2022 Holiday Doubt
Given the news tonight about Covid cases rising in Holland, Germany and Austria it may be putting touring holidays in doubt.
For me all those countries are on my itinerary with ferry booked, routes worked out and sites chosen.
Looking like I may have to re-plan for another staycation 
Comments
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Why book so early? We hope to go to France or Italy and assuming all OK will book the Tunnel 1 month before and not book any sites.
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I think if the current situation in Europe still exists when the holiday season gets under way, April/May I think we will all be in trouble! Optimistically one would have thought the worse would be over long before people start to travel for their usual Spring/Summer holiday. If not I will leave people to look up that famous line in the film Trains, Planes and Automobiles!
David
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Several reasons to book early, I'm talking about our trips in June/July to NL and August/Sept to France :-
- we have credit notes to use up and if we don't then we loose them.
- good deals are available
- some crossings are severely limited, eg only one midday Dieppe to Newhaven in Sept
- planning fills up a boring day
- because we have a positive mindset and really do hope things will work out as 2020 and 2021 didn't exactly go to plan did they.
Colin
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Maybe go South instead? All the bad news currently seems to be in Northern Europe and places like Austria need to get a grip. If one accepts that vaccination weakens the link between infection and serious illness, then rates of vaccination in places like Spain make it a safer bet. I’ve very recently spent some time there and it all feels very normal. People are generally respectful of social distancing and wearing face masks. Staycation won’t be a plan for me in 2022, lost too much valuable time already. Ferry booked April - July and I’ll follow my nose, data and rational thinking unless prevented from doing so by restrictions.
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Totally agree.
Our planned trip to Europe in June 2020 was obviously forcibly cancelled, re-arranged for 2021, cancelled last minute again due to Gov. recommendations & ferry credit available until end Sept 22.
So spent time re-scheduling again with extra days, contacting sites with which I had existing bookings, using Google Translate for email exchanges & feeling chuffed all sorted......
Then the following week Covid surges exponentially
, however here's hoping it all settles again by end of June.....0 -
Informed rumour here is that our beloved leaders are contemplating dropping free testing here after Christmas. If true that's as helpful as the suggestion sarcastically made that they should ban thermometers then we'd not need to worry about high temperatures, and it would probably lead to a rise in cases here.
We long to get away over the channel but are watching and waiting longer yet a bit.
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I am not a scientist or a medic, but my understanding is any virus has two key qualities, a level of potency and an ability to transit itself. Over time a virus will mutate in order to survive. As it mutates it increases in it's ability to transit but decrease in it's level of potency.
In theory, with time things should get better and some return to normal should happen. The problem to us what the time frame is.
Colin
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We to have ferries booked for spring next year.
Having had 2020 ferries cancelled twice, spring 2021 also cancelled, we finally managed to get away in autumn this year to France and Spain. Was it worth it, you bet it was.
We are due to fly to the canaries next week, that isn't looking great just now as their numbers have gone up.
I think spring next year will be fine.
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Hi Harry, As others have said it may be OK by the time oyu are due to go away....................or it may not!!
We were fortunate not to have any bookings for foreign travel at the time of the first lockdown-and that phrase is something that not many of us contemplated we would still be talking about now.
We are still considering our 2022 trips abroad, but have already booked a two week rally here for June, as our usual time frame has been affected by a family wedding at the end of May-that being twice postponed.
We are just back from a trip to Cyprus with friends to celebrate their Golden Wedding. We are all double jabbed and mask wearing and distancing was observed where possible however, they have both tested positive and are now self isolating.
We were pinged and are awaiting our results from our NHS but our day two test required after the holiday was negative so not too concerned.
I am sure some would see this, and the other hoops one has to jump through, as reason to hold back on planning but think its better to plan, as you have, in hope than the alternative and I am sure you will have a great holiday.
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According to John Hopkins Uni (worldometer) Italy (av 8k) and France (av 10k) have rising cases but deaths remain very low (av 56 and 37)
Spain cases around 6k, deaths in single figures.
Portugal cases av 1500, deaths in single figures.
yes, European cases are rising (steeply in Eastern parts) but the above numbers are far better than where we live every day.
we are heading for Spain mid Jan, I'll be watching closely but at the moment I'd be going.
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Absolutely no reason not to visit given current circumstances. Spain has one of the highest rates of vaccination and seems to be on top of things (unlike some). On a recent visit to the far south I didn’t see a single UK van between La Linea and Cape Trafalgar including Tarifa which is usually very popular this time of the year. The only visitors in evidence were some ‘mature’ Dutch folks and a few Germans. Plenty of space and no crowding whatsoever in bars, restaurants and shops. Maybe different in the Costas though?
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Yes, our winter site is pretty full, a new customer friend will probably need some 'help' from reception to get in for a month...after skiing in Les Gets, he'll need some sunshine...👍
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On our 9 weeks trip to France and Spain we saw very little of Brit vans.
France hardly any at all, until we got to the med where there were 3 of us on a site that would normally has at least 15 (only small site)
Once into Spain it was a case of 2 or 3 vans at the most, even Lo Monte there was only 4 of us.
Sites were busy though, not full but busy both in France and Spain. Lots of Staycationers, some Dutch and Germans and at Lo Monte a far few Scandinavians.
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I rather agree with you Hitchglitch. I don’t book a National Express coach from Plymouth to London six months in advance, nor do I book a ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff so far in advance either.
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Just a thought….
I’m assuming those of us visiting Schengen Zone countries at this stage of the year are getting ‘free’ days given ETIAS isn’t operational nor expected to be so for a while. Passports are being stamped in & out but who is counting? Nobody I suspect and what happens if you replace your passport before ETIAS do you start again with empty pages?
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Horses for courses, swings & roundabouts etc.
We have booked in September for a trip the following May and booked in June for a trip in July.
For a good few years our trip was discussed and finalised when our friends/MH holiday buddies came to stay in late November each year and, as they are due here next Friday, that could happen again!
As for booking with National Express....................................
Take the National Express when your life's in a mess
It'll make you smile
All human life is here
From the feeble old dear to the screaming child
From the student who knows that to have one of those
Would be suicide
To the family man
Manhandling the pram with paternal pride
And everybody sings, "Ba-ba-ba-da"
We're going where the air is free1 -
We book in advance as we like to know when and where we are going. Then we can plan where we go once off the ferry, although that often change.
We get a better price quite often booking ahead and the cabins we want. I can then plan our route down from Scotland and where we are going to overnight. This in itself needs to be booked ahead these days. We like to try different places each time we travel down.
We book other holidays well in advance, previously cruises have be booked 12 mths in advance if its something special, on the other hand we've booked them a month before.
I've never travelled by bus but if it was for something special I certainly wouldn't leave it to the last minute.
Flights for Lanzarote are usually booked for the following year as we return, again better price, choice of seats etc. Paid for in advance then forgotten about.
Never been a last minute type of person.
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Yes, looks like we’re at least a year away from proper implementation of the 90 day rule. Passport stamps are one thing, but having a system that can track you is something else. I visit family in Gibraltar fairly often and when there cross into Spain often on a daily basis. Spanish border police have been unusually diligent about stamping passports in & out but for what purpose? Given the pace at which the EU machine works, it could take them years to implement a system that does more than simply screen entrants eligible to enter Schengen without a visa.
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We are looking at booking soon, for late May. 3 weeks in France. Not been over the water for 3 Summers now.
So will be looking at a week Cycling in Loire, drive South sit on a Beach and back via Val de Cantobre. As our 1st return to "Normal", or what ever people want to call it Caravan trip. I have no idea if it's cheaper ferry wise to book now or in the spring. It feels like a "Warm". Thing to do on a winter's evening.0 -
Personally I would not worry too much. There is a growing policy to allow fully vaccinated and boostered people to travel freely, and by next spring I doubt if the current infection rate will still be an issue. Also there is now a strong body of medical evidence that shows that the only people in ICU beds are the un vaccinated. So if you are vaccinated I would not worry too much about cancellations
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Boosters today, just seeing how long before it appears on the travel pass....
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