Return to EU for British expats after Christmas ..

Well we made it back yesterday - but what a palaver. We just could not upload forms insisted on by the French Government- and had to re-do them at the Covid Office at the Tunnel on the day of departure. When we got to French Border Guards, OH could not find the uploads on his phone- so we were instructed to park up until we could!

As he could not, I went with all the documentation back to them, and said, look, we are just old biddies who need to get home and we will drive through in one go with just one pit stop - please! (in French of course) ... the 3 guards had a chat and smiled and said OK, Bon Voyage. Lots and lots of people were being turned away as tests just out of time, or any other reason. Two cars because they were returning to second home in France but did not have official residency papers!

Friends of mine, also returning to Switzerland where they are residents, returned early in order to head off problems. Fortunately, the wife is an ex business woman so skilled in administration.

A friend flew back to Germany this week the day the quarantine restrictions were downgraded for UK returnees. She said LHR was a ghost town and that by mid day the flights for the next day were showing on the board already.
Easy checking of documents, no problems. Obviously the way to do it!

Josieann- I would NOT go near an airport or airplane at the moment! We chose the Tunnel in order to remain in our own car- bar 2 very carefully distanced pitstops.

For those, like many I know, who travelled to UK to be with families, by car and Tunnel- returning by plane is just NOT an option at this stage.

Just saying in conversation kali2. Everyone is different and she did actually travel to be with family in a fairly inaccessible part of the UK.
I'm pleased you got back ok.

Grandchildren go to to separate private international schools. Lots of their classmates flew off all over the world at half-term and returned with Covid. And same this time after Christmas.

Several of GDs friends returned after negative Covid tests to travel- and then tested positive a few days later... so they probably all flew with Covid in tightly crowded plane!!!

Some went to visit close relatives they had no seen for 2 years- but most just went on holiday, to Florida, Mexico, Rep. Domenican, etc- for a 'jolly' and I think that is so selfish. Grand-children are furious and disgusted, as their families are being very careful and not going anywhere- and now they see this pandemic is going to go on forever as people insist on having 'a holiday they so deserve' - and the find this so selfish. Big exam/decision year for grandson, and he is really annoyed.

Posts crossed, thank you.

Well yes, International Schools and UK boarding schools do have a problem. The pupils have to go somewhere in the holidays and I guess no one would want to deprive them of seeing their parents. I'm guessing it would be nightmare to find schools offering them the same education to accommodate them in the short term in their own country and anyway the UK schools rely heavily on this income here.

Yes, I am very aware. But many of those families went on a 'sunny' holiday, not children alone going to visit family.

At our Boarding school, I used to host and look after some of our Boarders during school holidays as they could not return home