2021 Travel Plans
Comments
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Hi
Just changed my BF flexi ticket for the fourth (and hopefully last) time. 2nd October 2021 I'm off.
Just heard that the local police where I stay have all got new cars. Proves how many rule breakers are getting on the spot covid fines!!
JK
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Heard today that the ehic is to stay valid until the end of the cards date. Then we go onto the ghic, application through British Gov website when setup. From what I have understood it will be the same agreement that we have with ehic.
Really hoping not have to change our ferry plans for next year, if we are good to go we are going.
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Not actually booked up yet but have a deferment from P&O until May. Still looking a bit borderline for that early in the year atm but fingers crossed.
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I have just read on the BBC News page advice for holidays in 2021 that a Green Card will be required for the car and a separate one for your caravan. Good news about the EHIC and that an International Driving Licence will not be required for most people (those with an old paper licence for example will need one).
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Here's the up to date LINK from the BBC web site. Our motorhome insurers (via CAMC) sent us a Green Card on 17/12/20 ( a printed paper document.) There are further details on the letter we recieved from our insurers. It also recommends checking the gov.uk site.
You'll see on the link that caravans and trailers will need a spearate "card."
At present none of us are going anywhere so there's time to take this in and read the details.
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We've just received confirmation from Camping de la Baie, Cavalaire sur Mer, that pitch B60 is reserved for us, mirroring the reservation we had to cancel last May. With our fingers tightly crossed, we're now going to order our ACSI card, and book the following two weeks at St Clair.
Just need a jab or two as well....
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Not sure what dates you folks are considering, but I think May and June might be a bit optimistic? I think this pandemic has got a way to run yet and the prospect of being 2 jab protected by June is looking increasingly unlikely. There’s also the issue of the host nation and their state of readiness. All it needs is another spanner in the works e.g. new variant less responsive to current vaccination recipe and we’re back somewhere near where we started!
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We're invoking the 'Power of Positive Thinking', SSB! Our reservation at Cavalaire was a 'rain-cheque' from 2020, at their instigation, using last year's booking fee. St Clair have just replied today confirming pitch 34 per last year's cancelled booking. No fee as we're trusted long-term customers
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That might be the best you can hope for at this stage. The summer will be completely manic with extended staycationer period, but hopefully the autumn will see the worst of it over and folks will start getting back to work, school, uni etc. 🤞 I’m still hoping to get to Gibraltar in early May for the arrival of grandchild #4, but I think a small miracle might be required!
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I mentioned this in another thread but ferry crossing prices have rocketed. DFDS Dover - Dunkirk rtn now £485 - an 81% increase on last year. Same company, same times (the cheapest) same outfit same people similar dates (in August). I’m going to book the sites abroad but leave the crossing until we’re clearer about Covid19.
Also - the food. We always buy locally but take the food for the journey with us to maximise travelling time and distance. And we empty the house fridge to the caravan. I guess we’ll now have to eat vegetarian, drink black coffee and throw food away at the port. And no more bringing the yearly supply of wine back in the summer. Not happy
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We got stung by this in 2019. In Germany we bought a motorway sticker for Austria but hadn’t realised about Slovenia and couldn’t read the signs. As we were only in Slovenia for a matter of hours it went to the back of my mind that we needed to pay. No problem getting to Croatia but coming back through Slovenia 2 weeks later we were stopped on the border, treated like criminals and had to pay something like a £200 fine on the spot. Won’t forget again!
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DFDS Dover - Dunkirk rtn now £485 - an 81% increase on last year.
Wow, that’s quite a hike. I’ve used that crossing a lot over the years and it’s always been great value in comparison to the competition. However, compared to the BF experience it’s a bit like a floating motorway services.
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I've been looking at crossings for next year and found equal jumps in costs. Eurotunnel were when I last checked probably offering the most competitive rates. I'm guessing this is the case as you can self isolate on the crossing and as such the number of vehicles they can carry remains nearer the norm. Boat crossings are very limited on the number of vehicles they can load in order to keep social distancing. When I finally spoke to a person at P&O they "suggested" that I might see in reduction in costs once Covid levels were falling and vacination levels are significant.
Colin
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Hi, In another thread you seemed to suggest that your booking was via a credit note and this gave you no choice but to book at the increased price.
Are the prices you are now looking at for 2021 or, as you say 'next year', 2022?
As mentioned BF fares are good value if booked via the club but if you booked direct, and cant get a refund, then guess you are stuck with BF prices for 2021.
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I think I've confused things. I have two trips planned for car and caravan in 2021:-
If booked direct, some BF ferries are refundable. They do, or did, three different levels of travel and the cancellation terms and conditions differed. If you had the basic one like me then it was a credit note.
May out, Dover-Calais, will need to use P&O credit note, full return journey with other leg in Oct looks like £355 opposed to £212 last year.
June back, Hook of Holland to Harwich, booked through C&MC for £98, last year would have been £87. If you went direct with Stenna this is a LOT more.
Late August out, Plymouth-Roscoff, direct with Brittany Ferries using credit note for £260 opposed to £220 last year. Increase partly because of morning boat not sailing and lunchtime boat costing more.
Oct back, Calais - Dover, will need to use P&O credit note.
I want to use P&O credit note to book two singles as opposed to a return. That way if we are not allowed to travel in May I should get a credit note fro that crossing and my Oct crossing will not be effected.
If you are not tied to credit notes then some C&MC crossings are still better value. If you book direct with Eurotunnel they are undercutting ferries on the crossings I looked at.
For campsites out of season ACSI prices still look good in majority of cases, but double check. I have made a May booking in Belgium through C&MC as my booking is better covered if I had to cancel and is only a few £'s more in total for the week.
On another note, and good news, for Red Pennant, I've found 45 days multi trip cover for two, car and caravan cover is coming in at the same cost it would have been fro last year, ie £351.
Hopefully this is less confusing for folks.
Colin
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Hoping to go to France and/or Italy in May/June. We never book sites for that time of year (nor late August or September) so it would just be a case of booking the Eurotunnel, say, 4-6 weeks in advance. I seem to recall that they are generous with cancellations - you can just defer the booking.
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The cancellations are non refundable unless you take out the more expensive Flexi ticket.
However you can move your bookings but only up to 12 mths from the date of booking.
I made a booking at the end of June last year for September. Days before we were due to go the FCO put paid to that. Ever since then we have not been allowed to travel because of either France or Britain has not allowed it. We have changed out crossing a few times trying to use it but each and every time we have been informed that if we don't use it by the end of June this year we will lose our money.
How can we use it if we are banned from travelling or banned from entry to France.
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I think the reduction in price has to happen. Looking on the DFDS website the crossings I’m after, both at off peak times, show as fully booked. This may be because of the current restrictions. Euro tunnel is by far the cheapest option, especially with Tesco vouchers, but the Dunkirk crossing is always my favourite route and is on the way this year as we’ll be heading through Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to Austria then Croatia. I think I’ll hold off booking the crossings for now.
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I feel your pain at having to use it or lose it within the year. However I am wondering if the exponential increase in ferry prices this year is partly to do with the number of tickets held over from last year (as well as Covid19, Brexit, greed etc)
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However you can move your bookings but only up to 12 mths from the date of booking.
Is this with BF TG, we have flexi tickets that we booked for April 2020 now booked for April/june21 but was planning to may be move to 2022 and kiss this year good bye ?
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] old days. I wonder for the insurers will make a charge?
