Summer holidays abroad ‘extremely unlikely’ as third wave hits Europe

I'm on the exact same page as Urmston flights booked for June, a short break in Scotland in May, tickets for a summer gig. It is dispiriting to think we have toed the line and all for a "perhaps". On the other hand, thankful for our health and family close by. Would love to know we could all be together to celebrate my significant birthday in July instead of choosing who to celebrate it with!

Yes Lucca I do understand. My post did say 'unless they have family there'.

Lucca

Well Kate and Bluesky I’d like to go abroad as I’ve not seen my son for more than two years. Nothing to do with lying on a beach etc.

Lucca my sons and grandchildren are in Australia and I don’t now when I’ll see them again in the flesh!

Were retired GagaJo and so we’d be happy to voluntarily quarantine once home. Then we’d be the same risk as everyone else.

You're lucky to have had the vaccine. There are a lot that haven't.

Think of others that you could come home and infect.

Many people will be wondering about accepting the vaccine if it won't restore our liberties. We've done all the gov has asked us for a year, tolerated house arrest, been incredibly compliant, stayed at home to protect the NHS etc.

Our sacrifice, our obedience must count. We want our lives back. Normality by Spring is what we were promised if we all took the vaccine!

The latest in the Telegraph:

“Plans to give police "the most draconian detention powers in modern British legal history” for another six months have been condemned by Conservative MPs.

Boris Johnson is expected on Thursday to push through extensions to coronavirus legislation that give far-reaching lockdown powers to close ports, ban protests and detain citizens to late September, despite being "hopeful" there will be a lifting coronavirus restrictions on June 21.”

It’s dispiriting isn’t it?

Well Kate and Bluesky I’d like to go abroad as I’ve not seen my son for more than two years. Nothing to do with lying on a beach etc.

Agree Kate same here!

Well we just went mad and booked a mini break at a small hotel we love. It's in the UK of course. It's a date in the diary and something to look forward to.
I was pleased to find that they are already pretty fully booked. It's the kind of place that will have really suffered. Bills to pay to heat the place over the winter as well as general maintenance. It's the only local employer and buys all it's supplies from local suppliers. It's such a pleasure to have this booking for so many reasons.
Not till September though.

It's beyond me why anyone would go abroad at the moment unless they have family there.
No one is more fed up than anyone else, if that makes sense. The thought of sitting on an aeroplane wearing a mask with a lot of strangers fills me with horror. Apart from the risk of bringing more variants into the country and possibly having to isolate on return. Why would anyone do that?

It makes more sense to holiday in the UK this year. Our tourism industry needs support and why risk all the sacrifices we have made just to fly abroad to places which may not be safe? It's a no-brainer, surely.

maddyone I can relate to your post, the last year has been about surviving not living.

I have a holiday booked rolled over from last year. It has already been cancelled twice. Will be upset if we are not allowed to travel but with the infection increasing across Europe and International travel an issue I can’t see me going :-(

I agree totally Maddyone. I think we are all totally fed up with the situation. The vaccines have given us hope but so much depends on uptake,supply etc.
It's almost beyond belief that a year on so much is uncertain.
That's why I think we need to make as much of this summer in as safe a way as possible.
Sadly I think the old normal may be out of reach for quite a while yet. We can still plan and dream. Myself and my daughters are planning a long weekend somewhere abroad,not this year and maybe not even next year but it's good to plan and dream of better times ahead.

I'm secretly quite pleased to have an excuse not to go abroad. Never bought in to lounging on beaches drinking sangria (or whatever) and getting too old for sightseeing. I have completed my bucket list (Northern Lights - Pyramids etc.) and feel happy poddling about our beautiful Country,which is not filthy btw.

I didnt have the opportunity to travel until four years ago. I'm counting my blessings that I managed not only to tick off all my dream places but do it pre covid.
I wouldnt even consider travelling abroad this year. I too have total sympathy with those who have loved ones abroad,it must be awful.
I'm lucky in that I have space and a garden and live in a lovely part of the UK.
For me an immediate goal is hoping for a garden visit in the summer from my eldest daughter and grandchilderen whom I havent seen since last August. We plan to celebrate Christmas,Easter and Birthdays that we have missed and may miss this year.
For me personally I'm wary of us going down the same route as last year. Scientists and medics are not optimistic. Vaccines are not a guarantee, variants could be a real problem. Covid is still there but the odds of overwhelming the NHS and deaths have been reduced not eliminated.
A free for all like last summer will more than likely result in a repeat of this winter.
For me it's an individual and global responsibility, until we get that right Covid is going to keep hitting us over the head. Some of it is beyond our control and we can only hope governments make the right choices.
For what it's worth my opinion is that,especially with regard to high risk and vulnerable groups, the vaccination has reduced your odds of death. I think for those groups forms of social distancing etc be necessary for the foreseeable.
We need to learn lessons, especially from last year. Just because you can do something doesnt mean you should.

I could have written your post, maddyone. I just want my life back too.

Then I hear my mother’s voice, as I did so often as a child. I want never gets.

But we’ll get there.

I want to go on holiday, I’d like to go abroad, I want to socialise with my family, I want to go to a theatre, cinema, a walk that’s not round my local area, I want to see my friends, I want to go out for a meal. I want my life back.
I’m fed up of it all.

Try looking on Booking.com Lucca. There seems to be plenty of availability on there.

I'm quite happy to miss out on a holiday. It seems like the least of our worries right now. We don't want people bringing back new variants - or any more lockdowns.

I think it’s highly unlikely that European countries will have vaccinated sufficient numbers of their populations to make travelling there safe for us.

I do feel for those with family abroad but for the rest of us, a holiday here is surely the best option.

I don’t recognise that picture painted by someone on here of holiday areas in the UK.
I have made enquiries about a hotel in Devon we love and they haven’t put their prices up at all from what we paid last summer.

Yes it was fairly busy then as lots of folk didn’t want to risk quarantine restrictions abroad, but the fact there were other holidaymakers about gave a wonderful sense of normality in what had been a dreadful year.

Filthy? Absolutely not.

There are lots of beautiful places to see in the UK. We certainly won’t be going abroad in the foreseeable future. Staycations for us, we will do what we can to get the country back on its feet. The thought of sitting on a plane with others in a confined space fills me with dread. I hated flying anyway!

Anyone want to buy a small apartment which is a 10 minute taxi drive from Malaga airport?
???

Joking apart, it is what it is. Better to be safe than sorry. If we can go abroad (we’ve booked flights and hotel accommodation for June - Himself is ever the optimist!) that’s great. If not, we shall enjoy this country. We’ve booked an hotel in the west Highlands already as a treat to look forward to.

Retirement means we could drive somewhere nice mid week during term time and stay over for a night. Rinse and repeat.
?
I’ll be happy just to get out of these four walls!

I think people who say Britain is a hellhole for holidays need to open their eyes. They obviously havent been watching the latest tv programmes on coast and country.
September is our choice. Kids will all be back at school, weather should still be good.
There will be lots of larger properties availabale and already I see some companies are offering lower occupancy rates.
the expression "rip off" isnt correct.