Will you travel? [Mod Note in Post #1 - Travel Discussion Only! Megathread]

lainey_d_123

Clonmel1000 wrote: »

What hassle? What lockdown? What second wave?

Are you serious? There will almost certainly be further restrictions brought in when cases inevitably rise again. Maybe not a total lockdown, but even if travel isn't banned/impossible, I certainly wouldn't want to be travelling if case numbers were high.

GDK_11 wrote: »

We are in identical situations but travelling opposite directions.

99% of my family are based in London, I would normally go home 3/4 times a year and have not been since November. It feels like this is will be as good as it gets for a while so if I don’t go now it could be next year.

Such a tough one, I’m not overly worried about myself but I do have a young child and elderly grandparents, i think that’s my biggest concern.

Yep, same. I have the flights booked and will make the call in a day or two. Tough decision for sure. Just so much uncertainty. I would previously have popped over to Dublin for a weekend without a care in the world - now it's not wanting to go but also not wanting to miss seeing loved ones for over a year.

FlubberJones

Fly to Nice this afternoon and at the moment it seems like this is a lot of hassle for a weekend break, the journey is hardly long or complicated but it seems the news has got to me and made me doubt going.

Inevitably we will travel but it is going to have to be a GREAT weekend to make up for the doubt about travelling.

sideswipe

FlubberJones wrote: »

Fly to Nice this afternoon and at the moment it seems like this is a lot of hassle for a weekend break, the journey is hardly long or complicated but it seems the news has got to me and made me doubt going.

Inevitably we will travel but it is going to have to be a GREAT weekend to make up for the doubt about travelling.

That’s the thing for me- going away is supposed to be relaxing, a ‘get away from it all’ experience. At the moment going on a plane for a week or a weekend away just doesn’t seem worth the hassle. The only reason I’m tempted now is because it’s gonna be a long winter with possibly less chance to get away than there is now.

dmcsweeney

sideswipe wrote: »

That’s the thing for me- going away is supposed to be relaxing, a ‘get away from it all’ experience. At the moment going on a plane for a week or a weekend away just doesn’t seem worth the hassle. The only reason I’m tempted now is because it’s gonna be a long winter with possibly less chance to get away than there is now.

I went to Italy 3 weeks ago, and returned just as it went on the green list. I was really worried about it given all the stuff in the media here, but I'd been watching the stats for weeks and made the call to go given how well they were doing, and how bad things were getting here. We had booked on January 1st, and spent the year looking forward to it. I was very apprehensive about going, but like you said, it's going to be a long winter, so we went. What a holiday! 21 people on the flight, empty airport, empty car hire and the areas we were going were far quieter than usual. There was zero tolerance for anyone breaking the rules so it felt far far safer than Ireland. We got a great welcome in the hotels (we stay in a few of them regularly) and they told us how grateful they were to have tourists. Over all a great experience and a safe one. We will be home 2 weeks on Sunday, but being responsible, we have self isolated despite the fact there is no need, so only go out for food shopping (we had a weeks worth in before we went) and working from home. I know someone who tried to book a hotel here recently for 4 nights, and were quoted €1900, more than our accommodation for 10 nights. Just my 2 cents worth, but it was a great experience, and it was nice to get away from the fear mongering here. After months of following the rules to the letter, I feel we deserved it.

FlubberJones

FlubberJones wrote: »

Fly to Nice this afternoon and at the moment it seems like this is a lot of hassle for a weekend break, the journey is hardly long or complicated but it seems the news has got to me and made me doubt going.

Inevitably we will travel but it is going to have to be a GREAT weekend to make up for the doubt about travelling.

I dont get this attitude.

The holiday has to be better than ever to make up for the fact that you took it during a bad time.

Travelling during hurricane season in the Carribean, not meeting a hurricane and benefitting from a cheaper holiday is the reward for risking that time of the year

Oranage2

sy_flembeck wrote: »

Given that I've gleaned a lot of info from this thread I felt it only fair that I record my travel experience here.

.

Glad you had a wonderful and it's probably a great time as there are fewer crowds and hygiene measures at its peak.

Big question did you self isolate on your return?

bladespin

Oranage2 wrote: »

Glad you had a wonderful and it's probably a great time as there are fewer crowds and hygiene measures at its peak.

Big question did you self isolate on your return?

Before someone else jumps in, HSE recommend you 'restrict' your movements, not isolate.

dmcsweeney

bladespin wrote: »

Before someone else jumps in, HSE recommend you 'restrict' your movements, not isolate.

When you actually read the HSE guidelines it is surprisingly easy to comply with, as long as you can work from home.

stargazer 68

dmcsweeney wrote: »

When you actually read the HSE guidelines it is surprisingly easy to comply with, as long as you can work from home.

Unless you work for the HSE and then you can't :rolleyes:

bladespin

dmcsweeney wrote: »

When you actually read the HSE guidelines it is surprisingly easy to comply with, as long as you can work from home.

Tis! Not quite the torture some are making it out to be.

H8GHOTI

For those concerned about travelling to and from the UK to visit family. I’d say go for it and try not to worry.

The current 14 day cumulative number of cases in the UK is 14.3 per 100,000. So only 1 person in 7,000. About 100 people on the plane? You’re looking at about 0.014% chance of someone with it being on the same plane. Probably less because anyone with symptoms or who has tested positive shouldn’t travel. Irish numbers even lower than UK.

And that’s the chance of them being on the plane. The chance of them sitting near you is smaller again. Then bring mask wearing, good hand hygiene and the air filtration system into the equation.

The risk is minuscule. I’m sure once you land you’ll feel better about the situation.

Sam Hain

sy_flembeck wrote: »

Given that I've gleaned a lot of info from this thread I felt it only fair that I record my travel experience here.

Having lost patience with the government blaming everyone we decided we weren't about to say goodbye to our €3200 (which translates to actual earnings of €5500) due to curtain twitching and we went to France as planned. We managed to get changed from Catalonia as it had stated to get a bit dodgy there.

For our sanity pre-travel I booked short term parking at Dublin Airport (€50pw instead of €32 at Quickpark) as this meant we didn't have to use the bus from the car park to the terminal.

The terminal was quiet (but not dead) but spotless. Baggage drop and security were quick and painless. Our coffees were served non-contact in a well spaced out restaurant. The chairs at the gate are also set apart with some closed off. Before we boarded (which was earlier than scheduled) I had to go back to WH-Smith and was extremely impressed to see DAA staff dressed in full PPE spray-disinfecting a recently emptied boarding gate area.

We had upgraded our seats to front ones to avoid too many people but it wasn't a problem as the flight only had about 50 on it anyway. Masks were mandatory on the (spotless) plane as they had been in the (also spotless) airport building.

The flight was pleasant as was landing in Biarritz where I was surprised our passenger locator form wasn't taken.

Passport control and suitcase collection was quick as was (pre-sanitised) car hire, which ended in a nice upgrade.

Check-in at the campsite was non-contact and quick and our reps wore masks at all times.

Masks in shops were also mandatory - no 'I have a breathing problem' excptions. The hand sanitisers at the entrances were 1m high foot pedal operated posts, rather than the €1.50 Dealz bottles here that everyone has had their maulers on.

The locals were happy so see us and take our cash as, like others have said about Spain, they are going about their business and not being forced to live in fear and anxiety by their government, who have taken a 'be on your guard but don't live in fear' handle. Many other responsible European tourists also having a nice holiday and appeared to be refraining from licking each other and brigning certain death home with them.

The social distancing in France is the WHO recommended 1m. Took a second or two to get used yo.

The only place we were uncomfortable was the resort swimming pool but it was full of kids ion their holidays doing what kids do on ther holidays - playing! We simply avoided the pool after that and walked the pleasant 1km to the beach along a wide footpath shared with bicycles. There was plenty of free parking there too. No markings on the beach as in Spain but it was never particularly full anyway so it wasn't an issue. Regular police tannoy announcements gave reminders (Police station at the beach) which were clearly being listened to.

Restaurants all good and safe. The waitress on our last night (resort restaurant) asked us why there were so few Irish this year, as ordinarily the resort was very popular with the Irish. We told her why. She seemed genuinely surprised and said her colleagues had come to the conclusion we must be riddled with Covid. As I said, they don't live and breathe what some random public servant 'Legend' preaches on a daily basis so they had no reason, other than searching, to know.

I was glad we went as it was lovely to get away from the misery and depression of this place for a while and get on with some sort of normality. And it was nice to see other nations getting on safely with the new normality.

This post is not to antagonise anyone and I won't be engaging in debate around the rights and wrongs of it but if anyone reads it who is having second thoughts about holidaying a French campsite then maybe it'll help allay any fears they may have.

Sounds more miserable than a below average holiday but once you made something of it, that's the main thing.

FlubberJones

Niner leprauchan wrote: »

I dont get this attitude.

The holiday has to be better than ever to make up for the fact that you took it during a bad time.

Travelling during hurricane season in the Carribean, not meeting a hurricane and benefitting from a cheaper holiday is the reward for risking that time of the year

Agree and I have already said this, I really hope it is a worthwhile break.. And in fairness it wasn't that cheap when I booked, hotel was pretty expensive.

Feria40

Sam Hain wrote: »

Sounds more miserable than a below average holiday but once you made something of it, that's the main thing.

Troll level 1,000

faceman

Sam Hain wrote: »

Sounds more miserable than a below average holiday but once you made something of it, that's the main thing.

Too right, couldn’t agree more

*swigs beer to cool from the sun on the terrace of Spanish bar and nods in your general direction with a massive smirk*

bladespin

Feria40 wrote: »

Troll level 1,000

Thought it was sarcasm

Feria40

bladespin wrote: »

Thought it was sarcasm

Maybe

DulchieLaois

Currently in a green list country at present and I am glad to have the break and holiday....what I noticed in Ireland Before I left is people are getting burnout from this virus, worrying, not taking breaks From work cause they don’t want to waste holidays And those who we’re unfortunately are stressing about the future....I think mental health is key so I think it is vital to get a few days away and switch off from this virus

bladespin

DulchieLaois wrote: »

Currently in a green list country at present and I am glad to have the break and holiday....what I noticed in Ireland Before I left is people are getting burnout from this virus, worrying, not taking breaks From work cause they don’t want to waste holidays And those who we’re unfortunately are stressing about the future....I think mental health is key so I think it is vital to get a few days away and switch off from this virus

Very much agree with this, the virus itself doesn't overly concern me (taking necessary precautions etc etc) but there's no break, stressy all the time, worrying about silly things, not sleeping and feeling edgy - defo need a break from it all.

Sam Hain

bladespin wrote: »

Thought it was sarcasm

Neither sarcasm nor trolling, they just come across as going on holiday for the sake of it, it all seems a bit let's put on a brave face and tell everyone it was beyond our wildest expectations considering the conditions. I thought it was Kathryn Thomas posting for a minute because that review would be right up her fake street.

Feria40

Sam Hain wrote: »

Neither sarcasm nor trolling, they just come across as going on holiday for the sake of it, it all seems a bit let's put on a brave face and tell everyone it was beyond our wildest expectations considering the conditions. I thought it was Kathryn Thomas posting for a minute because that review would be right up her fake street.

Sure whatever your having yourself.

I'm traveling myself shortly and thought it was an informative post. Like the poster I will also be flying from Dublin airport so I am pleased to hear that they are serious with hygiene/ distancing rules.

Uncle_moe

Gutted. Aer Lingus just notified me that my flights to Barcelona have been cancelled. Looks like they've cancelled them all from 23rd August for about 3-4 weeks.
Could try Italy but don't want to end up back in the same scenario waiting on a refund. Already have vouchers with BA this year so a third round of cancellations would be a total waste.

anplaya27

Are the car parks open with shuttle buses ?

acequion

Sam Hain wrote: »

Neither sarcasm nor trolling, they just come across as going on holiday for the sake of it, it all seems a bit let's put on a brave face and tell everyone it was beyond our wildest expectations considering the conditions. I thought it was Kathryn Thomas posting for a minute because that review would be right up her fake street.

Wow but you sure sound like a classic begrudger!

I'm always amused by these people who say they don't want to go abroad for a holiday because of the restrictions yet live their daily lives at home with the same restrictions, plus dollops of stress from the constant hysteria and over hype.

We're living through a pandemic so the only thing is to get on with it. Anyone who wants to go away for a break should go. End of. People are whipping themselves into a frenzy of fear and worry unnecessarily.

Uncle_moe

Uncle_moe wrote: »

Gutted. Aer Lingus just notified me that my flights to Barcelona have been cancelled. Looks like they've cancelled them all from 23rd August for about 3-4 weeks.
Could try Italy but don't want to end up back in the same scenario waiting on a refund. Already have vouchers with BA this year so a third round of cancellations would be a total waste.

AL have cancelled or 'amended' 3 flights on me at this stage. One amendement was from a Friday to a Sunday at 6.30am. No offer of the difference in price so i took a full refund and have booked with ryanair.

Im losing an easyjet connection as a result but ah well, thats the risk i took

Solobally8

We are coming home from 3 weeks in Spain next week and I’m more worried about what’s happening in Ireland than the situation over here.

Those worried about the ‘hassle’ of flying really shouldn’t worry. I usually hate the airport part of a journey and when we flew out this time it was the most relaxed experience I’ve ever had in Dublin airport and on the plane. It was so quiet everywhere no noise, stress or crying children (joke, I love children really)

We have to wear masks in Almeria all the time and it’s no big deal, even in 35 degree heat. It’s hot but it doesn’t interfere with your breathing and an on the spot €100 fine for non compliance is a great motivator.

I’m looking at photos from home and masks and social distancing don’t seem to be a thing at all anymore. I think I have more chance of catching it once I get back out and about in Ireland than I do here.

Sam Hain

acequion wrote: »

Wow but you sure sound like a classic begrudger!

I'm always amused by these people who say they don't want to go abroad for a holiday because of the restrictions yet live their daily lives at home with the same restrictions, plus dollops of stress from the constant hysteria and over hype.

We're living through a pandemic so the only thing is to get on with it. Anyone who wants to go away for a break should go. End of. People are whipping themselves into a frenzy of fear and worry unnecessarily.

Wow, you sound like the classic delusional sophomaniac and we definitely have different ideas as to what a holiday should entail. People can go for a break if they want, nobody cares, but the chances are it will just be a ****e version of staying at home with some sun perhaps. Lets not falsely ameliorate the reality of the situation.

H8GHOTI

So what is a holiday to you Sam?

GazzaL

I've met loads of people who have travelled to Ireland from non-green-list countries over the last few weeks, and none of them isolated on arrival. Some of them have travelled literally all over the country. We need to get on with life. If you want to go on a holiday, enjoy yourself.

acequion

Sam Hain wrote: »

Wow, you sound like the classic delusional sophomaniac and we definitely have different ideas as to what a holiday should entail. People can go for a break if they want, nobody cares, but the chances are it will just be a ****e version of staying at home with some sun perhaps. Lets not falsely ameliorate the reality of the situation.

Ah will you get over yourself with your big words :rolleyes: I don't think anyone has yet figured out exactly what point you're making. A break is a break and is something which most people enjoy, would you believe!! :eek: And there is no "falsely ameliorating" the situation. If you want to ride out the pandemic being miserable that's your prerogative but many of us have decided to head off abroad and in my case and many others it seems, the restrictions have in no way taken from the enjoyment. I have no problem wearing a mask while out. As another poster said, the heat doesn't make a difference. And the other side of it is that everywhere is so much quieter than usual, which, for anyone who likes quiet, is a big plus. Those who do like crowds and buzz might be disappointed but we all have different tastes and anyway crowds and buzz are pretty much out everywhere at the moment.