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

Wallander

Interesting to see EU member states want leaders to travel to Brussels for a summit next month. Ireland will apparently be making the case for more crisis funding - it will be interesting to see how an argument of "our tourist industry is being devastated as we're the only EU country deciding still not allow visitors" might go down there:

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/ireland-to-angle-for-greater-slice-of-eu-recovery-fund-1.4282687

Golfman64

Spot on. I think you will see mandatory locator form and 14 day quarantine advisory removed by mid July.

Seeking a larger share of the recovery fund whilst continuing to directly impact your ability to generate revenue from tourists during the summer season is unlikely to be a strong argument.

Wallander

I also couldn't see the taoiseach going into self-isolation after a trip to Brussels somehow.

The_Brood wrote: »

We were told that at the very least travel bubbles/corridors between countries would be announced. Where the **** are they? It's coming up to the last week of June, people need to make plans.

I think the idea of travel corridors was raised before anybody realised the rest of the EU would fully open up to each other. Pretty pointless to pick out particular countries when you could just transfer flights or drive to another country. I think it'd have to be all or nothing as far as opening to the EU is concerned, hence the feet dragging.

Dubl07

faceman wrote: »

Why? What scientific evidence do you have that is contrary to the ECDC guidance on EU air travel?

We don't have adequate access to the actual science. Remember the spin about the public not using masks at the outset? That was to disguise the fact that there was a shortage of PPE.

Flying guidance is economics-led rather than health-led. Anyone getting on a plane will be putting themselves at risk, and subsequently the people in houses they visit, the shops they use and the bars or restaurants they frequent.

Wave 2 seems inevitable.

Micky 32

Dubl07 wrote: »

Anyone getting on a plane will be putting themselves at risk.

Wave 2 seems inevitable.

So will anyone getting on public transport like buses, trains etc etc travelling throughout Ireland.

ErnieG

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Christ, they can't win. You can fly if you want and they're also offering you the option not to if you'd like to delay. And you're still moaning. Either go or don't go.

They already have your money and won't refund it if the flight goes. You're not getting a refund.

.. not on the flight they booked, they won't. Aer Lingus, right now, are not selling Dublin-Las Palmas tickets for travel before 17/Aug. At this stage of the Corona crisis, if an airline is not selling tickets, across a broad span of time (many weeks in this example), for a previously-available flight, and offering vouchers for existing bookings, then the flight 100% will not fly. There is no room for uncertainty here. It is in the airline's interests to create the impression that the flight might fly. Under the circumstances that apply to the poster's flight, it will not fly.

Plumbthedepths

Micky 32 wrote: »

So will anyone getting on public transport like buses, trains etc etc travelling throughout Ireland.

Actually higher risk. No HEPA filters on a bus or train. Cabin air is exchanged multiple times an hour on a plane. Some people really need to climb into a bunker and consideration to staying there for decades given.

Micky 32

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Actually higher risk. No HEPA filters on a bus or train. Cabin air is exchanged multiple times an hour on a plane. Some people really need to climb into a bunker and consideration to staying there for decades given.

It seems some posters just like to condemn flying full stop ( i wonder why?) and can’t see further than the nose on their faces.

I’d rather sit on a plane to a country with the same infection rate risk as our own country than hopping on a crowded bus from Dublin to Galway. However i will be doing neither this year.

By the way i’m not advising anyone to get on a bus or plane at the moment. Personally i wouldn’t chance it.

faceman

Dubl07 wrote: »

We don't have adequate access to the actual science. Remember the spin about the public not using masks at the outset? That was to disguise the fact that there was a shortage of PPE.

Flying guidance is economics-led rather than health-led. Anyone getting on a plane will be putting themselves at risk, and subsequently the people in houses they visit, the shops they use and the bars or restaurants they frequent.

Wave 2 seems inevitable.

Yes we do. The published reports are on the ECDC website. They’re not an economics body either. Why are you and so many people in denial?

The_Brood

Wallander wrote: »

I also couldn't see the taoiseach going into self-isolation after a trip to Brussels somehow.






I think the idea of travel corridors was raised before anybody realised the rest of the EU would fully open up to each other. Pretty pointless to pick out particular countries when you could just transfer flights or drive to another country. I think it'd have to be all or nothing as far as opening to the EU is concerned, hence the feet dragging.

The idea of the corridor is to give advice and some levels of assurance that you won't be stranded if things go south. If you decide to fly to a country not in the bubble, it's your fault if something goes wrong. I don't have the answers of what the perfect approach is, but then again that's not my job - it's the decision makers who are paid to make good decisions that have to decide.

Right now all we seem to have is "well we can't legally stop you from going somewhere, but better not do it, we don't really know." If things were bad until this point economically-wise for Europe, this kind of feet dragging will be the final nail in the coffin of hope.

The_Brood

ErnieG wrote: »

.. not on the flight they booked, they won't. Aer Lingus, right now, are not selling Dublin-Las Palmas tickets for travel before 17/Aug. At this stage of the Corona crisis, if an airline is not selling tickets, across a broad span of time (many weeks in this example), for a previously-available flight, and offering vouchers for existing bookings, then the flight 100% will not fly. There is no room for uncertainty here. It is in the airline's interests to create the impression that the flight might fly. Under the circumstances that apply to the poster's flight, it will not fly.

The absurd thing is that Ireland has some of the strictest restrictions in the world for what businesses can and can't do in the interest of public health safety - but airlines are allowed to just do whatever they want without government approval in the midst of a global pandemic, and it's left to potential travelers to decide what's right and what's safe? Absolutely ridiculous how there isn't clear coordination.

stephenjmcd

ErnieG wrote: »

.. not on the flight they booked, they won't. Aer Lingus, right now, are not selling Dublin-Las Palmas tickets for travel before 17/Aug. At this stage of the Corona crisis, if an airline is not selling tickets, across a broad span of time (many weeks in this example), for a previously-available flight, and offering vouchers for existing bookings, then the flight 100% will not fly. There is no room for uncertainty here. It is in the airline's interests to create the impression that the flight might fly. Under the circumstances that apply to the poster's flight, it will not fly.

EI haven't been seeling LPA for a good while thats nothing new. They seem to be concentrating on other areas. Dont forget the Canary Islands aren't opening up to everyone in the same was as the rest of Spain, they have slightly different entry requirements.

Other flights to mainland Spain, palma etc are all scheduled to fly.

scrips

So any decision on lifting the travel advisory has been pushed down the line by another two weeks. The whole situation is verging on scandalous now. We're not covered by our insurance if anything happens to us while we travel - even non-COVID-related. How is anyone else getting around this?

ThatsNotMyCat

Scrips is there an official review in two weeks time? I’ve been trying to find when the next decision point is

ninebeanrows

July 9th seems a date touted.

I expect quarantine free corridors to many EU nations to be in place by 20 July

yoshimitsu

Dubl07 wrote: »

So you're flying, in a confined space, with strangers, and then visiting people over 70? Be prepared for them to have changed the locks and waving to you from a window.

Dubl07 wrote: »

I don't blame you. Just avoid that family for a few weeks. Some people just don't have very many brain cells.

As I said in my original post, people can have different approaches and considerations [than ours], I respect that. But insinuating that we’re stupid for doing so is rude and non-coductive to a productive discussion on this forum in my opinion.

As other have said, we’re following and will be following recommendations set by local and European authorities. As I’ve stated in my post, should infections numbers grow during July, we’ve book our travel so that it may be cancelled for a full refund and we are ready to do so. We view seeing our families as something very important, close to essential, but we will not jeopardize their or anyone elses health to do that.

Maybe you are not so aware of what has happened in Italy and Spain over the last few months. They’ve been among the worst hit countries in the world for Covid19 but - since 1 month - they are on a clear path of loosening many restrictions without seeing any evidence of a second wave. My parents have had to travel from Tuscany to Milan (the epicenter of COVID crisis) for family reasons, on a train (which doesn’t have the same filtration systems as a plane), they’ve done so following guidelines (distancing, wearing masks, following specific walking paths) and have returned home 2 weeks ago without any issues. My nieces are in summer school since 2 weeks wearing masks and observing distancing. My sister and brother-in-law have both returned to work following the guidelines limiting capacity to 50% of employees, wearing face masks and staggered entry and exit from office buildings.
Believe me, as Italians and Spanish we are very aware of the risks of contagion (maybe more so than some people on this forum), we read the local news, watch local TV and are very informed on the evolution of the health crisis there. We will be following all the guidelines while we’re there: We’ll be wearing masks, we’ll be respecting distancing and anyway spending most of our time outdoors thanks to the great weather and beautiful tuscan countryside.
Is travelling through 3 airport and on 2 airplanes riskier than staying locked up at home? Definitely so. But is it a risk that people with greater knowledge and commonsense than us have considered and deemed appropriate to take? Yes, and until the authorities tell us otherwise we (including our families back at home) are willing to take that risk.

scrips

ThatsNotMyCat wrote: »

Scrips is there an official review in two weeks time? I’ve been trying to find when the next decision point is

I read it in some Irish news article yesterday that there is to be a review next week, and the next official decision within a fortnight.

Too late for us - we cancelled our holiday accommodation yesterday as that was the last date we could get a full refund Which is, I suspect, what the government wants people to do.

Even if these so-called airbridges are in place, could the travel advisory against non-essential travel remain in place, or will that be lifted at the same time?

acequion

yoshimitsu wrote: »

As I said in my original post, people can have different approaches and considerations [than ours], I respect that. But insinuating that we’re stupid for doing so is rude and non-coductive to a productive discussion on this forum in my opinion.

As other have said, we’re following and will be following recommendations set by local and European authorities. As I’ve stated in my post, should infections numbers grow during July, we’ve book our travel so that it may be cancelled for a full refund and we are ready to do so. We view seeing our families as something very important, close to essential, but we will not jeopardize their or anyone elses health to do that.

Maybe you are not so aware of what has happened in Italy and Spain over the last few months. They’ve been among the worst hit countries in the world for Covid19 but - since 1 month - they are on a clear path of loosening many restrictions without seeing any evidence of a second wave. My parents have had to travel from Tuscany to Milan (the epicenter of COVID crisis) for family reasons, on a train (which doesn’t have the same filtration systems as a plane), they’ve done so following guidelines (distancing, wearing masks, following specific walking paths) and have returned home 2 weeks ago without any issues. My nieces are in summer school since 2 weeks wearing masks and observing distancing. My sister and brother-in-law have both returned to work following the guidelines limiting capacity to 50% of employees, wearing face masks and staggered entry and exit from office buildings.
Believe me, as Italians and Spanish we are very aware of the risks of contagion (maybe more so than some people on this forum), we read the local news, watch local TV and are very informed on the evolution of the health crisis there. We will be following all the guidelines while we’re there: We’ll be wearing masks, we’ll be respecting distancing and anyway spending most of our time outdoors thanks to the great weather and beautiful tuscan countryside.
Is travelling through 3 airport and on 2 airplanes riskier than staying locked up at home? Definitely so. But is it a risk that people with greater knowledge and commonsense than us have considered and deemed appropriate to take? Yes, and until the authorities tell us otherwise we (including our families back at home) are willing to take that risk.

Fair play to you guys. Everything in your post smacks of common sense and making well informed decisions. Unfortunately there are too many on boards who post in order to scaremonger because they are afraid themselves and have not kept themselves fully informed of the situation in other countries. I would pay no heed to such posters.

Enjoy the beautiful Tuscan countryside in the sun. Tuscany is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.

Dubl07

yoshimitsu wrote: »

As I said in my original post, people can have different approaches and considerations [than ours], I respect that. But insinuating that we’re stupid for doing so is rude and non-coductive to a productive discussion on this forum in my opinion.

As other have said, we’re following and will be following recommendations set by local and European authorities. As I’ve stated in my post, should infections numbers grow during July, we’ve book our travel so that it may be cancelled for a full refund and we are ready to do so. We view seeing our families as something very important, close to essential, but we will not jeopardize their or anyone elses health to do that.

Maybe you are not so aware of what has happened in Italy and Spain over the last few months. They’ve been among the worst hit countries in the world for Covid19 but - since 1 month - they are on a clear path of loosening many restrictions without seeing any evidence of a second wave. My parents have had to travel from Tuscany to Milan (the epicenter of COVID crisis) for family reasons, on a train (which doesn’t have the same filtration systems as a plane), they’ve done so following guidelines (distancing, wearing masks, following specific walking paths) and have returned home 2 weeks ago without any issues. My nieces are in summer school since 2 weeks wearing masks and observing distancing. My sister and brother-in-law have both returned to work following the guidelines limiting capacity to 50% of employees, wearing face masks and staggered entry and exit from office buildings.
Believe me, as Italians and Spanish we are very aware of the risks of contagion (maybe more so than some people on this forum), we read the local news, watch local TV and are very informed on the evolution of the health crisis there. We will be following all the guidelines while we’re there: We’ll be wearing masks, we’ll be respecting distancing and anyway spending most of our time outdoors thanks to the great weather and beautiful tuscan countryside.
Is travelling through 3 airport and on 2 airplanes riskier than staying locked up at home? Definitely so. But is it a risk that people with greater knowledge and commonsense than us have considered and deemed appropriate to take? Yes, and until the authorities tell us otherwise we (including our families back at home) are willing to take that risk.

Ah, fair enough. Enjoy your break and seeing your families. We all have to decide where our own limits are and perhaps I'm overcautious.

Yum mum 80

just seen an email from Aerlingus...my 5th of July flights to Gran Canaria is cancelled. such a disappointment, i know now i will get a refund but was so looking forward to getting out of this country...

ThatsNotMyCat

Thanks for the info, hopefully there will be an announcement soon.

I’m sure many will disapprove but I am living in the UK and hoping to head home to Ireland some time in July or August to introduce my mam to her grandchild. I will drive and go by ferry to limit contact and given we have been isolating with the exception of one supermarket visit a week, I can’t see any way we can be more careful.

The UK is a disaster in the context of Coronavirus but given we have taken every precaution, we can’t wait forever to see our family, my baby will be walking at this rate! I’m just hoping we won’t be shunned by everyone else when we get there!

I’ve been hoping the quarantine will lift but if it doesn’t we will just have to go and spend our two weeks inside.

pc7

We have AL flights coming back to Ireland from canaries in August. Our outward RA ones are cancelled. Out hotel had cancelled out booking in May. As things looking better I contacted them to see if they would be open as we were contemplating seeing how it looks end of July and going. Got this reply-

While the government has said that we can open for tourists from July, we as yet are not clear on the rules that will be in place. And as it stands, UK and Ireland are still applying 14 day quarantine on return. So it really is not a very straightforward situation.
We have decided in Xxxxxxx that we are not going to open until September at the earliest. As even if there are tourists, there would not be enough to make this a viable proposition.
Should the situation change, we will get back in touch with you.

faceman

pc7 wrote: »

We have AL flights coming back to Ireland from canaries in August. Our outward RA ones are cancelled. Out hotel had cancelled out booking in May. As things looking better I contacted them to see if they would be open as we were contemplating seeing how it looks end of July and going. Got this reply-

While the government has said that we can open for tourists from July, we as yet are not clear on the rules that will be in place. And as it stands, UK and Ireland are still applying 14 day quarantine on return. So it really is not a very straightforward situation.
We have decided in Xxxxxxx that we are not going to open until September at the earliest. As even if there are tourists, there would not be enough to make this a viable proposition.
Should the situation change, we will get back in touch with you.

EDIT: Oops sorry thought you meant going to Spain

The Spanish government has already clarified the situation a few times now. Not sure why your hotel would be saying otherwise.

https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-06-20/no-quarantine-for-uk-travelers-entering-spain-foreign-minister-confirms.html

pc7

faceman wrote: »

The Spanish government has already clarified the situation a few times now. Not sure why your hotel would be saying otherwise.

https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-06-20/no-quarantine-for-uk-travelers-entering-spain-foreign-minister-confirms.html

Think they mean that we would have to quarantine on our return to Ireland and this would put travelers off thus not making it viable for them.

Mortelaro

pc7 wrote: »

Think they mean that we would have to quarantine on our return to Ireland and this would put travelers off thus not making it viable for them.

Have the canary Islands changed their policy?
As an autonomous region they were not opening to non Spanish until october

pc7

Mortelaro wrote: »

Have the canary Islands changed their policy?
As an autonomous region they were not opening to non Spanish until october

Aw wasn’t aware they were going with their own policy. Just have to hope AL cancel our flights. Seems the hotel will open September.

stephenjmcd

Ryanair flights to Spain resumed out of Dublin this morning.

Be interesting to know if many were on them

Yum mum 80

Yeah it will, my sisters ryanair flights were cancelled for the 13th july...i wonder why they are cancelling them if they advertising flights for july...

stephenjmcd

Yum mum 80 wrote: »

Yeah it will, my sisters ryanair flights were cancelled for the 13th july...i wonder why they are cancelling them if they advertising flights for july...

40% schedule so some flights will still be cancelled

acequion

ThatsNotMyCat wrote: »

Thanks for the info, hopefully there will be an announcement soon.

I’m sure many will disapprove but I am living in the UK and hoping to head home to Ireland some time in July or August to introduce my mam to her grandchild. I will drive and go by ferry to limit contact and given we have been isolating with the exception of one supermarket visit a week, I can’t see any way we can be more careful.

The UK is a disaster in the context of Coronavirus but given we have taken every precaution, we can’t wait forever to see our family, my baby will be walking at this rate! I’m just hoping we won’t be shunned by everyone else when we get there!

I’ve been hoping the quarantine will lift but if it doesn’t we will just have to go and spend our two weeks inside.

I would be horrified if I heard people were doing that. But you will get a certain element, people who are righteous and judgmental and who give themselves the right to point a finger at others. The opinion of such people is certainly not worth being upset about.

I hope you guys have a lovely visit with a very special meeting of nan and little one. Such things are precious so make your plans and enjoy.