

Partner and I recovering from Covid in the last few weeks. It was a horrendous experience - illness like I’ve never experienced along with fear of how bad it would get as we are both CEV. Even with the lasting effects we’re both thankful to be still here.

I really, really don’t want to sound sanctimonious but watching the news and media lately, the emphasis seems to be shifting more and more on to what we can’t do anymore and the unrest seems to be on the verge of getting out of control if last nights’ clashes in Bristol are anything to go by. We’re starting to lose sight of the fact that we’re still in a pandemic and we need to focus more on the fact that people are still catching and dying from Covid. I know all of this is slightly off topic but my pint is that it’s too early to be thinking about holidaying - especially abroad as I fear the third wave will only grow. I don’t think anywhere is safe. Vaccination doesn’t stop you from getting Covid, it cuts down on hospital admissions by lessening the effects. It’s still a horrendous illness and I for one won’t be going anywhere any time soon.

The issue is that the UK government said holidays abroad were ok last year but a lot of infection was brought back and seeded around the country. If they don't ban people should stay put for this year. We know what the results will be, we have seen it played out in a daily basis.

It is hardly surprising is it? Or even really news!

I feel for all of you who have family living abroad, but as yet, it seems unlikely that you will be absolutely forbidden to travel.

Air lines are working hard to get an agreement that those who have been vaccinated may travel.

I have no desire to go abroad this year and am resigned to not seeing DD2 and the gc for at least another year. I’m having a staycation in Kent and looking forward to discovering my own country.! DD3 has an air b&b in Devon and it is fully booked until Christmas. (She has not hiked her prices!)

We live on an Island....at the moment, things are looking a lot brighter for us. Why on earth would the government allow people in and out of Europe and beyond on the carrot of a vaccination or even worse..a test at some point before they come back into the UK? ( for what - only to sit on the plane next to someone who caught it a day after their test). For me, it beggars belief and all points to us never being rid of this virus or the way in which we have to live with it.
Forget the holidays...plenty of beautiful places in the UK.
Protect our island!

Holidays in the U.K. are so expensive and the weather unpredictable.
I just want to see my grandchildren in the USA and family in the Caribbean and Dubai.
I do not relish the thought of breathing in recirculated air for 10 hours at a time so I hope vaccination certificates and testing for all will be introduced.

Time to get out and protest. By summer most of us and definately 99% of the vulnerable will be safe. So protest at 3 in the morning in a field in Devon but do it quietly as that's all we'll be left with if that Police State law gets passed. KILL THE BILL!!!!

I think this is another of the many ‘dammed if he does, dammed if he doesn’t’ situations for the PM.

We can all remember the shock and accusations of the government not doing enough regarding lockdowns when our death toll reached 100,000.
Ok another thread could discuss just how many of those sad souls died with covid and not from it but it was a sobering figure nevertheless, and I’m sure there is a determination to do everything possible to prevent the toll rising too much.

I honestly can’t see EU countries catching us up with their vaccinations so really would anyone feel relaxed being on holiday in a European country knowing how few of the citizens have had their jabs?

All through this pandemic I have been one of the more slightly laid-back ones in terms of what I have continued to do.

I have done our supermarket shopping throughout.

I have walked outside and not shrunk back into the bushes if someone was walking towards me ! We ate out in August and had a couple of little holidays in the West Country.

Yet despite all that I wouldn’t feel at all happy risking a holiday abroad with the very real possibility that we would need to quarantine on our return.

Plus of course by holidaying here we will be helping to support our beleaguered hospitality industry.

At least it looks, AT LAST, as if the UK gov is prepared to do the right thing. They have learned the hard way.

Actually I’m not disagreeing with you GagaJo you are quite right. I would only go abroad when the UK government deems it safe to do so. I think it’s starting to look pretty unlikely any time soon. In which case we will happily visit places of interest here, boosting our UK economy at the same time.
?
I shall buy flowers to put in vases at home, eat out (I’m sick of cooking), meet friends in pub gardens (when allowed), buy some new clothes and some books. Get my hair done and enjoy what sunny days we might be rewarded with here!

But once we get a ‘green means go’ light from our government I’m off!
✈️

As I said Urmstongran, it isn't just the UK having a hard time. The raging infection in my Swiss school has happened over the last 2 or 3 weeks.

It IS easier to fly in and out of Suisse, but they also have rates of covid that are not dropping. Yes, shops are opening here (not restaurants / bars / cafes tho) but I am not sure why they are allowing it.

The UK is VERY lucky to have such a highrate of vaccination. But no where else has it. If the UK wants to continue the downward trajectory, they need to keep the travel ban.

GN was in uproar last year, 'close the borders' etc. And now a few, because they want a foreign holiday, want that changed? Because it won't just be a few that go, if it is allowed, it will be a flood, with families and children. And whoomph. Infection will soar again.

We transferred flights to Rhodes from last June to this June. I really do not want to go now. I assume we will not get a refund if Jet2 fly. Our health is more important than the money though.

We have our touring caravan, which is currently stored in Somerset. So will make more use of that this year hopefully, already have a pitch booked for May.

Like Maddyone I am more down about losing our every day life. Visiting family, taking the granddaughters out, theatre, cinema, concerts, meals out etc. Just a stroll to town and a mooch around charity shops, and meeting a friend for coffee. I miss that much more.

I was speaking to my DD yesterday, she lives in Sydney and after visiting her last year we got stuck in Perth with our flight via HK cancelled. After being locked in a hotel for a week we got a flight via Doha. Thank you Qatar.
We arrived in Aus with masks for the fires not covid.
Anyway we are discussing the floods and being grateful that we weren’t there now so the discussion widened to talk about tourism.
She works in a government dept and I keep telling her to try and convince the minister to allow us oldies to return.
At the moment there are still 40,000 Aussies waiting to go back so we aren’t exactly near the top of the queue.
Apart from that she says that the tourist industry is buoyant because the population is holidaying at home.
Our tourist industry could also be buoyant, in fact it probably will be. This may be the best time to get out there and see our wonderful tourist spots without the tourists. So get out there and enjoy our country. Spend your money here and help the U.K. to get back on its feet.

I wanted to go to Crete as well. I don't think that will be happening now though. I think we just have to wait until 2022. The Spanish flu lasted for two years and I think this will be about the same. I know we have the vaccine and I am so grateful to now be double jabbed, but we're not safe until we're all vaccinated which will take time.

Totally get that maddyone. My daughter as the same. She, her husband and 2 children followed all the rules. To the letter. They too were super-cautious. Last summer didn’t go anywhere during the school summer holidays. Not even the local park. The children stayed in their back garden and played on the trampoline and in the paddling pool. They went to the beach twice, travelled by car, took a picnic and sat mikes from anyone. Come September she returned to work, a full time teacher, no PPE allowed in the classroom as she teaches Early Years. So sat face to face in small groups teaching them how to do their letters etc. She caught covid. Gave it a few days later to her husband. He went back to work after 3 weeks. She was poorly with long covid for 9 weeks. It was an awful time for them, both ill with covid at home, playing tag trying to mind two little jumping beans in quarantine.

I’ve already had my first vaccine, like many of you. But prior to having my vaccine I followed all the rules very carefully. I washed my hands, sanitised, wore a mask although for the first lockdown I never went anywhere near a shop or public building, I socially distanced although I rarely saw anyone to socially distance from. The first four weeks of the first lockdown I never left my house. When things relaxed we still played it by the book. And where did it all get me? In hospital! That’s where it got me. I was in a perfectly legal support bubble with my elderly mother, who had a fall, was admitted to hospital with a head injury, picked up Covid in the hospital and was discharged and we were told she was Covid free. She wasn’t, and we got it. I was hospitalised for twelve days and was extremely ill. I could easily have died, that’s how ill I was.
So you will understand why I’m sick of it all. I did everything right, and that was the end result. So I want my life back because all my privations did zilch for me.

British regulations have restrictions in place at the moment. When it’s deemed safe enough, they’ll be lifted and we will be allowed to fly again.

My friends in Spain have been going to their hairdressers for weeks now, bars and cafes have been open for weeks - they’ve been meeting up in groups of up to six people. Walks along the paseo by the sparkling Mediterranean. Bookshops open, florists, bakeries for bread, cake and cafe con leche. All this and not a vaccination for anyone they know. All of my friends are over 65y. One is 85y. They are enjoying life with very few restrictions - curfew for example at 7pm. I think even that is to be extended to 10pm from tomorrow!

Are we just frightening ourselves here in the UK? We will have had second vaccinations by the end of April or so.

I for one can’t wait to go over.

I would dearly love to be able to go home. I am locked into a small apartment, a room really and have just lived through an infection that has run through the staff and students in my school.

Despite being desperate to see family I am staying put. Because the British regs require it. And because it isn't safe to travel. It has to be a joint effort. All of the effort is wasted when a few make light of the rules.

I know of one Brit who has selfishly travelled overseas for a holiday. I think she is very lucky not to have been reported.

Oh I’ve lowered mine too Jaxjacky no doubt about it. I just pinned my hopes on the original date of 17 May onwards for flights. EasyJet, Ryanair etc all taking bookings. We’ve got June flights for Ibiza and early July flights for Malaga.

Oh well, if we can’t go, we can’t go and for Ibiza we can get a refund or kick the can down the road in the hope we go later in the year.

We just have to see what unfolds.

Urmstongran my recollection is different from yours, I don’t recall the latest guidance being normality by Spring, rather the roadmap, which is conditional. Neither did I expect my vaccinations to restore my ‘liberties’, rather reduce my chance of being seriously ill, especially not needing to be hospitalised. I’m fully expecting a slow unlocking, to not, in the near future, go back to what life was like in 2019. Don’t get me wrong, I vehemently dislike the last year, have had/having treatment for extreme anxiety, missing my family and friends heart wrenchingly. But I’ve lowered my expectations to hopefully be surprised and joyful.