We’ve cancelled 6 foreign holidays (all ski or mtb) over the last 2 years – all but one of them COVID cancellations.
We've been unbelievably lucky. We've cancelled nothing. First time in 25 years we had nothing at all booked, and it coincided with 'rona.
The UK is ok for a couple of days with children, but is too expensive and doesn’t hold the attention for much longer at the level all four of us can ride at.
Can't work out if this is a troll or a brag or just bollocks. What level do the four of you ride at that can't be catered for in the UK?
( I'm assuming you mean uplift assisted....)
Sorry. Bit grumpy. But tell me anyway.
I'm about to do something I said I'd never do.
Our 5 day UK holiday has let us down for the October half term with full refund. I've discovered I can get an all inclusive week fully covid insured week in Menorca over half term at a hotel we know to be decent for just £150 more.
Hmmmmm
Or get a different half term UK cottage?
What does "fully covid insured" actually mean?
Spain was enjoying peak daily cases last October with everything closed and limited movement. Wondering how it’ll be different this year. Currently vaccinating 60-69yo where I live, claiming everyone will be jabbed by end of summer.
MrsJ is a forriner so for her every day with me here is a foreign holiday. Or so I tell her.
That cover doesn’t look great. Nothing about covering quarantine or isolation costs on your return, if UK gov rules change while you are abroad.
That cover doesn’t look great. Nothing about covering quarantine or isolation costs on your return, if UK gov rules change while you are abroad.
Yes that’s the worry. Lucky I decided to sleep on it...
Cover if the FCDO advises ‘against all but essential travel’ or changes to this due to COVID-19
Would that cover it?
That seems to be a grey area. It says the on the front page, but the same is on the “not covered” bit of the policy wording. Personally I think it means the policy still stands but there’s no inclusion or exclusion of the cost of Slough on Sea isolation.
FCDO has removed the "against all but essential travel" reccomendation already for most countries. Orange ones are definitely not on the list. You'd still have to quarantine when you came home.
The UK is ok for a couple of days with children, but is too expensive and doesn’t hold the attention for much longer at the level all four of us can ride at.
Can’t work out if this is a troll or a brag or just bollocks. What level do the four of you ride at that can’t be catered for in the UK?
Honestly, neither. Differing levels riding together is what meant. Our 14 year old is better than me (up and down). Our 10 year old is ok down but slow on the ups. Going somewhere with up lift let’s them ride together more. When you have to earn your descents the 10 year gets upset that he never sees his brother, or the 14 year old gets grumpy that he’s waiting around too much.
PS - we wouldn’t have actually gone on 6 foreign holidays. We just rebooked when they hit cancelled. Cancelling 6 was pretty cheap.
That said our foreign holidays in the summer are cheaper than our attempts at UK based holidays.
So I clarified the Jet2 insurance re FCDO, which is basically relates to the policy itself in that:
a) If the FCDO advises against travel to your destination but Jet2/you can and do still travel, all elements of the policy are valid.
b) If the FCDO advises against travel and Jet2 cancel your holiday, all elements of the policy are void - you cannot claim for the cost of the holiday any more than you could claim for damage to your phone by the pool for example.
In the case of b) the options to get the cost of your holiday back resort to the airline - Jet2 in this case - either refunding or rebooking your holiday to a later date. To date then, Jet2 have a good history on this basis of refund and rebooking, but of course there's always a risk.
Have we covered the not insignificant fact that Portugal is still not allowing non-essential travel from non-EU states?
So currently all the Brits who have bought tickets for next week may well be turned away at the airport in Portugal!!
So currently all the Brits who have bought tickets for next week may well be turned away at the airport in Portugal!!
Imagine the Express headlines!
Surely the Express of all papers will sympathise with countries turning away foreigners. 😉
On the flip side the Baelerics are lobbying UK.gov desperate to get people in, for obvious reasons.
I've got Morzine booked for the first week of July. Driving, Eurostar, self contained apartment. Think positive...
Jet2 have confirmed if THEY cancel, it’s refund or re book no questions asked.
**** it, I’m booking to Menorca and will move it 12 months if I can’t go.
When is the next review of the traffic light zones?
Jet2 have confirmed if THEY cancel, it’s refund or re book no questions asked.
**** it, I’m booking to Menorca and will move it 12 months if I can’t go.
Menorca is Amber at the moment, so you'd have to quarantine on return plus take several PCR tests I think. Is that enough of a reason for Jet2 to postpone if it doesn't change?
The PCR tests listed on the gov site are effing expensive, are other options available?
Think positive…
Just don't test positive.
I'm changing my mind... feel free to check my sanity but this means if Menorca goes red while we are there we get a stay on return costing £3375! Ouch!
Edit: 2 adults, 2 kids
I’m changing my mind… feel free to check my sanity
I think your sanity is fine. My understanding has been that this could happen at any point, for pretty much any country, and it wouldn't be covered by travel insurance.
Hence we're going no further than Scotland, and even that involves a potentially dodgy border crossing
Well I meant my maths:
Rate for 1 adult in 1 room for 10 days (11 nights) £1,750
Additional rate for 1 adult (or child over 11) £650
Additional rate for a child aged 5 to 11 £325
Flippin 'eck.
Flippin ‘eck.
Hopefully it'll stop (or at least massively reduce) people jetting off for foreign jollies.
As I said Kryton, that insurance is useless as it doesn't cover costs of quarantine/isolating on return if the situation changes while you are away.
I've made myself unpopular by not agreeing to go to Portugal, but international travel just for fun this summer, while the pandemic is as it is, with most people in most countries unvaccinated, and new variants being bred and spread... well, I'm out. No chance.
I really doubt it will and there will loads of people caught with massive bills and no insurance. These holiday hotspots are probably the most likely places to rapidly change status, lots of people regularly changing from all over Europe, it's a case of when not if. It'll be Russian roulette, anyone planning to go abroad this year is nuts.
feel free to check my sanity
Thinking about foreign holidays at the moment seems insane to me. Maybe I am overly cautious or simply lazy, but I don't need the "will it happen" hassle.
The cynic in me says the UK government wants to stop people spending their pounds abroad this year. If the measures were really about Covid they wouldn't be opening up places and telling people they don't need to wear masks in schools as cases start to tick up again.
UK had a tourism deficit of £33.9 billion in 2019, with 88% of that (ie. about £30.04 billion) due to air travel. The current clampdown on international air travel has helped the UK Balance of Payments, by reducing the country's trade deficit by almost £3 billion per month.
Maybe I am overly cautious or simply lazy,
You seem bloody sensible to me.
Thinking about foreign holidays at the moment seems insane to me. Maybe I am overly cautious or simply lazy, but I don’t need the “will it happen” hassle.
Yep, can understand the "want" but don't want to waste a fortnight in the sun panicking that I may have to pay for a fortnight in Slough as a result
"The PCR tests listed on the gov site are effing expensive"
Too true! Somebody's making a mint; the private labs in France charge from about €40 for a private (i.e. prior to travel to UK) PCR test, so can't see any reason why they should be that much more expensive in the UK. Some are over £300 for two tests...
The cynic in me says the UK government wants to stop people spending their pounds abroad this year.
Maybe.
Or they're trying to keep the flight/tourism industry afloat but only allowing access to the safest locations as they're very aware that another lockdown simply can't happen here.
TBH I'm not sure there's even enough capacity in the UK for everyone to holiday here.
There isn’t. Tried booking accommodation anywhere nice in the UK? Staff shortages this summer are going to be felt keenly as well.
Bounced our July Alps trip for yet another year. Feel really sorry for the people trying to run mtb holidays, but been watching the case and vaccination graphs for months and there was only one sensible option.
Won't be chasing the deposit if we eventually have to cancel completely - if a moderate amount of long forgotten cash is our worst outcome from covid then I think we've got off lightly.
My wife works at an exclusive independent Cotswold Hotel. She's been warned that they are likely to be on 6 day weeks for the foreseeable future as they are fully booked for months with a waiting list for most dates and they are always short staffed.
On the plus side; more money coming in and every weekend free. 😀
Jet2 launched this yesterday:
https://www.jet2holidays.com/safe-travel/traffic-light-policy
I’ve got to say I pretty impressed with their flexibility in trying to give people confidence for holidays, that should make it quite easy to avoid the Slough Hotels, you’d just move your hols the week before if your destination was in the red.
Differing levels riding together is what meant. ...... Going somewhere with up lift let’s them ride together more. When you have to earn your descents the 10 year gets upset that he never sees his brother, or the 14 year old gets grumpy that he’s waiting around too much.
Aha. Makes sense. Thanks
Here's hoping for Aonach Mor blue....
All this talk of staycations would be fine if the ****ing weather got the memo!
3 days wild camping in the highlands rapidly approaching, some days still stuggling to reach double digit temperatures and regularly tipping down with rain... Could be an interesting summer if we get hoardes descending on the beauty spots AND a wet summer, it'll be like T in the Park all over the highlands! 😂
If you drive to France, where is the pricey enforced quarantine on return?
Yea, this weather has been grim. Booked into a camp site next weekend in the Lakes and the long term forecast looks crap. I'll be sacking it off if it is due to rain. I'd rather not spend my first holiday in over a year spent in a tent in the rain.
Yea, this weather has been grim.
Wait, no, I take it back. Looks like we might see 12 degrees and a glimmer of sunshine on tomorrow's ride, my cup runneth over... 🙄
The UK weather for May is pathetic, I'm now starting to wonder if it's worth taking my road bike with me to see family in Prestatyn next weekend for the first time since last July, given I don't take it for wet rides...
And what little bike training prep I've done over the past two weeks has had to be on the turbo in sunny cold/wet/windy Southampton.
