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

Assetbacked

Back from Germany. Lovely flying experience, quiet airports and no delays.

Back in Dublin Airport the first thing I notice are all those yellow signs reminding you there is a pandemic (I suppose that is necesaary at this end stage of the virus burning through the world) but that is a contrast to Germany. Less mask wearing in Dublin Airport arrivals public area than you would see in Germany. But otherwise, all fine, the fear and panic is reserved for the online keyboard warriors, irrelevant academics and clickbait journalists.

As for the tracing form, that is total bollox. It is filled out by pen, which means they can't be scanned and tracked by a computer unless some civil servant manually types in the data. Considering it is Sunday night, there will be thousands of forms backlogged from the weekend to be typed up with our information which to me is totally unrealistic considering the guidance only applies for 14 days. As such, it is like the masks in that it is a tokenistic gesture from my perspective.

I'm enjoying the covid flying experience I have to say and had a great few weeks in Germany. Glad of the break.

ShineOn7

Assetbacked wrote: »

Back from Germany. Lovely flying experience, quiet airports and no delays.

Less mask wearing in Dublin Airport arrivals public area than you would see in Germany

Is mask wearing in Dublin airport not mandatory?

normanoffside

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Is mask wearing in Dublin airport not mandatory?

Why are you liking a post about coming from Germany but in another thread whingeing about people coming from Spain?

ShineOn7

normanoffside wrote: »

Why are you liking a post about coming from Germany but in another thread whingeing about people coming from Spain?

eh?

Are you stalking me?

I was liking Assetbacked's post because they shared their travel experience and let us know the protocols involved etc

Go cause your aggro somewhere else

Assetbacked

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Is mask wearing in Dublin airport not mandatory?

I thought it was but perhaps travellers and Eastern Europeans in tracksuits are exempt as there was a group of each with minimal masks standing around the arrivals section.

Assetbacked

ShineOn7 wrote: »

eh?

Are you stalking me?

I was liking Assetbacked's post because they shared their travel experience and let us know the protocols involved etc

Go cause your aggro somewhere else

I have a strong bias against the Irish approach particularly with respect to the green list. I just flew back from Germany, not some hell hole like Brasil or the US and need to restrict movements for 14 days. It makes no sense.

normanoffside

ShineOn7 wrote: »

eh?

Are you stalking me?

I was liking Assetbacked's post because they shared their travel experience and let us know the protocols involved etc

Go cause your aggro somewhere else

But why do you think it is ok for him to come from Germany and not self isolate or even filll in a form, but yet you think it is a disgrace that people come from Spain when you have no idea of the protocols in place for quarantine?

Assetbacked

normanoffside wrote: »

But why do you think it is ok for him to come from Germany and not self isolate or even filll in a form, but yet you think it is a disgrace that people come from Spain when you have no idea of the protocols in place for quarantine?

Who said anything about not restricting movement or not filling out the form?

normanoffside

By the way I am not stalking you or being aggro. We have been in agreement on many matters before. I follow both threads and have replied to the other. Just asking what the differences in the two situations are in your opinion....

normanoffside

Assetbacked wrote: »

Who said anything about not restricting movement or not filling out the form?

No one, but it was assumed that the people coming from Spain were a disgrace and not following any guidance.

noraos

[quote="Assetbacked;114402289" But otherwise, all fine, the fear and panic is reserved for the online keyboard warriors, irrelevant academics and clickbait journalists.
[/quote]

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I think the point that people are making is, that the fear and panic by journalists and alot of others is being spread by the government. I can only speak for myself of course but I dont follow it, but yet when booking my trip I was nervous until I realised it wasnt the trip itself, rather the shaming by some. Everyone is within their right to feel how they feel about this thing, but our government and the bodies communicating this to us, is handling it all wrong.. right down to the neon yellow signs. Abroad, they are green or blue, not hazard warning yellow signs.. making it psychologically more dangerous looking.. and for a lot of people they are still very much afraid.

The likes of us going abroad shows we are not, the fear mongering is not reserved for those above its spread by those above. Unfortunately..and I think this is what needs to be addressed so we can move on as a community and a country.

Tenzor07

Assetbacked wrote: »

As for the tracing form, that is total bollox. It is filled out by pen, which means they can't be scanned and tracked by a computer unless some civil servant manually types in the data. Considering it is Sunday night, there will be thousands of forms backlogged from the weekend to be typed up with our information which to me is totally unrealistic considering the guidance only applies for 14 days. As such, it is like the masks in that it is a tokenistic gesture from my perspective.

The Irish PLF form will be online this week, so that's progress and I think a new contact tracing call centre will go online this week also, this should bring the passenger contact system up to speed at last, only 6 months after the virus really started to take hold... later is better than never I guess?

The paper form was terrible, had to be pure window dressing...!
The passport check area was packed yesterday, everyone ran off about 3 or 4 flights which arrived together and people grabbed pens and filled them out whilst standing in line so i'd say most of the forms had scribbles on them!

Thelonious Monk

I'm in quarantine at the moment, kind of. I've been going jogging in the mornings but apart from that I've been indoors and haven't seen anyone else, except delivery men giving me groceries. Another week of this. I live alone so it's easy for me I guess.
No one has checked up on me anyway, and I could have written anything on the form I handed in at the airport.

copeyhagen

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I'm in quarantine at the moment, kind of. I've been going jogging in the mornings but apart from that I've been indoors and haven't seen anyone else, except delivery men giving me groceries. Another week of this. I live alone so it's easy for me I guess.
No one has checked up on me anyway, and I could have written anything on the form I handed in at the airport.

the HSE website says 'restrict movement', not quarantine.

i went shops to get my food etc while wearing a mask ofc (before they were mandatory), even the HSE site says you can go to shops etc.

so, just back from a week in Rome. Was only meant to be 3 days, but was so quiet and warm and cheap that we extended our hotel stay for a week. A few thoughts, which can be summarized in the sentiment that people should not be scared to travel (in the EU) - it can be a wonderful experience right now

Value: Oh my God, how much cheaper was this to a staycation!! Stayed in a 4 star boutique hotel, beside the river, 5 minutes walk from the Pantheon and the Forum, and across the river from the Trastevere area (old streets of wine bars and restaurants). One of the 100 design hotels of the world. And it cost €130 a night.....which is the same per night as what I am paying for an appalling B&B in Mayo next weekend. The flights were cheap and the food is better, Euro for Euro, than anywhere in Ireland.

Travel: Aerlingus both ways. Planes 2/3 full. Everyone wearing masks. Boarding strictly by row order, and no standing up when the plane landed - disembarkation strictly by row order, with the cabin crew giving out when people stood early. Felt completely safe - certainly no less safe than in my local supervalue

COVID etiquette in Rome: So much better than in Ireland. There is not a single person who does not wear a mask inside, including on their way to their table in a cafe. It is completely socially unacceptable to not wear a mask - people will give out to you and refuse you entry to their pemises. And quite high mask wearing on the street as well - maybe 1/3 of people. The general behaviour is a great deal safer than in Ireland

And the overall experience: Rome was so so quiet. Pre-COVID, I would not go, as you cannot even around due to the weight of tourists. The Spanish Steps were closed recently for crowd control reasons. But we were on them 10pm last Saturday night and there were 8 people. Sat there and had a delicious pizza in a balmy 25 degree evening. I'll try to post a picture of the Piazza del Popolo at 2pm on Sunday afternoon - maybe 30 people in the whole square when its normally full of coach parties. But while the days are great for exploring the city, in the evening the locals come out and the bars and cafes are buzzing - everyone sitting outside drinking wine and eating pasta.

Overall, this is an opportunity to see places like Rome at their absolute best. Enjoy some wall to wall sunshine and heat, drink good wine until the early hours outside of one of a hundreds of good restaurants, and spend a fraction of what you would spend for equivalent quality accommodation on a staycation (even if such quality boutique hotels existed in Ireland). I experienced no extra risk in going to Italy - in fact, the behaviour of people made it feel safer. They are so happy to have tourists, and the experience was wonderful. Actually considering heading back to WFH from Rome for a couple of weeks (even if it drops off the Green List, I'd be happy to restrict my movements upon my return)

Piazza del Popolo at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon

Tenzor07

Deleted User wrote: »

Overall, this is an opportunity to see places like Rome at their absolute best. Enjoy some wall to wall sunshine and heat, drink good wine until the early hours outside of one of a hundreds of good restaurants, and spend a fraction of what you would spend for equivalent quality accommodation on a staycation (even if such quality boutique hotels existed in Ireland). I experienced no extra risk in going to Italy - in fact, the behaviour of people made it feel safer. They are so happy to have tourists, and the experience was wonderful. Actually considering heading back to WFH from Rome for a couple of weeks (even if it drops off the Green List, I'd be happy to restrict my movements upon my return)

Yea would lov to see Rome when it's not crowded, and i'd say the locals are happy of the break from being laid siege to by thousands of tourists...
Flights through September are still very cheap and it will be warm and sunny all the way into October...

thelad95

Just waiting in Chania airport to check in after a lovely relaxing holiday in Crete.

It's really put into perspective how over absorbed our tiny little island has become with this virus. I'm not underestimating it's impact or anything as it is without a doubt the biggest global health crisis in decades but people are getting on with it in Greece. They have an extremely pro-active approach to incoming passengers whereby most people are tested upon arrival and as they have had an online PLF since May (four months before us), there's no diciking about with pen and paper like at Dublin airport.

If you test positive, they send ambulance to your address and you are transported to special hotels where you will isolate for two weeks and be hospitalized if necessary, all paid for by the Greek government. All sounds like an absolute bummer but that's the reality of this virus for a little while.

They have had a recent spike in cases which the government has pin pointed to over crowding in tourist locations and bars. No knee jerk reactions by the government in terms of shutting down pubs (who are trying to salvage some sort of profit for the year with only 15-20% of incoming Tourists compared to normal), instead table service was enforced more rigorously and pubs were asked to close at 12.

Talking to locals about it, they all seem very relaxed in comparison to how everyone is petrified in Ireland.

I'm not holding Greece up as a shining example of how to deal with this but it just really have me some perspective.

acequion

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I'm in quarantine at the moment, kind of. I've been going jogging in the mornings but apart from that I've been indoors and haven't seen anyone else, except delivery men giving me groceries. Another week of this. I live alone so it's easy for me I guess.
No one has checked up on me anyway, and I could have written anything on the form I handed in at the airport.

Are you not making that harder on yourself? As another poster says you don't have to quarantine or stay indoors.

I'm back a week as well and as I'm not back at work yet it's easy to limit movements. But I do go out to get my shopping and other necessary errands, albeit masked up.

This whole thing is very much left open to individual interpretation. It's more about control than safety as so many can't go back to work if they go abroad which I think is deplorable. Rapid tests for incoming travellers is the way to go but hey this is nanny state Ireland,:rolleyes:

facehugger99

I'm back just over 24hours at this stage.

Filled in the form as required - I'd say they'll have some trouble reading my writing - the lads at passport control really didn't give a sh;t, just threw it into the pile with the others. I won't be answering any calls from numbers I don't know anyway.

I'm certainly not 'restricting my movements', whatever that means. I'll continue to take sensible precautions but I'd have a higher chance of picking up the virus during a staycation than a few weeks in Spain and Italy.

This could be the last year of cheap travel when you see the devastation that the airline and tourists industries are suffering - while the airport and flight experience was incredibly pleasant with so few people it is obviously completely unsustainable.

Anyway delighted to take advantage of it this year and see a lot of amazing places sans the throngs of tourists.

Delighted to miss the terrible weather in Ireland too.

stargazer 68

thelad95 wrote: »

Just waiting in Chania airport to check in after a lovely relaxing holiday in Crete.
.

We are heading in a few weeks time. Looking forward to it. We have a private villa booked so will be most of our time there. Not all of it though! What is the situation with masks at the moment?

Thelonious Monk

acequion wrote: »

Are you not making that harder on yourself? As another poster says you don't have to quarantine or stay indoors.

I'm back a week as well and as I'm not back at work yet it's easy to limit movements. But I do go out to get my shopping and other necessary errands, albeit masked up.

This whole thing is very much left open to individual interpretation. It's more about control than safety as so many can't go back to work if they go abroad which I think is deplorable. Rapid tests for incoming travellers is the way to go but hey this is nanny state Ireland,:rolleyes:

I don't even know. As far as I knew you have to stay indoors for 2 weeks. I thought I was being bold by going running.
So wtf am I actually supposed to be doing now?

facehugger99

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I don't even know. As far as I knew you have to stay indoors for 2 weeks. I thought I was being bold by going running.
So wtf am I actually supposed to be doing now?

Thinking for yourself would be a good start I'd imagine.

Plumbthedepths

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I don't even know. As far as I knew you have to stay indoors for 2 weeks. I thought I was being bold by going running.
So wtf am I actually supposed to be doing now?

Restricting your movements is all you are requested to do. You can go to the shops, you can go for a medical appointment. You can make essential trips etc. It's really a fudge.
Just be sensible.

Thelonious Monk

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Restricting your movements is all you are requested to do. You can go to the shops, you can go for a medical appointment. You can make essential trips etc. It's really a fudge.
Just be sensible.

I was planning on visiting a few nursing homes, would that be ok?

thelad95

stargazer 68 wrote: »

We are heading in a few weeks time. Looking forward to it. We have a private villa booked so will be most of our time there. Not all of it though! What is the situation with masks at the moment?

As a rule of thumb, anywhere indoors you need a mask, same with public transport and taxis. Bars and restaurants the staff wear them but you don't have to. Of course most bars and restaurants are outdoors in any case so they do have a significant advantage over Ireland in that regard.

On beaches, deck chairs are nicely spaced out and given that the tourism industry is unfortunately down around 80% on a normal year, there is nearly always space available.

At the moment, pubs are closing at 12 and from what I heard from the locals it will be staying that way for the foreseeable as things were getting messy with people drinking into the late hours and controlled environments very quickly become uncontrolled. Something Ireland can take note of when we do eventually re-open establishments.

I really felt very safe at all times and the locals were delighted to see people returning.

3xh

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Is mask wearing in Dublin airport not mandatory?

Typical. Where did you hear this? Twitter? Through a friend?

This sums up everything about the past 6 months.

The wearing of masks in Dublin Airport is Not Mandatory. The DAA will absolutely have you believe it is through the very particular wording they use. There is zero legislation regarding the wearing of masks while at Dublin Airport.

It’s amazing what the sight of a hi-viz and lanyard can do to people.

To be clear to anyone who cares about facts and not just opinions, you 100% do not need to wear a mask at Dublin Airport. It is only a recommendation from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, that they are implementing. It’s a set of guidelines, that is all. It’s as legally enforceable as the 14-day quarantine in fact.

3xh

3xh wrote: »

Typical. Where did you hear this? Twitter? Through a friend?

This sums up everything about the past 6 months.

The wearing of masks in Dublin Airport is Not Mandatory. The DAA will absolutely have you believe it is through the very particular wording they use. There is zero legislation regarding the wearing of masks while at Dublin Airport.

It’s amazing what the sight of a hi-viz and lanyard can do to people.

To be clear to anyone who cares about facts and not just opinions, you 100% do not need to wear a mask at Dublin Airport. It is only a recommendation from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, that they are implementing. It’s a set of guidelines, that is all. It’s as legally enforceable as the 14-day quarantine in fact.

That may be, but if you are a decent human then you would wear one. Even for nothing else other than for the fact that there maybe people around you who have to travel for whatever essential reason and are nervous. So if you don’t believe that masks help, or think that they are some big conspiracy to control us, then at least wear them to make others feel comfortable.

Anyone who doesn’t wear them is just a big baby. The reasons put forward for not are just excuses to try to hide this fact

Tenzor07

3xh wrote: »

Typical. Where did you hear this? Twitter? Through a friend? This sums up everything about the past 6 months. The wearing of masks in Dublin Airport is Not Mandatory. The DAA will absolutely have you believe it is through the very particular wording they use. There is zero legislation regarding the wearing of masks while at Dublin Airport. It’s amazing what the sight of a hi-viz and lanyard can do to people. To be clear to anyone who cares about facts and not just opinions, you 100% do not need to wear a mask at Dublin Airport. It is only a recommendation from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, EASA, that they are implementing. It’s a set of guidelines, that is all. It’s as legally enforceable as the 14-day quarantine in fact.

While I understand your point and don't disagree with it....

...it's still a request that the airport authorities make of people and compliance is 100% from what I see.... I really wouldn't want to be the one walking around without one..

I was at an airport very recently where staff go around and ask you to put your mask on over your nose, and also to move away from others to maintain social distancing....
If it means keeping airports open then I don't want to be a martyr for how effective these measures really are...

josip

Tenzor07 wrote: »

The paper form was terrible, had to be pure window dressing...!
The passport check area was packed yesterday, everyone ran off about 3 or 4 flights which arrived together and people grabbed pens and filled them out whilst standing in line so i'd say most of the forms had scribbles on them!

Are the pens provided and if so, are new pens provided for each passenger?