Covid and travel discussion

[Toney’s bookie]

Is it really cheap at the moment? I’ve not even looked.

I presumed it was expensive as I keep hearing about folk who are in Portugal moaning about the price of getting back to the UK.

Supply and demand. If the government pull a stunt like they did then it's no surprise that seats are sparse

 

[hilts]

I'm in Portugal, back Thursday, you've no need to feel sorry for me. Had a lazy morning and sauntered down to the local village about midday for brunch, followed by a few hours around the pool, finally dragged the kids out about 7ish and now on the roof terrace for a bbq. Beach day tomorrow. Kids have loved seeing the grandparents for the first time in 8 months. Feels far safer covid wise here with rules being adhered to. Its costs me about £75 total more for the tests now. Eldest will have to do a week's home learning and I'll be working from home as usual.

Signed,

Daft sod.

Good work fella enjoy your hols

 

[ell]

I've said it a couple of times on this thread but thats pretty much the situation we are in. We have a week in Majorca booked for early August. It was originally booked in 2019 for last August but obviously didn't happen. We elected then to roll it over to this August because in our minds 'everything would be back to normal by then and Covid would be but a memory'! Naive perhaps but wasn't an unreasonable assumption at the time.

Because Portugal was Green this year and the cases weren't (and still aren't) out of control, we paid the balance on our villa at 2 weeks out, pretty comfortable in the knowledge that it would go on the watchlist first if anything did happen. Also ordered 6x peoples tests last tuesday they arrived on thursday the day they decided the watchlist wasnt a thing after all. Had to move it again to next June but would much rather have had that money in our bank account rather than the villa owners to be honest. I absolutely am not booking anything until a few days before now and would recommend the same to everyone else, its just unfortunate we were already booked.

 

[hilts]

I certainly have some sympathy.

Yet again the Government fuck normal people over.
No warnings as previously stated.
No watchlist as previously stated.
Being very coy and evasive about the data they are apparently following.
Last summer we all knew it was a bit of a bullet dodging process with the air corridors, but the Gov said they wanted to try and avoid that whole farce again this summer.
And yet at the first opportunity they opt to repeat the farce.

People travelled to Portugal in good faith (as is possible at the moment), and have been left scrambling again after the pricks in charge randomly pull the rug yet again.

It's very easy to be dismissive of it all, and condemn people for having the audacity to fly abroad, but these people did absolutely nothing wrong, just like going down the pub/restaurant isn't doing anything wrong.

I will caveat the above that people do need to travel abroad with their eyes open at the moment, and I'm sure articles will surface over summer with some idiots bleating to the press about ''how could this happen'', in which case my sympathy would be in short supply. Expect the unexpected.

I’m pretty sure that when these lists were publicised the govt said these could change and it was an ongoing situation, throw in this govt is pretty darn wank and any sane person would know this, any booked holiday is a risk.

The desperation to get a bit of sun has bitten some right on the arse. That is the risk you take at the moment. Personally I would hang on as I can’t be arsed with the tests and the possible actions by our Leaders who consistently make things up with little common sense attached.

There will be exceptions for those who needed to see loved ones, could happily take a financial hit or isolation on return ain’t a problem. For most it smacks of let’s do something because we now can.

Their Facebook pages of smiley faces around the pool for all to see have been replaced by #nofairbigbottomlip.

Let’s hope this shite will be over soon, this light at the end of the tunnel appears to be forever just out of reach.

 

[ayia napa blues]

The problem is people have taken a calculated risk however the government are not making decisions based on facts and figures so no idea what there basing it on ????????

If they were we would be happy to send out residents to most of Europe look at the figures its safer there than here .

Feel sorry for the any one in this industry il write off my £400 flights gutted but o well. But for people in the industry they must be disgusted at whats going on.

But don't worry we can still take part in an international football tournament with crowds and go Trafford Centre and basically anything else here that involves spending

 

[BLUEMATT23]

Let's face it the airline and tourism sector is fucked and I can forsee a big operator going bust very soon.
And yet another MP this morning suggesting people should stay in the UK.
Does he realise how much uk holidays cost?, yet another one completely out of touch.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

The savings at the moment more than cover the cost of tests .

How most of Europe isn't green is nothing short of a disgrace .

If we follow the stats your less likely to get covid in greece than a trip to the Trafford Centre so whats going on

I can see why people with kids, who watch the news and see the scramble to get back from Portugal are very hesitant to book anything or go on pre booked holidays. It just seems a big risk currently.

 

[lazerblue]

anyone come back from spain recently, flights are cheap as chips but don't know how much you need to pay for tests to return to england

 

[feedthegoat27]

anyone come back from spain recently, flights are cheap as chips but don't know how much you need to pay for tests to return to england

Currently classed as amber, so it's an antigen test in resort to be able to board plane (typically about 25 Euro) and then 10 days home isolation with a pre booked day 2 and day 8 PCR test (about £150-200)

 

[s1ty m]

Still think we might get to rural France, Somme, in August. Were both Johnny 2 jabs and I think we might be able to go.

 

[feedthegoat27]

Was booked to go Algarve towards end of the month but the Amber curveball has curtailed those plans.
Will sit on the Ryanair flights and hope they cancel them, otherwise it's a small loss to write off, no dramas there.

Didn't want holiday time at work to go to waste so myself and a friend have taken advantage of a 'half price balcony cabin for agents' offer through work, and snagged a 5 night UK cruise with MSC for under £500pp, inclusive of a premium drinks package.
Under 100 quid a night for all food, drinks and entertainment on a brand new 5* ship represents pretty good value for money I'd say.

They've been in the news again today, as Scotland have refused permission for their MSC ship to dock tomorrow in Greenock. Seems Scotland are not quite ready or prepared to accept cruise passengers, domestic or otherwise.

Our 5 nighter doesn't have a stop in Scotland so all good, and tbh we won't be getting off anyway; just wanna enjoy the ship and all the facilities it offers (and forget about all the obvious stuff for a few days!)

 

[bluesmith]

Currently classed as amber, so it's an antigen test in resort to be able to board plane (typically about 25 Euro) and then 10 days home isolation with a pre booked day 2 and day 8 PCR test (about £150-200)

We've paid £84 for the day 2 and 8 tests with rt diagnostics. Big saving on what some are charging particularly for Families.

 

[lazerblue]

Currently classed as amber, so it's an antigen test in resort to be able to board plane (typically about 25 Euro) and then 10 days home isolation with a pre booked day 2 and day 8 PCR test (about £150-200)

Ffs, robbing twats, what's the point of being double jabbed, also why are they charging for tests when they're urging people to get tested twice a week, fuckin piss take

 

[kaz7]

Let's face it the airline and tourism sector is fucked and I can forsee a big operator going bust very soon.
And yet another MP this morning suggesting people should stay in the UK.
Does he realise how much uk holidays cost?, yet another one completely out of touch.

Nobody is forcing you to take a ho!iday anywhere

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Ffs, robbing twats, what's the point of being double jabbed, also why are they charging for tests when they're urging people to get tested twice a week, fuckin piss take

You are doubled jabbed so that you will not die when you catch covid.
Why the fuck should the taxpayer pick up the testing tab should you choose to ignore advice and fly off abroad?

 

[madloaf]

This whole thread is being laughed and pointed at by rich people.

 

[lazerblue]

You are doubled jabbed so that you will not die when you catch covid.
Why the fuck should the taxpayer pick up the testing tab should you choose to ignore advice and fly off abroad?

ive got tests at home i can do so why must i pay someone to do em, probably a company owned by a mate of wancock

 

[lazerblue]

Nobody is forcing you to take a ho!iday anywhere

no, theyre just forcing us not to!

 

[Toney’s bookie]

So after everyone was slating the Europeans for their vaccine rollout, it seems their citizens will end up better off by being able to travel and actually benefit from getting jabbed. The US is basically open in all but name and Canada have just announced double jabbed citizens will not have to quarantine any longer.

In a few months time the tortoises will have overtaken the hare in the return to normality whilst we in the UK will still be cowering behind the sofa whilst the rest actually reap the benefits of vaccines.

Whilst the initial rollout of the vaccines was great in the UK (thanks Kate Bingham) it didn't alter the fact that we still have incompetent charlatans in charge and they have no idea how to get themselves out of the hole they have dug. The hole being relentless doom and gloom meaning they will never get the nod from the scientists that there is no risk and so they will never have the leadership to move on.

 

[Bluemanc100]

Was booked to go Algarve towards end of the month but the Amber curveball has curtailed those plans.
Will sit on the Ryanair flights and hope they cancel them, otherwise it's a small loss to write off, no dramas there.

Didn't want holiday time at work to go to waste so myself and a friend have taken advantage of a 'half price balcony cabin for agents' offer through work, and snagged a 5 night UK cruise with MSC for under £500pp, inclusive of a premium drinks package.
Under 100 quid a night for all food, drinks and entertainment on a brand new 5* ship represents pretty good value for money I'd say.

They've been in the news again today, as Scotland have refused permission for their MSC ship to dock tomorrow in Greenock. Seems Scotland are not quite ready or prepared to accept cruise passengers, domestic or otherwise.

Our 5 nighter doesn't have a stop in Scotland so all good, and tbh we won't be getting off anyway; just wanna enjoy the ship and all the facilities it offers (and forget about all the obvious stuff for a few days!)

Can't wait to do our next cruise... we've done around 15 so far and love the variety they offer