Are you still going away?

[Notts Archer]

Like many of you, our 6 week European tour has been put on hold so now checking out many ‘home’ places to visit. I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to go further afield around September/October but not holding my breath.

 

[KiwiKampers]

I must be a fool then as we head off on holiday this Tuesday visiting Thailand, Singapore, Australia and Dubai. This is our 30 day holiday for our 30th Anniversary and so far or experts haven’t advised against travelling to these countries and the flights are still on, If you add up all their cases it’s less than here.

Our choices are go on holiday enjoy ourselves and as we’re relatively young and fit we should be okay, or stay at home and lose all the money and still have the same chances of catching it.

As soon as the experts tell us it’s not safe or cancel all flights we not go, until then we’re all packed and ready for the off.

We might be fools but we’ll be happy fools

I presume you have had to cancel your plans Lorger? If not, I think you are going to have to self-isolate for two weeks in some, if not all, of those countries so you’re going to be away for more than 30 days and only see the inside of a hotel room.

 

[lorger]

I presume you have had to cancel your plans Lorger? If not, I think you are going to have to self-isolate for two weeks in some, if not all, of those countries so you’re going to be away for more than 30 days and only see the inside of a hotel room.

Looks like it, we spoke to our travel agents this morning and they’re going to phone back tomorrow to confirm what’s happening.
Part of the trip was to meet up with our daughter who’s spending a year backpacking, unfortunately for her she’s in NZ for a couple of weeks and booked to arrive back in Australia to meet us, looks like she’ll be stuck in NZ now.

 

[DL42846]

Well, at least we have something from China that last longer than a month.

 

[suavecarve]

I don't think that will happen.

Hancock said this morning that all non-essential operations would be cancelled and therefore the beds free'd up. So no NHS boob-jobs, Gender re-assignment, hair lip, cleft palette etc.

I used to work for a company in Milton Keynes that makes test equipment for cigarettes, I am 100% sure that if they were given the design documentation for a respirator, they could ramp up production within a week or so, you will would be very surprised at what this country can manufacture very rapidly if required.

I think this is a very fair point.
most motorhomers who go to france have at some stage seen the normandy beaches with the concrete harbours around.
I still cant get my head around how they built harbours and floated them across the channel and that was 75 years ago

In relation to the question. Havent cancelled April 22nd departure yet. Havent cancelled my leave. Will go away in this country if possible otherwise cancel the lot and take the pee out of leave later in the year

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[ShaKen]

Well my ski hols is now cancelled due to them shutting all ski resorts across Europe ?

So now looking at (hopefully) a few days at the Scottish resorts (a couple of hours away from me).

On that point - anyone stayed at the Carpark at Glencoe Mountain Ski Resort?

 

[Langtoftlad]

Might do a few UK campsites - if they are open.

...and not full

 

[Happy1]

Well my ski hols is now cancelled due to them shutting all ski resorts across Europe ?

So now looking at (hopefully) a few days at the Scottish resorts (a couple of hours away from me).

On that point - anyone stayed at the Carpark at Glencoe Mountain Ski Resort?

Yes fab place, very atmospheric at night in the mist, water is a bit brown with peat in it, skiing bit hit and miss and bar burned down earlier this year
But at least it’s open for now!!

 

[KiwiKampers]

Looks like it, we spoke to our travel agents this morning and they’re going to phone back tomorrow to confirm what’s happening.
Part of the trip was to meet up with our daughter who’s spending a year backpacking, unfortunately for her she’s in NZ for a couple of weeks and booked to arrive back in Australia to meet us, looks like she’ll be stuck in NZ now.

I cannot think of a nicer place for your daughter to be "stuck"! ??

 

[lorger]

I cannot think of a nicer place for your daughter to be "stuck"! ??

Her photos of the place are lovely, her only problem is she left the majority of her clothes with a family friend in Sydney so she’d need to buy more if staying. She also mentioned it’s more expensive backpacking plus she doesn’t have a work visa and I’m running out of money ??

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[lorger]

Well my ski hols is now cancelled due to them shutting all ski resorts across Europe ?

So now looking at (hopefully) a few days at the Scottish resorts (a couple of hours away from me).

On that point - anyone stayed at the Carpark at Glencoe Mountain Ski Resort?

We’ve stayed there quite often, you can stay for free or pay for a pitch with EHU. They have a new shower block with lovely hot showers and cassette emptying point. If you go to Glenshee they too have EHU but it’s first come first served so no guarantee.

We prefer Glencoe as had a lovely big log cabin cafe which unfortunately went on fire a few weeks back but they’ve taken delivery of a large temporarily one.

If you go to Glencoe mid week you’ll more than likely have it to your self, check their FB page for snow updates

 

[carolyn]

We are assuming our trip to Bangladesh in April will be off as they’re closing their borders to Europe but not the UK on wednesday but have said UK will probably be added. Medical services are poor there at the best of times so even with good insurance our daughter says it will be too stretched so not to come anyway, gutted as we can’t now see her. Her works trip home Thursday is off as well.

We have a GB motorhome tour of the Balkans booked on 11th may for 6 weeks. Supposed to pay the balance on friday. We had a general email saying they’d follow fco advice and hope to go ahead but so many borders are now closed. I suppose if it works and they open it might go ahead but these tours do attract old crumblies. Nick and I were amongst the youngsters on the Norway tour last year so I envisage lots getting medical exemptions. If we cancel it we’re already in the having to pay 50% of the total cost which is a lot so we feel we have to wait and see.

If GB cancel too early their insurance won’t kick in and that’s their business down the pan, I do feel fo them as well as us their customers I hasten to add.

 

[Odd-no-more]

We have nothing booked but we are hoping to get away in the uk a lot this year...... but if like France everything is being shut down, all bars, cafe, restaurants etc. then it may not be worth it I also expect a lot of camping sites will not be open. We normally use the CCC cs sites a lot of these are on farms and if I was a farmer I would not want to risk a lot of strangers bringing me a virus.

 

[jongood]

I don't really see the problem with Motorhome holidays as long as you take precautions. We travel totally in our own environment and can be reasonably self sufficient, all you really need are food water and fuel.

 

[Odd-no-more]

I don't really see the problem with Motorhome holidays as long as you take precautions. We travel totally in our own environment and can be reasonably self sufficient, all you really need are food water and fuel.

The problem for us is if everything is closed it is not so much fun, if we can't have a meal out or a pint in a pub or even a cup of tea when out for a day it's not a great holiday. Due to caring commitments we have to stay local, so if we have to be totally self sufficient in the van, we may stay home and have some days out.

When you see the devastation this virus is causing with business going bust and people going broke and some people dying, a holiday doesn't seem so important.

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[jongood]

The problem for us is if everything is closed it is not so much fun, if we can't have a meal out or a pint in a pub or even a cup of tea when out for a day it's not a great holiday. Due to caring commitments we have to stay local, so if we have to be totally self sufficient in the van, we may stay home and have some days out.

When you see the devastation this virus is causing with business going bust and people going broke and some people dying, a holiday doesn't seem so important.

It would surely be more fun being out than stuck at home for months and wouldnt the businesses benefit from having customers?

 

[Odd-no-more]

It would surely be more fun being out than stuck at home for months and wouldnt the businesses benefit from having customers?

At the moment yes, but if we go the same way as France and Italy every business apart from food shops and pharmacies will be shut.

 

[Odd-no-more]

Just seen on the tv Tui travel company have shut down all holidays

 

[Bognor Saint]

easyJet are now processing our refund. We were due to fly on 23 march..
I just hope any of you others are able to get your refunds.

 

[jongood]

At the moment yes, but if we go the same way as France and Italy every business apart from food shops and pharmacies will be shut.

Petrol stations were remaining open last I heard and most aires/stelpplatze are unmanned, what else would you need in a motorhome?

Is this the time to sit with your head in your hands? At some point this situation will stabilise in some way, of course we will have to adapt but surely the nearer we can stay to normality the faster we will be able to recover.

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[HarryML]

I think this is a very fair point.
most motorhomers who go to france have at some stage seen the normandy beaches with the concrete harbours around.
I still cant get my head around how they built harbours and floated them across the channel and that was 75 years ago

In relation to the question. Havent cancelled April 22nd departure yet. Havent cancelled my leave. Will go away in this country if possible otherwise cancel the lot and take the pee out of leave later in the year

Search for Mulberry Harbour construction, basically they built concrete boxes, floated them into position then filled them with seawater to sink to the sea bed. There are still a few in the UK namely at Portland in Dorset.

 

[Lot lover]

suavecarve - surely you have seen all the John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Audie Murphy films that will have shown that only the Americans did anything worthwhile in WW2. These harbours were constructed by the Irish in Boston and then flown across in Enola Gay.

We normally head for somewhere in France in May or June not bothering to book in advance. Will make a final decision nearer the day.

Sorry to read that most of you in UK will be locked up.

 

[lorger]

Travel agent just called to confirm our holiday is cancelled as Singapore have just imposed a 14 day self isolation rule for all arrivals

 

[Odd-no-more]

Petrol stations were remaining open last I heard and most aires/stelpplatze are unmanned, what else would you need in a motorhome?

Is this the time to sit with your head in your hands? At some point this situation will stabilise in some way, of course we will have to adapt but surely the nearer we can stay to normality the faster we will be able to recover.

I agree totally for most, but for us as we are limited to sites within a 2 hour drive home in case of any problems with FIL, and because our holiday consists mainly of long walks with stops at cafes and possible a meal out. I see that this will not be possible if/when all pubs, restaurants and cafes are closed, so on balance we may just have days out with a picnic this year.

 

[jongood]

I agree totally for most, but for us as we are limited to sites within a 2 hour drive home in case of any problems with FIL, and because our holiday consists mainly of long walks with stops at cafes and possible a meal out. I see that this will not be possible if/when all pubs, restaurants and cafes are closed, so on balance we may just have days out with a picnic this year.

I was making general suggestions for the rest of us.

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[jdk62]

easyJet are now processing our refund. We were due to fly on 23 march..
I just hope any of you others are able to get your refunds.

EasyJet cancelled our flights tO/from Bologna. They refunded only 70% of our ticket price.... am trying to get hold of them to get the remaining 30%.... Anybody ever tried to actually speak to a person at Easyjet?

 

[Rosemary1]

We are booked to travel to Canada in July for a week and then a week arctic cruise. Government just announced it restrict flights into Canada from Europe and will ban cruise ships with 500 or more people from docking in country’s ports until 1st July (we were flying into Calgary and boarding ship in Vancouver)

We have only paid the deposit at the moment but looks like it might not be going ahead, we are waiting to the final day for full payment as things seem to be changing by the hour never mind by the day!

Our travel agent has not been in touch yet but presume it’s because we are not flying until June and then cruise July. Am not chasing yet as I presume that they need to be looking after the people who are booked to go before us. But final payment is due 3rd April so I need an answer by then as don’t want to pay good money after bad and be trying to get a full refund at a later date.

Such a shame as holiday took ages to organise with the Rocky Mountaineer train, lots of overnights in Canada and America but I guess in the great scheme of things it doesn’t really matter.

All the best to everyone

 

[SteveRallye]

Two items on the tv news this morning I found interesting,one from an interview with a guy in his M/H in mid France, he has just travelled up from St Tropez areas and he says despite all of France being on lockdown type precautions almost all the French people he came across are still socialising and meeting and greeting in there typical French fashion.The other report was an interview with a lady( in her 60,s I think) who caught the virus in New York and became ill on her return, yes she was very poorly for 3 days or so then gradually recovered, Her husband in the same building (he kept away from her) did not get the infection. So what I take from this is the old adage Stay calm and carry on. Just use common sense.

 

[Deneb]

And the UK has half the number of ICU beds, per capita, than Italy. Don't let Matt bullsh*t us about how ready our NHS is!

According to a paper authored by Italian medical professionals and published in The Lancet a few days ago, Italy have roughly 25% higher ICU bed capacity than the UK. They have run out national capacity of beds and ICU facilities just to treat the current requirements for serious Covid-19 patients in a single region with a population of around 9,000,000 people and are not expecting the infection curve to slow for at least 2 -4 weeks.

And here we are apparently planning to allow the infection to run intentionally through up to 60% of our population (36,000,000 people) to achieve herd immunity! This suggests from extrapolating statistics from China and elsewhere to date that we will need over 7,000,000 hospital beds to be available over the course of the epidemic.

Another professional paper I have seen attempted to put credible figures to the "flattening the curve" graph which Boris seems so proud to show us all, but which does not show any figures on either axis. The document shows that to keep patient requirements within existing NHS capacity we will need to allow the virus to run through the population "under control" at such a slow rate that the infection curve will have to last more than a decade.

I can see that working out just fine then

 

[Sapper520]

We were supposed to be visiting family in The Netherlands........schools closed until 18th April at the earliest. German border closed to none essential travel........supermarkets in their town being emptied. Yesterday, the only food they could fine was Vegan ready meals!..........says a lot for Vegan ready meals.

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