Ferries into Netherlands and out of Spain booked, but the main holiday was supposed to be in France (Morzine and then coast). First 2 weeks in July – The return ferry is 75% refundable, I might have to take the pain of the hit on the outbound. Thankfully I’ve no accommodation costs to try to recoup.

On the face of it, France will be open

We really have no idea, it all depends on how management of the virus goes. The governement is most definitely not making promises it can’t keep. Plan your holidays locally is what we’re being told, Dover is not local.

Our local préfet has just announced he’s extending the the 100km to the departement boundaries because we’re doing so well, amongst the best in France. I really can’t see him opening up to people from areas where the virus is still circulating. It would be stupid and he isn’t stupid.

If all goes to the plan (and I doubt it will), Spain will return to an Orwellian-sounding “New Normal” at the end of June.
I’d be surprised, that being the case, if there wasn’t some int’l tourism in August.

But I doubt it will go to plan. If I’d bought a flat here to rent on AirBnb, like many have, I’d be Quite Worried at the moment. Serves them right…

We have a place in majorca and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get over to it in mid July as per plans I’d made earlier in the year. I guess I need a few things to be in place.

1. Essential travel only restrictions in the UK lifted
2. Flights between UK and mallorca running again
3. Essential travel Only restrictions in mallorca lifted
4. No quarantine period for people arriving in mallorca or arriving in UK.

I’ve had my easter and late May Bank Holiday flights cancelled already (no surprise)

We were booked on Le Tunnel for tomorrow morning for a trip down to Basque MTB then Ainsa / S. France….

I hope I’ve been in touch. We are gutted not to be guiding right now. Don’t worry on our side, I should have already mailed to say that I’ll do your trip when the world opens up and it works for you. If not I’ll refund. We are hoping to be working a bit in June, special trips and locals. Then in July we are hoping to be open. Who knows! If anyone books and can’t come we will look after them. See what happens, we can only react to the information we have and then try and do the right thing for everyone.

Ferries into Netherlands and out of Spain booked, but the main holiday was supposed to be in France (Morzine and then coast). First 2 weeks in July – The return ferry is 75% refundable, I might have to take the pain of the hit on the outbound. Thankfully I’ve no accommodation costs to try to recoup.

I think you’re going to Netherlands before me? 25th July is our date, I’m gonna cancel and lose the deposit, I’m not comfortable paying the rest of the balance which now due, and then claiming hol insurance, especially as the excess is more than the deposit I’ll lose.

Hopefully Center parcs in September will happen, my 13 year old daughter has been we done thorough this, she’s due a wee treat and lives CP.

I didn’t realise that the cancellation excess on travel insurance policies is per person until recently!! Also watch out if you have overlapping policies as well (for example with your bank and a separate policy) because you will pay the excess x2 because they will split the claim!!!

We’re booked to sail with DFDS from Newcastle at the end of June. For some reason that I can’t remember we paid in full, and we’re told we can only rebook or have a free cancellation and travel vouchers, no refund. The route’s currently suspended until the 3rd of June so we’re hanging on to see if that gets extended, then we can legally have a refund. We’ve no expectation of travelling, I don’t think wandering around Europe for the summer on a couple of bikes is going to be wise or welcomed, even if it’s allowed.

We have a group booked for 4th July, week, MTB in the south part of the Alps.

Some of us are driving down some are flying.

Paid deposit and now full payment is being requested. But we don’t know if we can travel.

The company is saying he will open and is not willing to refund or cancel, saying that he can’t be left with empty weeks.

But if they cancel us now they still have 8 weeks to sell our week to the continentals.

The French can only travel 100k at the moment so this rules us out. Also currently to travel you need a travel permit and FO say no travel anyway.

Where do we stand with this one.

Finally cancelled our August family holiday to Menorca, losing £240  but thats all.  It was quite emotional, I’ve been looking forward to it since we booked it last October and the kids are a little upset, but hey thats life as it is currently.

I’m going to keep the time off work though.

Where do we stand with this one.

At the side of the road with your dick in your hand like the rest of us.

Martin Lewis of MSE fame recently said that he’s researched it and in his opinion if a provider can’t provide a service because of lock-down OR you’re not able to access it because of lock-down you should get a full refund without fees or charges, but how you’d be able to enforce that cross-border I don’t know.

Johnson didn’t mention travel yesterday, I don’t know if it was in the 50 page briefing today, but he did say that in July it’s possible that they made open some public venues with social distancing rules. He also said that there will be a 2 week quarantine for anyone flying into the U.K. I doubt your mates who are planning to fly will be happy to take 2 weeks extra off work when they return.

Personally unless you managed to buy insurance pre-lock down and you’ve spoken to them and they confirm they will pay out if you can’t go I wouldn’t pay the balance.

Even then, consider if you still want to go. I’ve got a trip booked for the week before you go for what was supposed to be Passportes, it seems we’ll be stuck in the middle, France might be open, and the accommodation can open so we can go, but they’re not opening the lifts until the day we leave now. I think we’re what they call in the travel industry “screwed”.

Where do we stand with this one.

On British soil?
The French state of emergency was extended until July 10th, so don’t pay the balance when you know that you’ll actually be allowed to spend your holiday there. If the company don’t want to understand, run away!
Fwiw, most of the people I know are planning on spending their summer holidays in their home region.

Btw, Les Gets are now advertising for a bikepark shaper

We’re booked to sail with DFDS from Newcastle at the end of June. For some reason that I can’t remember we paid in full, and we’re told we can only rebook or have a free cancellation and travel vouchers, no refund. The route’s currently suspended until the 3rd of June so we’re hanging on to see if that gets extended, then we can legally have a refund. We’ve no expectation of travelling, I don’t think wandering around Europe for the summer on a couple of bikes is going to be wise or welcomed, even if it’s allowed.

We’re in the same boat (pun intended). We will not travel, but I’m going to hold out for a refund. We will makeup for it next year if allowed!

Is this 50 page blueprint available for the plebs to read?
As I have a somewhat unavoidable trip to Blighty I have to make before too long (already mentioned in this or another thread. I have been putting it off – but if there’s going to be 2 week quarantine on arrival, I should get in, ahem, before the lock. Though almost certainly coming in via the ferry/tunnel.

here (ref in other STW post about exercise) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884171/FINAL_6.6637_CO_HMG_C19_Recovery_FINAL_110520_v2_WEB__1_.pdf

Thanks. Says enforcement of quarantine for arrivals to UK won’t come into force May 13th but doesn’t say when.

Assuming you can get through France this may help

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-52610594

Quarantine now when the horse bolted months ago, that’s a laugh, especially in a place with one of the highest per capita levels of live cases, the only place that’s higher is the US unless someone can point me to stats that say otherwise.

Well the last time I read up on it, I could travel through France by filling out two forms, that may have changed.
Really don’t want to go but making the trip can only get more complicated the longer I leave it. 2 weeks’ quarantine in my late dad’s empty house would seriously suck!

Crossed posts, reply was to Tracey

You might need to read up again, Bob. I’ve just checked on the latest attestation and the justifications appear to have been tightened up. The family imperatives box has gone from the international attestation. We went through all this over the weekend for a relative who had to drive from London to Spain for medical treatment and I can no longer find the form I printed out, only this one:

https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites/L-actu-du-Ministere/Attestation-de-deplacement-et-de-voyage

Edit: there never was a family imperatives box on the International form which is the one I linked and hasn’t changed. The family imperatives box was on the national attestation which has is being updated and should be on the interior ministry site tomorrow Tuesday under something like “attestation déplacements de plus de 100km”.

What’s the chances of my next Spain holidays taking place, hoping for a trip in November and then another in February ?

Thanks Ed, I’ll look out for the revised form tomorrow. The international travel one doesn’t look like it’s changed since I last looked into this.

I imagine if I’m going it would need to be this weekend or next. Perhaps a covering letter from the UK solicitor might help. If I procrastinate long enough I won’t be able to go – might try that tactic…

Our holiday to Egypt in June is cancelled, bummer, but expected. I had thought to rebook for later in the year but realistically, what will a holiday to most detonations look like this year? PPE required to shop, restaurant queues and 50% occupancy to allow for social distancing, one in one out of the pools etc. In short, if you can fly and the resort/destination is open, is it worth it?

Perhaps a week in Cornwall instead, I thought. But then it’s likely to be a similar experience.

Trip to French Alps been rolled over to next year group very happy.

Another family member wanted to cross France to join his wife who is hospitalised in Spain. We couln’t find a French form that allowed that, in fact all we could find suggested it wasn’t allowed so we suggested they contact the embassy. The reply was no you can’t. The latest plan is to fly to Gibralta and try to cross there, they are waiting on the Spanish reply to that.

But then it’s likely to be a similar experience.

Yup.  I’ve decide to stay at home on the 10 days I booked off in August for an enforces break from work & bike training.  Weather permitting I’m going to sit & drink Tea/Beer, take my kids out for some rides in the local forest, ride a bit myself with no power or targets to worry about, and do a few DIY jobs.

Basically I’m going to practise retirement 20 years early.

the only place that’s higher is the US unless someone can point me to stats that say otherwise.

Isn’t Belgium up with us too?

@edukator Where in Spain? I’ve noticed a fair few 64 plates on the roads this week, indicating the border is open for cross-border workers at least.

I decided to put off the trip I was planning to UK, I’ll look at it again in late June (danger then is getting trapped in the UK for 2 weeks’ quarantine period – thought it might be better to get I have no useful contribution to make as it were).*

Could probably do it, holding the right forms and perhaps a letter from the UK solicitor, but would it be worth the stress? And would likely get my tyres slashed if the locals saw a Spanish van parked in their barrio (even though it’s the worst Covid hotspot in the country, but they do love their Daily Mail-inspired vigilantism round there).

*edit Forum SW does a curious thing with a certain phrase! Didn’t know that.

It’s the not knowing that’s driving us mad.
Two weeks in Morzine in mid August. Driving down.
I know the resort has said it’ll be open but will we be able to travel, use the lifts and go to the pool? Will the restaurants be open…we’re self catering and the thought of 2 weeks of family cooking on 2 hobs and a microwave doesn’t appeal!
Anyone spotted any more up to date news?

It’s the not knowing that’s driving us mad.
Two weeks in Morzine in mid August. Driving down.
I know the resort has said it’ll be open but will we be able to travel, use the lifts and go to the pool? Will the restaurants be open…we’re self catering and the thought of 2 weeks of family cooking on 2 hobs and a microwave doesn’t appeal!
Anyone spotted any more up to date news?

Who knows eh? France will be ‘open’ by then, unless they have to close down again of course. Morzine is well suited because however busy it gets in the Summer, it’s still pretty spread out. I guess the lifts will have hundreds of metres of spaced out queues, but they’ll still get roughly the same amount of people onto them, well, give or take.

But as you say, they’re not even talking about allowing non-essentials international travel yet, and the few times they’ve managed to squeeze an answer out of a Minister they’ve been pretty downbeat on the idea of it.

Easyjet starting to fly again:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52751791

Yes but read the small print:

“The only international service from the UK will fly from Gatwick to Nice.”

And you aren’t getting on a plane unless your wearing a mask and meet the “new” airport security checks – temp scanning etc, which I’m not sure are in place as yet?

Spoke to DFDS this morning, balance due tomoro, they said they won’t cancel for a few weeks yet, and to hold on. They obviously know that this ain’t happening in July, but can’t really say that. Not bothered about a refund, credit would be fine, happy to put it off until next year, or even a wee mini break to Amsterdam at xmas.

Apparently Greece is going to re-open to international holidaymakers from June 15, but the UK is not expected to be on the list of permitted countries. Sounds fair enough to me as things stand.

Spoke to DFDS this morning, balance due tomoro, they said they won’t cancel for a few weeks yet, and to hold on. They obviously know that this ain’t happening in July, but can’t really say that. Not bothered about a refund, credit would be fine, happy to put it off until next year, or even a wee mini break to Amsterdam at xmas.

That’s useful. I cancelled the return trip with Brittany Ferries yesterday – I’ll get a credit note for the 25% deposit but won’t have to pay the balance as I went for a fully flexible fare – for reasons I can’t remember.

Our DFDS booking is for 3 July – they are showing all sailings cancelled until 17 June at the moment. I’d prefer a refund but I’ll take a credit note if they insist. A bit of goodwill around discount on next years fares if using a credit note would go along way though, rather then suggesting that prices are going to rise – as if the implication from Brittany Ferries.

I’ve only paid 125 quid OTS, and did it with credit card, so could pursue it that way, but credit would be fine. We’ll be going next year anyway (if allowed obv!)

I tend to only really book city breaks at late notice, so as far as holidays are concerned I haven’t really been affected yet. Not into sitting on a beach for two weeks, MrsD doesn’t ride so cycling holidays are out.

Not furloughed so I’ll probably be ready for a few days off by the end of July, but I suspect I’ll probably be having a long winter break. Whether I’ll get to actually go anywhere remains to be seen

Can only comment on DFDS Newcastle ferry booked for next week, 27th May. Cancelled as not sailing. Tried to re book online, to a cheaper crossing at the end of the year. DFDS wanted to keep the “extra” as a booking fee, saying that my original booking was non refundable. Finally, actually spoke to them. They were extremely helpful and the full refund was showing in my bank the next day.

If anyone is concerned about not getting away this summer, I just walked around Lidl in a pair of flip flops. It was remarkably close to being on a self-catering holiday in Europe.