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Anyone feeling bold enough?

(55 Posts)
Aveline Tue 23-Feb-21 12:17:49

I'm feeling very bold. I've just booked a holiday! Its not till April 2022 but it seemed a big thing for me to do.
It was a matter of 'use it or lose it' for vouchers but they're now used and the holiday can be cancelled with no penalties up to 24 hours before departure.
Anyone else? I had to hang on the phone to the travel company for ages so its not just me!

nanna8 Wed 24-Feb-21 03:34:56

We’ve booked for the Kimberleys in August. We had also booked for Barwon Heads just this last week but it was cancelled due to Covid. We got our deposit back ok though. Spent the time in the garden and pool instead, missed our friends.

Ellianne Wed 24-Feb-21 01:55:47

Apparently traffic on the holiday booking websites has been crazy since the announcements. I do feel sorry for those who struggle to find the money for a nice campsite or holiday park, only to find prices have now soared and put a holiday beyond their reach. Another thing some less wealthy children may miss out on unfairly.

grannyactivist Wed 24-Feb-21 01:40:09

I think we're resigned to a 'staycation', but don't feel sorry for me as I live in a beautiful seaside town and my house is big enough to accommodate my children and grandchildren. smile

I've actually let my passport lapse and I don't want to renew it until I've lost at least three stones in weight! hmm

LauraNorder Wed 24-Feb-21 01:34:55

Anyone going abroad, even if you’ve had both doses of the vaccine, can still catch covid, possibly another variant and waltz back in to the U.K. and set it all off again.
I know it’s a simplistic view but why can’t we all stay in our own country for one more year and allow the world to get this bloody thing under control.

Greyduster Tue 23-Feb-21 22:25:03

We have a cottage booked in Northumberland in early August, but we booked it before Christmas. Properties were booking up very fast for this year even then.

GagaJo Tue 23-Feb-21 22:11:32

I have Easter off work, but the cost to return to the UK to see family is huge, once the mandatory covid tests are included.

Take a test 3 days before flying to the UK. £160
Test on day 2 in the UK. £105
Test on day 8 in the UK. £105
Test 3 days before flying out of the UK. £160

Total cost £510 JUST for covid tests.

tidyskatemum Tue 23-Feb-21 21:26:14

DD in Thailand reckons they will start to allow tourists with vaccine passports in September. I'll be at the front of the queue, especially as Thailand's Covid record is infinitely better than ours. Visiting DS in the US any time this year might be a bit more challenging.......

GagaJo Tue 23-Feb-21 21:07:01

My mistake. £210 for both tests, administered on days 2 & 8.

Happyme Tue 23-Feb-21 20:23:47

I too live in a holiday spot, we have house swapped before when we needed a place to stay for a month in Sydney and prices were prohibitive. That went well so wouldn't rule out doing again.
Usually go abroad for holidays with a couple of short UK breaks but more than happy to stay in UK this year. There are lots of lovely places, some we have not yet visited and others we love to return to.
And yes, last month we booked a holiday property in Norfolk for late August with a cancellation policy. Big enough for us, both AC and all GC so fingers crossed all goes to plan. Think we all deserve a holiday after this past year and long to see all my GC together one more.

GagaJo Tue 23-Feb-21 20:16:48

Don't forget the cost of 2 X PCR tests for every traveller on days 2 & 8 after returning to the UK. £120 per test.

BlueSky Tue 23-Feb-21 19:45:09

Not keen to book anything anywhere anytime soon, but that’s me, will have to meet DH halfway and agree to book a UK break. Yes Lucca our overseas children, that would be something else! sad

tidyskatemum Tue 23-Feb-21 19:40:12

We've got a holiday to India booked for June, postponed from last year. There is a glimmer of hope that we might get there - we will both have had 2 doses of vaccine by then and infection numbers have been falling dramatically in India but for now the borders are still closed. If they reopen I would be happy to go.

rosie1959 Tue 23-Feb-21 19:39:17

Already booked for end May and July has been booked ages ago Suspected demand would be high
Will carry on booking as and when for August and Autumn breaks have wasted enough time stuck at home

LauraNorder Tue 23-Feb-21 19:32:20

Small consolation Lucca but you can have a game of tennis on 29th March

Lucca Tue 23-Feb-21 19:24:27

Aveline

There's all sorts of interesting holidays to be had in UK. I'm not interested in lying on a beach baking all day. Lots of lovely city breaks I've always wanted to get round to. Maybe this year we'll make it to York for example.
Last summer we had a long weekend in StAndrews and really enjoyed that. We stay in decent hotels which employ staff on UK wages and have themselves to pay UK taxes and rates. They're expensive thus pushing up costs.

Travelling abroad for a holiday does not always mean lying on a beach. I never do but I long to return to Italy or france or somewhere else in Europe I love seeing other cultures, and I’d like to see my son again, last seen over two years ago in Sydney.

Maggiemaybe Tue 23-Feb-21 18:55:05

We’d booked a UK seaside cottage to sleep 14 of us for a family break last Easter. We re-booked for this Easter and I have just re-booked again for Easter 2022, jumping in quickly before someone else scoops up the holiday week.

DGS1 was 6 when I originally booked. He’ll be 9 if we get there next year. And we’ll have a two year old DGS6 with us, who was just a gleam in his parents’ eye when we arranged the trip. grin

I plan to spend a bit of time tomorrow seeing what’s available later this year for DH and myself. We won’t be venturing abroad this year, but there’s plenty of places in this country that we haven’t seen yet.

Missfoodlove Tue 23-Feb-21 18:39:08

Booked today!!!
Cottage in North Yorkshire in April.
Walking and great food.
Cannot wait.

Polarbear2 Tue 23-Feb-21 18:36:50

Ref our booking for France - have also booked Filey and NYorks too. Hedging my bets ?

Ellianne Tue 23-Feb-21 18:34:58

Talking of holidays and vaccines, I feel a bit sorry for all the hoteliers who can't have guests until May 17th. If they could open up AFTER Easter it would only be the older vaccinated generation who would be staying in them anyway. The Warners resorts, for example, and Eastbourne seafront, would be safe enough places for 7 peaceful weeks until everything else opened up.

LauraNorder Tue 23-Feb-21 17:00:47

We do have a little one bed cottage attached Ellianne, haven't rented it out before, at the moment I use the sitting room part as my art studio as it's light with a nice view of the sea. We do like dogs although sadly we don't have one ourselves at the moment.
The derelict cottage next door (not too close) has just been sold so I imagine there'll be some noisy building work going on this summer, not conducive to a happy holiday.
However I suppose if any gran wanted to just cover the cleaning and electricity costs and put up with building noise?
I wouldn't want to house swap my main house, too much personal stuff.

Lewie Tue 23-Feb-21 17:00:39

esspee Holidays in the UK are so expensive because the agencies the holiday properties are listed with insist on taking up to 20% of the rental for themselves.
We bought a seaside holiday home at the end of last year with the view of renting it out to holiday makers this year but we will definitely be marketing it ourselves. 20% is just too greedy in my book.

AGAA4 Tue 23-Feb-21 16:52:56

I hope to venture to the Peak district as my daughter and baby grandson live there. I wouldn't feel safe going abroad as we don't know what variants may be there that we could bring back to the UK.

Forsythia Tue 23-Feb-21 16:45:46

For us, if we book a holiday, it will be in the UK I think to be on the safe side. Next year we plan to visit our new grandchild if the borders all open up again.
We plan a cottage holiday or may go to a Warner’s break if they’re open again.

Ellianne Tue 23-Feb-21 16:44:44

I've just had an idea. What about GN UK house swaps?
Your Gaff in Anglesey sounds good Laura and I know there's plenty of cushions to make it cosy!
Do you accept dogs please?

Marmight Tue 23-Feb-21 16:43:42

DD3 has booked a cottage near the beach at Whitstable for a week in August (they live on a beach in Devon!). We hope to discover Kent with visits to Canterbury, Rochester and the far east coast. We can cancel/postpone foc if necessary. I’m desperate to book a flight to Sydney to see DD2 as soon as the Aus Govt give the go ahead. 2022 hopefully. Any later and I’ll be past it ?