Cancelling Summer trip - anyone done it yet?

[Lenny HB]

We never book anything apart from a ferry a week or two before we go, so not much of a problem. We were thinking about having a few weeks on the German Baltic coast in June obviously not now. Hopefully most countries will be open by the end of September.

 

[denisejoe]

Dont hesitate, get your arses out there, your in a self contained sterile home. If the sites are shut then go wild. The whole point of s camper is to be as free as a bird no matter what. So long as your allowed to use the roads that is. Your adventure awaits you ?

Easy to say but when are borders going to be open Can’t see France being open for a while but you could go disguised as a lorry

 

[GAVLAD]

Dont hesitate, get your arses out there, your in a self contained sterile home. If the sites are shut then go wild. The whole point of s camper is to be as free as a bird no matter what. So long as your allowed to use the roads that is. Your adventure awaits you ?

Normally we would get our arses out there but we have to consider keeping our 6yr old interested and occupied. We normally split our stays between aires and a site. The site is booked for the kids facilities and that’s probably the biggest draw of the holiday for our kid. If facilities aren’t going to be fully open, then that’s a big part of our holiday gone. Everyone’s needs are different.

 

[gus-lopez]

Easy to say but when are borders going to be open Can’t see France being open for a while but you could go disguised as a lorry

Spain is planning on being open for tourists by the end of June subject to no increase in cases .Just need the French to open up as well .Italians are opening now apart from Lombardy I think(?)

 

[GAVLAD]

Just an update and to close this thread with the outcome, I've today received an emailed reply from the CMC.
My outbound Eurotunnel crossing was non refundable, but they've extended the travel date to mid February 2021 as this is the furthest date ahead that they can change travel dates to at the moment.
They advised me to contact them again nearer that time to amend the date to summer 2021 - when those travel dates are in the system.
They have arranged to cancel and fully refund the Zeebrugge - Hull P&O crossing as I had cancelled outside of 56 days prior to travelling.
So I'm happy with that outcome. Fair play to operators and CMC alike.

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[denisejoe]

Spain is planning on being open for tourists by the end of June subject to no increase in cases .Just need the French to open up as well .Italians are opening now apart from Lombardy I think(?)

Are we on the list of allowed countries because we are not for Greece

 

[Nirvanauk]

Was planning on Denmark this year. Simply cancelled the Harwich Hook ferry full repayment money back in account within 24 hrs. I always pay a bit more for flexible tickets as we have a track record of changing and adaptation going back years.

Different story for a UK holiday cottage booked for a special family event with a company called Sykes. I’d never heard of them and certainly regret ever having any dealings with them. Absolute bunch of crooks,taking payment for holidays that cannot be taken and then refusing full refund.
Very lively Facebook group of Sykes victims many of whom have lost large sums they cannot afford. Whatever you do avoid them at all Costs.

Was this Sykescottages up in Yorkshire?

 

[MisterB]

Spain is planning on being open for tourists by the end of June subject to no increase in cases .Just need the French to open up as well .Italians are opening now apart from Lombardy I think(?)

Italian/French border opened today, no checks into Italy, but checks from Italy stopping tourists entering France !! The thin end of the wedge has been activated .....

 

[pandas]

Dont hesitate, get your arses out there, your in a self contained sterile home. If the sites are shut then go wild. The whole point of s camper is to be as free as a bird no matter what. So long as your allowed to use the roads that is. Your adventure awaits you ?

Currently not allowed to stay away from home overnight and essential travel only to Europe so I suppose you are looking to when this has been lifted.

 

[gus-lopez]

Are we on the list of allowed countries because we are not for Greece

Yes .When the 'new normal' comes in on 22nd June the 14 day requirement to quarantine disappears also.

Currently not allowed to stay away from home overnight

You left out "in the UK"

and essential travel only to Europe so I suppose you are looking to when this has been lifted.

& it is only advisory
You can leave when you want.

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[pandas]

Yes .When the 'new normal' comes in on 22nd June the 14 day requirement to quarantine disappears also.

You left out "in the UK"
& it is only advisory
You can leave when you want.

Essential travel only I think you will find - yes sorry made an assumption we were talking about the UK a stupid mistake on my part not making clearer

 

[gus-lopez]

Essential travel only I think you will find - yes sorry made an assumption we were talking about the UK a stupid mistake on my part not making clearer

So how did the 00's if not 000's attempting to reenter the UK before midnight last night get out then? & how did they enter France whilst lockdown was on there? many stated they'd gone to visit elderly relatives.

 

[pandas]

So how did the 00's if not 000's attempting to reenter the UK before midnight last night get out then? & how did they enter France whilst lockdown was on there? many stated they'd gone to visit elderly relatives.

You sound quite desperate. Be safe and help keep us all safe.

 

[Peg Star]

For the first time ever we booked early. Usually book first campsite in France as somewhere to arrive at first night then make plans from there.... Thought I was on ball this year as a couple of campsites we've been before and loved and just wanted to make sure we got the pitch we wanted really.
Campsites have been good in letting us reschedule for next year. Didn't really want to go in all guns blazing demanding a refund of deposits as they are bound to be struggling. Won't do us much good if get deposit refunded and they're not there for future years ...
Just got to sort the tunnel out as that was booked with Tesco vouchers, website says to call within 2 weeks of departure but from other posts looks like that will be able to be deferred till next year too.
If still unable to go next year think we'll just have to write it off as a bad debt.
We had also booked to go with extended family to Gloucestershire at Easter (our treat so paid all deposits) and was due to pay balance just as lock down started. Managed to delay payment for few days as they were saying they were encouraging people to keep their bookings and their facilities were still open, local pubs doing take aways etc., but within a couple of days they emailed to say they were closing and we had until 1st April 2021 to take holiday - they close in October and open again 1st April - thought they could have extended including the same Easter period next year to be honest but see how it pans out ......
So looks like we'll be having a homely summer this year .......

 

[Mr porky]

Not much point in going away if you have to self isolate for 2 weeks when you get back home.

There just isn't enough information at the moment, travel companies, hotels, ferries and airlines just can't take the hit of refunding everyone so it is going to be one big bun fight.

We have 2 weeks booked in Skiathos in September with TUI, they are playing it by the month saying they may be flying after the next date, our friends that live on Skiathos told us from the beginning the island was in total lockdown and they now don't want a load of holiday makers arriving bringing with them Covid19.

Our problem is like 1000's of others we have to pay the balance of the holiday within the next 2 weeks or it will be deemed we cancelled so will lose the deposit, as we booked in store we can't get anywhere as they are all closed and phoning is madness with up to 4 hrs waiting time.
Now Tui are making 8000 staff redundant it might be unwise to pay the balance.
Rock and a hard place springs to mind.

If you paid the balance and they either cancelled or went bust are you not covered with your credit card or ABTA atol

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[Wildbill]

h have tried lodes of sites a lot are not taking any booking and the rest a fully booked look's like were going nowhere this year just bit of wild camping free parking where we can
bill

 

[Zains Pops]

Was this Sykescottages up in Yorkshire?

It is Sykes Holiday Cottages with headquarters in Chester. They operate under many names. They are owned by a bunch of Private Equity Cowboys who are only interested in short term profits and look to screw their customers over as much as possible. The Competition and Markets authority are on their case, today their competitors Hoseasons have agreed to comply with the law and give full refunds so as to avoid court proceeding, hopefully Sykes will be next to be persuaded to comply with the law. However if tempted to book UK holiday accommodation my advice would be always book direct with owners and avoid these agents, who charge 20% for very little.

 

[mikebeaches]

Just an update and to close this thread with the outcome, I've today received an emailed reply from the CMC.
My outbound Eurotunnel crossing was non refundable, but they've extended the travel date to mid February 2021 as this is the furthest date ahead that they can change travel dates to at the moment.
They advised me to contact them again nearer that time to amend the date to summer 2021 - when those travel dates are in the system.
They have arranged to cancel and fully refund the Zeebrugge - Hull P&O crossing as I had cancelled outside of 56 days prior to travelling.
So I'm happy with that outcome. Fair play to operators and CMC alike.

Glad you've had some success!

I've come to the thread too late, but was going to say exactly what you have now discovered with the tunnel.

They are pretty flexible about changing dates without admin fees. But obviously you have to pay the extra if the new fare is more expensive. Guess there would usually be a C&MC club admin fee for making changes, but perhaps they're waiving that in view of the circumstances.

 

[mitzimad]

we should be arriving in croatia about now luckily we hadnt booked anything

 

[jumar]

Our planned trip to the UK and Ireland is off, only booked ferry to and from Ireland, with this Flexi Fare we got a full refund.....always another year for us but never a possibility for many.
Will stay in Spain, now that's going to be interesting, who is going to be here, many Spanish have been off work for sometime, the kids are still off school and will not be returning until September.
Cash could be tight, deals may be offered, some will stay away in fear of the unknown. whatever....but still this Topic highlights that so many are still insisting on travelling into Europe this summer, lets just hope you can, for one reason only, the battle to control Covid 19 is being achieved.

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[eddie]

We should have been in Spain now, till the 10th July, on a super pitch on the beach

As it is I am overseeing the contractor sorting out the car park and gravel drives at work

 

[Scotch mist]

I was Looking forward to going to France for a month , had booked the tunnel with FT at the start of June ,
It took Eurotunnel awhile but they have now extended our wallet for another year so we are now booked on The tunnel at the start of September , hope we make it

 

[bobandjanie]

We moved our crossing to the UK from June to August, and reduced from 6 weeks to 19 days, but looking at the way some are performing, it could be cancelled. Bob.

 

[StephDeLux]

We plan to leave for our first trip with the new MH on the 27th June. No bookings. We never book. Never did it with the caravan even, not about to start! We usually decide on the destination one or two days before leaving, based on weather reports and what's on our minds at that time.

 

[MisterB]

at least two of us on here are booked for this coming Monday, the 15th June ....and I am still confident for our afternoon booking ... and i am still confident the uk quarantine will be lifted on or around the 29th June

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[AJM2]

Resurrected this to see if anyone who carried forward deposits to next year are experiencing what I've just been told...
The majority of my stays were very grateful of my early offer to just carry forward the deposits through to 2021. I have just been informed by one French site, however, that the deposit has now been taken off the total cost of the stay in 2021 and that they require a new deposit to secure it. Not only that, the deposit required is based on the gross total cost of the stay (before my earlier deposit has been removed). In effect, therefore, they will have been paid c50% of the cost of the holiday.
I personally think that's a bit cheeky!

 

[Peg Star]

Interesting.....
Mentioned to daughter today we could discuss plans at weekend for next summer as we have deposits in France carried over ....
Suppose they are trying to stay afloat, will work out the same in the long run unless we have a rerun of this year then leaves us out of pocket further - not out of business though!!!
It’s a tricky one, not sure I’d be willing to pay c€500 for a deposit not knowing if we could definitely go - would it be better to loose the €200 from this year?! Wouldn’t want some of our favourite sites not to be there once we’re happy and able to travel again but we all have limits on our losses.

Be interesting to see how it pans out and what experiences others have....
Campsites maybe feeling bit more confident now ‘the vaccine’ news has come out?? & punters?!

 

[AJM2]

Those figures and thoughts are just what I am dealing with!