Has anyone booked any continental holidays yet?

[55palfers]

Press reporting all the main tour operators sites very busy today.

I've booked a trip to Cyprus for December, anyone else taken a punt?

[jjones]

No, so won't be moaning if rules change owing to new variants or other unforeseen circumstances.

Hope it works out for you.

[vixen1700]

Much as I'd love to get off to my fave part of Corfu for sun, food and sea, just can't see any point at the moment.

[Poisson96]

Yes, booked it a couple of months back. Hasenhorn alpine, Steinwasen Park, Europa Park, Tripsdrill and Holiday Park.

All cancellable naturally.

ETA: Mid October it's pencilled in for.

[crofty1984]

I'm hoping to ride to Holland this summer, but holding off until travel is actually lifted.

[Hol]

I have one more booked pre covid in 2019 for July this year that I am waiting to see if it is cancelled.

If it cancelled, that will make three holidays out of three in total, although the other two were long haul.

[Welshbeef]

I’d love to but going to wait until we know if we first can legally take holidays overseas from the U.K. & then follow it up with how Europe (given we’ve young kids further away isn’t a possibility) will or will not accept us.

Good luck folks with whatever your plans are.

[ReallyReallyGood]

Surely it depends on how well the continent does in its own vaccination program as much as us.

[Welshbeef]

ReallyReallyGood said:

Surely it depends on how well the continent does in its own vaccination program as much as us.

Currently the EU are not going to let us or any non EU country in due to infection rates being far too high.

[red_slr]

Welshbeef said:

ReallyReallyGood said:

Surely it depends on how well the continent does in its own vaccination program as much as us.

Currently the EU are not going to let us or any non EU country in due to infection rates being far too high.

The last I read for Spain was they estimate September for tourism to re-start.

I expect the canaries might get an exemption, possibly with proof of the jab.

The main issue is not going to be the UK govt as they made it clear they will permit holidays outside the UK but the issue is finding countries that will let you in. And then dont change the rules at the last minute when you arrive etc.

[Uncle John]

Sod booking a holiday this year, madness IMO.

Just gonna chill at home & use the holiday money ‘hopefully’ to go out to pubs & restaurants.

[waynedear]

Wife booked us 6 nights in Berlin and hour ago for the end of November.

[Pete102]

Welshbeef said:

Currently the EU are not going to let us or any non EU country in due to infection rates being far too high.

Not quite true. There are a couple of EU countries we can enter, some with mandatory quarantine, some without any quarantine.

[Welshbeef]

Pete102 said:

Welshbeef said:

Currently the EU are not going to let us or any non EU country in due to infection rates being far too high.

Not quite true. There are a couple of EU countries we can enter, some with mandatory quarantine, some without any quarantine.

Which are they?

[Pete102]

Welshbeef said:

Which are they?

Assuming you can legally leave the UK / have a valid reason to leave:

Poland - Currently possible to enter with a negative PCR test, no reason needed at their end. Relevant part of the .gov site quoted: UK nationals, their spouses and children are included in the list of those who are exempt from entry restrictions related to COVID-19.

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/poland/en...

Greece - Currently possible to enter with a negative PCR test, however, you will need to quarantine. Relevant part of the .gov site quoted: UK nationals are permitted to enter Greece if they are a permanent resident in the UK, Greece, another EU/EFA state

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece/en...

There are probably a couple of others, I've not looked that closely, but my interest is more in getting access to Schengen without quarantining for ten days e.g. Fly to Poland, do 10 days of 'free' quarantine and then go onwards via internal borderless measures, noting that some countries are imposing internal border checks at the moment e.g. Germany, Holland, Belgium to name a few.

Edit - This is for work purposes, before anyone gets any ideas

Edit 2 - Added information regarding internal border controls in some countries

Edited by Pete102 on Tuesday 23 February 21:57

Edited by Pete102 on Tuesday 23 February 21:58

[stevemcs]

I'm holding off at the minute and if it does happen then it won't be until Nov/Dec and in all honesty i'd feel safer in the UK as I don't see the EU getting on tp of the vaccinations as well.

[Pete102]

Also worth adding that within Europe, currently we have the 4th or 5th lowest rate per 100k over 14 days. The biggest problem I see at the moment is the dominant variant in circulation. Most countries, quite rightly, inhaled a sharp breath and took a step back when our ever so illustrious health secretary went on national television and declared it to be between 30 and 70% more transmissible. Although we should also keep in mind that the Kent variant is in circulation within Europe, and appears to be taking hold in several countries, for example:

Slovakia - 74% of cases
Portugal - 40.9% of cases
Luxemburg - 35.2% of cases
Belgium - 25% of cases
Switzerland - Dominant strain now, over 60% (I didn't know this, but makes sense given the UK's penchant for Skiing)
German - 22.8% of cases
Italy - 18% of cases
Sweden - 27.3%

Note that these are taken from between weeks 4 and 6 so are likely out of date now!

Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lineage_B.1.1.7#Spre... (sorry, I know its Wikipedia, but I couldn't find a better centralised resource)

Edit - Found a number for Swiss dominance, over 60%

[Pete102]

stevemcs said:

I'm holding off at the minute and if it does happen then it won't be until Nov/Dec and in all honesty i'd feel safer in the UK as I don't see the EU getting on tp of the vaccinations as well.

Another example of the EU shooting themselves in the foot, the smear campaign against Astra Zeneca has resulted in Germans shunning the vaccine!

In the summer I can actually see EU countries crying out for vaccinated visitors, particularly since it will all be the same strain by then and the risk of importing a variant of concern will be much reduced (within Europe anyway).

Edited by Pete102 on Tuesday 23 February 22:13

[Cold]

As above, Europe is riddled with a nasty virus. I can't see the attraction of going there until they sort themselves out.

[sherman]

Wont be booking a continental holiday unless things drastically change.
Im going to be quite happy if I can drive to another bit of this country for a few days. Might even have a bbq and exchange christmas gifts with the relatives I havent seen.