Have two trips to Greece booked in September (one was originally booked for June but moved free of charge). Think I’d be happy to take them if able although I may postpone one til next year (can get vouchers from BA).
I can't see myself wanting to share a plane journey in close proximity to a load of unknown fellow passengers (never mind the joys of the airport experience) this side of a vaccine being available, or the risk otherwise substantially reduced.
I'd possibly consider taking the car over to France (which would probably be no more risky than a UK-based holiday), but I'm not in any hurry.
Have two trips to Greece booked in September (one was originally booked for June but moved free of charge). Think I’d be happy to take them if able although I may postpone one til next year (can get vouchers from BA).
I've just rebooked my dive trip to Cyprus (Cancelled due to lockdown in mid-March) for mid-September.
Of course it's a gamble, but one I'm prepared to take.
We may take a short break somewhere in Britain or maybe even Europe, too, but I think any big holidays are out for 2020 now.
M
Last edited by snowman; 28th June 2020 at 15:44.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
We are lucky, we have a campervan. We are fully expecting to go across to Europe on a ferry (France or Spain) at the end of the summer for a few weeks.
Travelling, eating and sleeping in our own vehicle is our idea of a great holiday (we like hotels too !), and we can isolate to a large extent at the same time.
I know it’s not everyone’s idea of a holiday, but we enjoy it. Airplane flights can wait until next year.
Pete
What do people think the west of Wales is likely to be like come mid/late July??
It will be still partly locked down in late July. If your holiday is based on outdoor activities and sun then fine but the pubs will still be closed. Not sure about cafes and restaurants. I would leave it for as late into summer as you can as Wales is on a slower path out of lockdown.
Use the cash you save from not going on a summer holiday and perhaps spend it on supporting local businesses?
Buy some flowers from local florists, get a new door or windows from the local joiner, be on first name terms with your local specialty off-licence and local breweries....hic
We have cancelled two trips away this year, not worth the risk in the current climate.
People are definitely travelling in the UK as our holiday house is now almost fully booked for year and bookings coming in for next year already.
We've cancelled two trips, but looking to get away for a couple of days late August, and then have a trip in September.
The August trip will be a last minute decision on location.
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I honestly think it’ll be a very long time before we ever consider returning to our usual holiday haunt in Anna Maria Island on the Florida Gulf Coast.
We’ve no desire to step back onto an aircraft again for a start but seeing some of the absolute idiot gun waving, mask hating, MAGA cap wearing nutters out there in Florida on the Tv I think we’ll give it a miss altogether!
We still won’t be going anywhere on crowded planes, trains or boats this year. I really can’t see it being worth the risk while the virus is still out there and still fairly widespread.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Pretty much cancelled for us. Already cancelled a trip to Japan in May and a cruise in September. We're hoping that we can still visit the in-laws abroad around Christmas.
At the moment just avoiding crowds, flights and public transport as much as possible. I think it's the responsible thing to do.
We were thinking about renting out our motorhome. Not sure how to go about it.
We've also cancelled 2 trips this year, I too don't believe it's worth the risk.
The biggest annoyance is not getting a refund from Airlines or hotels.
The Airlines have given us an 'open ticket' until Feb 2021, and the hotels keep saying their having problems with my IBAC number (yeah, right).
Willing to holiday in the UK though, where I feel it's alot more manageable.
How much of a risk does everyone think it would be if you worse a good FFP3 / N99 mask throughout the flight ?
My wife's brother and his wife have a place on Corfu. He is driving there from South Wales late this month with a ferry crossing each end and two or three stopovers on the way. Yes he is avoiding a flight, but as you say, local lockdowns are happening and he will be vulnerable to this in a number of locations.
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I have a place where I plan to fly to so more like home away from home but with the benefit of hot weather and access to a beach.
My main concern is getting here and back. I don't think there will be another serious lockdown.
I also thought about driving so as to avid the plane but if you have to sleep a couple of nights, where do you sleep ?
A hotel or B&B ? In which case you may as well fly
A little confused and bewildered to be honest of how to this is as safely and low risk as possible
Airline HEPA filtration traps CV. Circulation time is 3-4 minutes, and the flow is from top to bottom. You’d be very unlucky to catch it on a plane if you also double up with a face mask. Although counter intuitive, you’re probably more likely to catch it in a pub or restaurant
There are articles illustrating where there was no spread on long haul flights despite a CV positive person on board.
All the flying risk has been blown out of proportion.
There might be such circulation in a plane but you could be sat next to a carrier for 3 hours or so.
Last edited by Kingstepper; 6th July 2020 at 22:10.
It’s all about tolerance of risk. I chose to drive a car even though I have a 1 in 20,000 (5e-5/yr) risk of dying from this in any one year, or 1 in 7.3 million (1.4x10-7) per day I drive.
Active cases in the 60 million population is currently around 0.05% (0.0005). Multiply that by say 1% (0.01) of catching it on a plane, and then 1% (0.01) chance of dying from CV dependent on age. Prevalence of CV is currently reported to be in less affluent communities who find it hard to social distance, and therefore probably less likely to fly abroad on vacation, so I believe the above is conservative.
Therefore, the overall probably of death by flying and catching Coronavirus is very low indeed, 5x10-8 (0.0005x0.01x0.01) per flight. If you only take one return flight per year before the vaccine then probability of dying is 1x10-7/yr.
Assuming you take one return flight before a CV vaccine is found then you have significantly more chance of dying from a car accident over the course of the year (and likely more risk of death on a single drive to the airport), when compared to taking a flight and dying from Coronavirus.
Weighing up the risk, my family and I will be flying to Athens in late August for a lovely Greek holiday.
Last edited by noTAGlove; 6th July 2020 at 23:00.
The numbers I quoted above are based on a CV infected person being on the same plane as you. The chance of them sitting next to you is another risk reduction of 1 in 200 (assuming that is the number of seats on the plane).
You have probably got more chance of winning the lottery than dying from CV from taking a short haul flight from the UK.
Last edited by noTAGlove; 6th July 2020 at 23:26.
Thanks very much for all the very useful information. Appreciate your time
Regards
V
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Last edited by Kingstepper; 7th July 2020 at 08:40.
I booked a couple of trips to France for this year. One, that was in early June, was cancelled as the ferries were not carrying passengers at that time I so couldn't go on that one. However Brittany Ferries are now running again and I am off to France on Saturday for 2 weeks. Apparently the ferry is not carrying a full capacity and some on board restaurants are not running their full menu and you must have a pre booked cabin or seat with social distancing whilst in the public part of the boat.
I will be camping in a camper van so I feel the 'risk' factor to me is low. I understand that France is again 'open' for business and are keen to have tourists back. I am breaking my journey overnight and staying for one night in one of those cheap Accor/Ibis hotels to save the faff of setting up camp for one night.
I will report back and let you know whether it was a good idea or not..................... but I'm looking forward to it.
For us this year we have written it off. We have a trip for a week down to Rock later in the year but not going to any foreign countries. It's going to be such a mad dash to get there with a lot of other people who are desperate to get away that I can't imagine any aspect will be relaxing.
I’ve just had an invite to a VC event in London in a couple of weeks. Normally a trip to London for us is to catch the train from Tiverton to Paddington, book a nice hotel for 2 nights. We always book great restaurants on both nights. I do a few watch shops, Harrods maybe, Covent Garden, bit of shopping and an attraction of some kind. We’d tie in the VC event.
Should I go? Rhetorical question really as, as much as I’d love to go and have a couple of nights away now doesn’t seem right to be doing this sort of thing. Probably over cautious as you have to live a bit.
I would stay well away from any major city, it's not just worth the risk for anyone on the wrong side of 55.
The R number is going up in Madrid and Barcelona and already there is talk of locking these two cities down. The COVID is still with us, so like it or not, you either start going back to voluntary measures or take a chance on your life. Your choice, simple as that.
Regardless of the air circulation times and whether movement by staff and or passengers through a plane disrupts simple air flow patterns, the prospect of keeping a mask on for the duration of a long-haul flight does not fill me with joy; and what happens when you or the people in the row in front/behind are eating, drinking, sleeping without realising their mask has slipped etc.
https://www.ft.com/content/95d57c49-...7-42b111b50bb5The chief executive of Heathrow airport has warned the aviation industry needs to prepare itself for periodic lockdowns around the world as countries are hit by new coronavirus outbreaks.
John Holland-Kaye said the airport was considering a range of possible responses as new infections swept across cities previously thought to have brought the pandemic under control, such as Melbourne, Australia, which this week was put into lockdown for six weeks.
“If we have periodic outbreaks around the world, we’ve got to have a different fall back to complete quarantine. There’s got to be an alternative that will just become part of the way we live our lives and we need to start working on that now,” Mr Holland-Kaye told the FT.
Wife had her girlie break in Spain in June cancelled. This was a rebook from last September when that was cancelled due to the storms they had out there.
We were due to go to Barcelona 5th - 8th July for our anniversary. Booked hotel in Jan and got a non-cancellable price through Booking.com. @£700 v £850 pay on departure. Decided some time ago we weren’t going whatever the situation. Asked the hotel and they said no refund. Checked on their website and said closed. Got onto Booking.com and they said no refund as it was uncancellable. Told them I wasn’t cancelling but hotel was closed. They checked, found it was, offered a credit note or rebook but I stuck to my guns and they refunded. Bit of a result as the hotel (Hotel Ohla) reopened on the 2nd July! Already had the full refund. Both flights cancelled by EasyJet and was offered to change flights or take a credit note. It was at that point I realised I’d spelled my wife’s surname incorrectly (don’t know how I managed that!) and didn’t want the aggro and expense of a name change or credit for named passengers only so now waiting for my refund!
Have a fly/ride motorcycle trip booked with mates for Spain in October, not sure if it will go ahead or whether I want to go on a plane now especially if we have a second wave.
Centre Parcs in November to celebrate daughter in Laws 30th birthday. Who knows what will happen then.
Also a large house booked in the Peak District for 10 of us 28th Dec to 3rd Jan. Not even sure if that will happen now either.
Been furloughed since March as in private education business and not due back until September and might try a last minute break in Jersey in August/September if everything is open - possibly get ferry instead of fly but will play it by ear and book nothing in advance!
Flying to Madrid tomorrow for a couple of days, next week Milan for 1 night to see colleagues, then probably Canaries for a week after school has finished.
People happy to take the cheap flights on offer from Easyjet etc but now won't support the airlines in their hour of need out of 'fear'. You will miss them when they are gone and you are paying £400 on BA to get to Ibiza. Seems Brits are unique in this fear paralysis - all my Dutch and Italian colleagues are happily travelling for holidays. Just take precautions - it is Covid not the Rage virus! Obviously if you have an underlying health condition then of course the above doesn't apply
In France rtoday…. Easy trip down and lovely to be in some good weather!
My wife, daughter and I have all had the virus though, so, potentially a bit safer around other people…. My fear was always passing it on
Other than a few face masks life seems quite normal here as most of the restaurants have large terraces
It really was great to sample something approaching normality
We've certainly written off our trip to the States this summer. To be honest I'm kind of glad. Even without the virus the place seems to have gone crazy.
The last few days the traffic has gone crazy in North Devon. Lots of holidaymakers have descended. Camper vans everywhere. Places like Westward Ho! and Appledore have been heaving today because of the lovely weather. Normally the season builds slowly every week, but it feels like it’s gone from being like the middle of January to the middle of August overnight.
It's ok you are forgiven. Of course you weren't seeking forgiveness it was just another opportunity to have a dig as you frequently do. Probably a hangover from one of the Brexit threads or whatever. (And I forgive you for that too).
Re my views they have changed now that the virus situation has changed. I was correct at the time regarding the severity of the virus when people like you were laughing and saying it was like flu and I'm correct now in that risks remain but by taking precautions we don't have to trash our economy and live in a bunker.