would you go.....

The thought of such close proximity, and the horror of recirculated air, would stop me even considering a plane journey or a cruise liner, and that's before arriving in a country not knowing whether you could get back if lockdown began. Maintaining health, for my own sake and for my family, is first and last right now - a holiday can wait. It is hard on people who don't have ideal living conditions and I know I am extremely lucky to have a peaceful home and a quiet garden, but even so the prospect of potentially being struck down with illness in a foreign country would taint the whole event.

I would stay at home

I had a trip to Edinburgh booked in an air B&B at the beginning of September with 2 friends. We have decided to cancel as we can't face the flight (you have to wear a mask from the moment you enter the airport until, presumably, you leave). That was enough for us on its own without the thought of things being closed or too crowded when we were there.

We cancelled our Sept holiday some time ago. No way would I consider getting on a plane now nor for some considerable time. Who knows what the situation might be like in Sept., you may be running the risk of being stranded there or having to isolate on arrival or return. IMO not worth the gamble.

No, I would not go abroad this year at all. Flights anywhere are a serious risk which you have to take twice. A second spike is fairly likely when schools return in September.

The Greek islands are supposedly safe at least at the moment. Mainland I would avoid just as I would avoid any foreign travel for a good while yet.

To those advocating 'living' I'd say the country of destination and it's infection rate may not be the problem, nor the accommodation [if staying in a villa for example and not venturing into crowded places, and if everywhere you go is cleaned thoroughly].

It's the air circulating in planes, it's the crowds/toilets in the airport, it's the travel to get to the holiday both there and on the way back. It's knowing when to use a face mask abroad in each situation and how uncomfortable that is in a hot country. It's going from one eating place to another if one is overcrowded and has restrictions on numbers/you have too book.
It's the worrying if the government then know new information and have decided to impose restrictions while you are away. It's the thought of quarantine [more time off work, more loss of family meet ups], or the worry of infection.

Does that make for a restful, stress free, care free holiday? I think not.

I am staying on home ground for at least another year and see what the situation is then.

We are at present on holiday in our apartment on the Algarve. We dreaded the flight but it was quiet as well as both airports. We can quarantine ourselves here quite happily but....there isnt a lot of British here but there is an awful lot of Portuguese, Spanish and other nationalities. The shops are busy, and the restaurants but they are cleaned religiously and are spaced out.

I did feel sorry thinking all the businesses here were struggling and needed people to come but the Spaniards etc are driving here evidently. There’s a lot of Spanish car registrations.

I’m glad we came and we can stay at home when we return. I wouldn’t like to be in a hotel or complex. Things are only opening up gradually as Portugal has had very few cases or deaths. This will be our only holiday this year. I know what youre all saying and I am nervous and careful but feel quite safe. Sorry if this is rubbish but I’m sitting in beautiful sunshine!

I wouldn’t go personally but each to their own. If there are elements to it all eg the flight, hotel...food..possible cancellation....that would worry you, it’s probably not worth it.

I’m another like Luckylegs who ‘braved’ the travelling to mi casa in Spain a month ago and am glad we did.

I don’t understand the argument that flying is unsafe in spite of the hygiene protocols put in place to deal with COVID- do people believe that pilots and aircrew would fly if it was that dangerous?

I doubt the unions would allow their members to participate if there was any sort of risk involved and my feeling is that if it’s safe for them doing it day in day out, then it can be safe for me.

Wow thanks for all the responses, i have decided not to go, i put my logical head back on today. I wouldn't have anywhere to quarantine when i got back as DH says you can't come home!!!!!! he has COPD!

Go for it. Life is too short not to enjoy every moment. I’ve recently traveled from West Yorkshire to London (3 trains) stayed overnight with family and traveled by 3 more trains to Gatwick. Flight to Gran Canaria, 3 nights each in 2 lovely hotels and a flight to La Palma. Every stage “safe”. Mask on trains and planes, hands washed and gel when necessary.
In my opinion this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. Today’s government statistics say that 81% of people who get the virus won’t even know about it. More people are being affected by the lack of treatment for other more serious illnesses and we need to get this into perspective. We are in danger of never sticking our noses out of the door again without being terrified.
And yes I have finally got back together with my partner after 5 months of being stuck in different countries. Here in La Palma there hasn’t been a recorded case for weeks and it is eminently safer than the UK.

My neighbours aren’t going to Greece because they’re not certain they have a decent health system if they were ill.
I’m absolutely desperate to go to France to see my son and his family where they live but I’m not going to risk it despite being really depressed about it.

You'll be happy being on an air conditioned plane for a couple of hours with a large number of strangers from various parts of the UK - and the same in reverse coming home after you have all spent a couple of weeks sun sea and sanding?

That's just the first question - do you believe the Greek statisticians and trust their medical infrastructure etc etc. Not sure I could have a relaxing holiday at the moment.

We returned yesterday from a three week holiday in Santorini with our daughter, son in law and grandchildren. It was wonderful - very quiet and everyone so glad to welcome the few tourists there. No virus at all on the island and testing at the airport when we landed. Everyone wore masks on the plane. I felt a lot safer than I do in England and I have been sheltering since lockdown began.
We deliberated before we went but it has done us all a lot of food and we have returned feeling cheerful, fit and healthy.

I would only go if you were able to quarantine easily when you got back - just in case. Having said this we've decided not to leave the UK at all this year - not because we're worried about the virus but because our economy needs the money.

I personally feel you have made the right decision travelsfar DH and I are avid travellers but there is no way we would travel anywhere for the foreseeable future- I would be too stressed to relax and enjoy it!

We’re looking to go to Santorini for a week in late September after we had to cancel our two week stay there in June. But we’ll wait until early September to book. Until then we’re keeping a very close eye on Greece etc.

My friend has just come home from a week in Rhodes. She said that apart from wearing face masks the whole time travelling on the plane was fabulous and much better than usual.

Elianne...from Sept 1st, I will be on that air conditioned aeroplane almost every day taking people on their holidays and I'm 64 years of age. Everybody keeps on about aircraft air conditioning, but we need to explode a few myths here. It has surgical grade HEPA filters on board, that are of the same grade as used in hospital operating theatres. The air does not pass horizontally through the cabin, but from the ceiling to the floor and is totally renewed every 2 to 3 minutes as opposed to every 10-12 minutes in an air conditioned building. New deep cleaning of our aircraft is firmly in place. We can never move forward unless we lose this terrible fear that has been drummed into us daily. The infection rate where I live is 2 or 3 people per 100,000. Far less than in flu season which kills just as many and I don't see anyone avoiding travelling in a normal winter, nor wearing masks on board. On the contrary....older people travel to the Canaries for extensive breaks to get some warmth into their rheumatic bones and build up their immunity with a good dose of the sunshine vitamin D. Now? We have had the fear of imminent death drummed into us daily. Unless we build our immunity now, we will all get even sicker this winter through hiding away from germs. Our bodies are not meant to function in that way. Fear is doing nothing for us or our bodies. In fact, it's harming us more, in our new germless, over sanitised world.

Totally agree Flygirl. Fear is far more destructive. My EasyJet flight had about 40 people On board. Everyone kept their masks on except when Eating or having a Drink. Now basking in lovely sunshine, eating fab food and renewing my immune system completely.

We’d postponed our trip to Crete in September weeks ago and really glad we did. It just seemed the right thing to do at the time and things haven’t improved. There’s no way I’ll be flying anywhere in 2020.

Thank you for that information Flygirl. I had already looked at what the airlines are doing in order to provide a safe service since Covid19, and I found out about the surgical grade HEPA filters and the daily cleaning and sanitation measures. I had begun to think I’d got it wrong until I read your post, and so I think that’s very reassuring. We’ve been considering going to Normandy to a rental house in the country, or going to one of the Greek Islands in September. I think we could all do with a holiday after this stressful time. Devon or Cornwall don’t appeal to me due to the huge numbers of people shown on pictures on the beach or walking through the little villages with no social distancing at all.

No too risky and it’s not over.

I have never returned from a holiday flight without developing a cold or bronchitis type systems. I have very low immunity to respiratory disease, due to my disability and am still shielding. Therefore the AC on a plane represents a definite risk to me.

My friend with the house in Greece also has a compromised immune system and is still shielding.
Neither of us would fly.
However, each person will assess their own risks.

Indeed my cousin had a day out in North Yorkshire and visited a cheese makers, where they have now learned that 5 people have been diagnosed with the virus.

Let’s be careful out there...