Holidays

My new grandson arrived in Australia last Monday. Obviously my flight had been cancelled, so I can only look on, in envy, while the in-laws get lots of cuddles. Lockdown has been greatly relaxed over there, just in time for them.
I have had two emails from the company I booked through, making excuses why they can’t yet give me a refund. If I want a refund they are going to keep £50 for ‘handling charges.’ Otherwise I can have a voucher, and hope that fares don’t rocket up when travel is allowed again. Heaven knows when I will get to cuddle the baby! ?
As for U.K. holidays, I’m not even bothering to think about them yet. I was shocked to see that Shearings Coach Holidays’ U.K. branch looks like it’s going bust. They are a huge company, based locally in Wigan. If they go, they will probably drag dozens of hotels down with them.

Stoker there was no admin charge to transfer our Warners holiday. The amount we had paid was put in a holding fund and when we rebooked the funds were simply transferred.

We have a holiday booked for September in the US but I doubt we will want/be able to go.
My son owns a holiday cottage and the rentals company are not taking bookings at the moment.

Wales is closed, stay at home, no overnight stays anywhere in UK I thought

Forgetting about holidays this year...we already cut a visit short to Cornwall at the start of lockdown (agency encouraged us to go but it didn’t work out?)

As my annual travel insurance renewal will not cover for coronavirus illness or disruption - we have had to cancel 3 future holidays - 1 is for 2021 when the EU health card will be no more.

gillybob.
That's why they want to reopen the schools for younger children (when safe) so that it will help parents return to work.
Your dig at our PM is rather nasty.

I hope and pray the tourists don't descend! The virus numbers are low where I live. I wouldn't even ask my son & family to visit to enjoy the beach.....

Bring back full lock down ?

Have you found variations in the admin charges made by holiday companies to move date from this year to next?
Newmarket wanted to admin charge £50 to change date to 2021 plus whatever the holiday had gone up by when the date of travel occurred. I had already paid £100 deposit and this would have been held against the new date, of course.
The cruise I had booked, using a different company. departing August, was rearranged for next year. No admin or additional charges whatsoever.
I won’t use Newmarket again.

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@NanKate
I live in the New Forest, hopefully by July there will be places open but as you’ve visited before you’ll know you really don’t need cafes. Hope you enjoy your visit

In Dorset car parks and toilet facilities at beaches are still closed. Dorset Council has said just this week, ‘Thinking of coming to Dorset? Think twice’.

We have postponed our 2020 holiday until 2021 as we would prefer to be safe than sorry. The infection rate of Covid-19 is over 2 if left unchecked so it would be so easy for a second spike to happen. We’ve all given up so much it would be a shame if we found ourselves facing the same problems again.

My understanding is that you can travel to visit places, but not stay overnight- you must return home to sleep. We were going away on 23rd for a week, to a self-catering cottage in the Peak District. That has been put off indefinitely, but the cottage owner has offered to either refund our deposit or hold it for later. We will go later, but much later when we feel safe.

I’ve just accepted that my globetrotting days are temporarily suspended ! All I want in the near future is to be able to spend a week at each of my sons houses as I’ve missed them all soooo much. Am so lucky tho to live in my DD’s granny annexe so I’m waited on and it feels like being in a hotel at times ?

From the end of May onwards had 6 weeks in France at different places in our Campervan all carefully planned out but yesterday we had a complete refund & ferry company have put a credit on account to be used with 18 months with no cancellation penalties.
We are not even considering going anywhere until at least September and then only if conditions allow and it will be a UK trip.
Our health is far more important than a holiday.

We had a cottage in Port Isaac booked for end of June, but we have postponed until 2021 as we don’t think any amenities or restaurants will be open and we were looking forward to eating out at the many fish restaurants. We have also postponed a Great Rail Journey holiday at the beginning of September to Wales. Both companies transferred deposits without any problems.

Same here in Cornwall - locals obviously do not want visitors who potentially carry the virus. Apparently B&B owners have been getting phone calls this week - "just for the weekend" - and being insulted when they refuse.

I think after all it might be back to something more like normal for holidays in the UK. It seemed all doom and gloom until very recently but when they start opening up a few venues the others will follow. I was very surprised by Italy and Spain. They've gone from strict lockdown to forecasting all open by 1st June, with the new safety distance etc in place of course. We can only try and be optimistic.

Our week away at the beginning of April has been re booked for April 2021. I wouldn't want to go away before then.
We live in a seaside town with several caravan/chalet parks. There are lots of comments on local FB pages saying they don't want holiday makers or van owners coming here.

We were supposed to be holidaying in a house in France with friends going a week Saturday. Obviously long since cancelled and we had arranged no longer term plans . I think it will be next year before holidays can be similar to previous normal

As it's two months away NanKate I'd be hopeful, particularly as you have a cottage booked as opposed to a hotel. Unless something goes seriously with the trajectory of the virus I'd say by July cafes, restaurants would be operational, somehow, in holiday areas.

gilly as for looking after your DGD I don't think it's a case of you not being 'allowed' some have been doing so throughout, but whether it's advisable given your DH's condition is another matter. I hope he's improving by the way.

We had a cottage booked for a week starting next Saturday. We were wondering if we could go, take all our own food and isolate down there but we wondered if it was worth the effort. We spoke to the owner and she didn’t want us.
We have a cottage booked in August but are in the process of negotiating a cancellation before the balance is due. We are over 70 and my husband is on the shielding list so we need to stay home and stay safe. The fewer people who travel, the less likely we are to spread the virus,

Holidays seem to be a bit of a non starter at the moment Quite frankly the locals dont want tourists
We obviously had to cancel our May holiday in Devon and I have just cancelled our July holiday to Jersey which is on total lockdown to visitors.
I can honestly see no point in going at least for the foreseeable future although we always stay in hotels which are not open anyway

My daughter had a hotel booked for a long weekend but has now been told their restaurant and breakfast buffet won’t be available so it’s a bit pointless going as she will need to eat and no guarantee that anything will be open by mid June. So reluctantly she had to cancel.

nankate

We have a cottage booked for mid-July. We actually went to a cottage the week before a Johnson declared lockdown, but we had in effect locked ourselves down the week before that, so we took all our food (nice easy delicious ready prepared food) and spent the time walking, distancing ourselves as we went. We avoided all places to go in to pay or NT etc, we had a thoroughly relaxing and pleasant week.

We shall almost certainly do the same in July (unless there is a second spike and another lockdown is declared) lots of lovely walking with picnics and fresh air.

Our Italian holiday has been postponed until next year, but tbh I think that is still doubtful.

My DD works for a well known coffee chain and has been asked back to work from the end of May on reduced hours . Probably just takeaway for now but it seems to be heading the right way. Slight problem is that I look after her little girl while she works and I don’t think I’ll be allowed to. This hasn’t been well thought out at all. Of course those rich enough can employ/re-employ their nanny . How convenient for Boris and Carrie .