Holidays are illegal

Lillie

crossed thread M0nica.
We have a holiday booked for May and September too, booked at a time when everything seemed more positive.

I can imagine many nice places in the UK are already booked for summer 2021.

You're right Lillie.

We have our end of April holiday already booked. It's been carried forward from last April. Isles of Scilly. Accommodation on the islands is almost all taken through May to September.

Yesterdays's announcement was too late for many people.

I have short breaks booked for May and September both on Angelsey in cottages

If I can go I will if I can't I won't

I need something to look forward to and it gives me something nice to think about whilst spending so much time alone

I can’t help but feel this whole holiday issue is being whipped up especially by the media (with their own agenda). It simply doesn’t matter what any member of the cabinet says or does about holidays. It is perfectly legal and possible to book any holiday we want wherever we want depending on what we can afford for the summer period. All we have to do is carry out our own risk analysis based on probability and a careful reading of the cancellation conditions both with the people you book with and the insurance policy.
My personal analysis is that there is far too much uncertainty about going abroad and it would just spoil it all for me having to fret and wonder for the next few months about what is happening in other countries. So I’ve booked isolated self catering with online supermarket delivery in the UK (Welsh borders).IMO that’s the safest and most realistic option that’s most likely to happen so I can allow myself a modicum of optimism. DD has booked a beachside lodge in Dorset and bless her, has booked one large enough for us to go with them if the rules allow. I was very touched by this although I think it’s unlikely ( but I didn’t say so of course) so I’ve just put it out of my mind.

What I am hopeful of is some good weather and rules that allow family picnics and days out where we can still enjoy being together even if we are socially distancing. There’s joy in that

I agree ExD. Why can't people wait? I understand that people work hard and feel that they need a break but this situation is unprecedented. Hopefully this time next year things will be different.

I think it's just living in hope

A self catering holiday in Cornwall booked for the May half-term last year, was postponed until this year. Just me and my bubble family to be going. Myself and son in law will both have received both doses of vaccine by then and my daughter at least one dose.
Not sure if we will be permitted to go, although cannot see it will be any difference for us to be there than at home. We will be going in one vehicle.

If you are in the UK you should not travel abroad. Under current UK COVID-19 restrictions, you must stay at home. You must not travel, including abroad, unless you have a legally permitted reason to do so. It is illegal to travel abroad for holidays and other leisure purposes.

Clear enough but restrictions may be lifted as circumstances change with the vaccination programme well underway.
However, other countries are not progressing as well with their vaccination programmes so, if people want to have something to look forward to, booking a UK holiday, refundable, for later in the year might be a safer bet.

Agree with the staycations in quiet areas too! Wouldn’t a ‘Vaccination Passport’ encourage those who are hesitant and wouldn’t it make people feel safer?

We have a UK holiday booked for later in the year that we carried over from last year, but if we have to, we’ll cancel it again nearer the time if it looks as if we won’t be allowed to travel. The problem with cancelling now and then trying to re-book later if we are allowed, is that our slot will have been taken by someone else and we won’t get another, so we’ll just hold fire for now. No plans to travel abroad though.

I agree with suzie that this is all being whipped up by the media. Last year we did exactly what suzie suggested and did our own risk analysis and concluded that Kefalonia was a safe option. Which is what it turned out to be. I get fed up with the media having its own agenda and insisting that we’re all confused. We’re not. Everyone on here seems to be fully conversant with the situation, we all know it’s illegal to go on holiday at the moment. Some of us have booked a holiday and others have not because we’re waiting to see what happens.

ExD
Just because your father never took a holiday and was happy doesn’t mean anyone else should be happy with that situation. Many retired people have worked all their lives and looked forward to retirement and being able to travel. I believe having a holiday/break is good for us. As someone who is 67 I’m not ready to hang up my suitcase and sit at home for the next however many years.

suziewoozie

What I am hopeful of is some good weather and rules that allow family picnics and days out where we can still enjoy being together even if we are socially distancing. There’s joy in that

Yes, me too!

Isn't the operative word, as is stressed 3 times in Callistemon's post, TRAVEL ? The restrictions are on movement because they do not want the virus with its various mutant strains travelling from area to area. Holidays involve travel, that's how it works, so until we are allowed to do that, they are illegal.

maddyone My warnings about bookings was in reference to UK holidays. I do not know anything about overseas holidays.

DS has been trying to book a seaside self catering cottage in Norfolk for a week in the school summer holidays, They go there most years and usually book what they want in May.

He was doing some preliminary research last week and every property he clicked on was already fully booked for the school holidays. He has now found somewhere but has had to accept a town centre high street location rather than their usual rural and seaside one. We have been looking for a rail and UK based holiday for the Autumn and while the holidays are there, several are already fully booked and others only have a few seats left.

There is no confusion that holidays are illegal at the moment. That is agreed.
But what we are getting is mixed messages about future holidays. Holidays do not have to be taken abroad. I have no plans to go abroad for a long time yet, if ever. But I have booked a self catering cottage in England, a couple of hours drive away. If it is not allowed, we will cancel and get a refund.

If it is allowed, we will still be careful, keep ourselves to ourselves, eat in. I have chosen a place with huge grounds to enjoy and lovely country walks nearby. I am looking forward to the change of scene. We didn’t go away at all last summer, but now we have had our vaccinations what is wrong with planning a UK holiday? I have done nothing wrong.

It seems we have to keep saying it Lillie and Callistemon.

Travelling across England from one area to another means the virus travels too. Once you've travelled to that area, into self catering accommodation, you then spend some of that time in amongst other tourists (perhaps some from areas still with high rates of infection) as well as the locals. You'll visit shops to buy food, pubs/cafes/restaurants to eat and drink, visit shops down possibly very crowded narrow streets.

We had a celebration (my 70th birthday) holiday in UK moved from last April to this April. It was all paid for. The company will let us cancel but we will leave it as long as possible before we do. They say they have a waiting list of people wanting to book.

muse

It seems we have to keep saying it Lillie and Callistemon.

Travelling across England from one area to another means the virus travels too. Once you've travelled to that area, into self catering accommodation, you then spend some of that time in amongst other tourists (perhaps some from areas still with high rates of infection) as well as the locals. You'll visit shops to buy food, pubs/cafes/restaurants to eat and drink, visit shops down possibly very crowded narrow streets.

We had a celebration (my 70th birthday) holiday in UK moved from last April to this April. It was all paid for. The company will let us cancel but we will leave it as long as possible before we do. They say they have a waiting list of people wanting to book.

This is a tad patronising towards those of us who have booked holidays which we’ll take if the rules allow. So you are saying we’d all mix willy nilly if we did go away? We had a holiday in October with no pubs, restaurants, mixing, shops, narrow streets and that’s what’s planned for September. Yes there are some people who behave irresponsibly but that has nothing to do usually with going on holiday.

I was just quoting from the Government website.
They will be reassessing the situation fairly soon, I presume.

I don't want to travel overseas for sun, sea, sand or safari but I do want to see my family again before too long and that involves travelling.
We haven't booked anything even for next year as yet.

I can see they don’t want to say it’ll be fine to book a holiday. They’ll get lammed if we get to the Summer and it’s not fine.

But they can’t say definitely don’t book holidays because it might be ok to go on holiday and then they’ll get lammergeier because they said don’t go on holiday and actually we can.

We might be able to, we might not.

Nobody knows yet. Take a chance on a booking if you like. Or don’t. Make up your own mind?

lammergeier? What kind of word is that, autocorrect?

It's a bearded vulture ??? Peasblossom!

?

Crikey, he looks like a covid spreader!!! Especially as he hangs out in Asia, Africa and Sapin!

Spain even!

Has no-one told him he's breaking the law?

Wow!