ThatT1Feeling

I'm instinctively the kind of person who follows rules, even ones I don't agree with, but I think that for this summer as a family we will assess the personal risk, any additional costs and inconvenience and bite the bullet on an amber destination, making whatever allowances are required on our return.

Without clear publicly accessible structures within which these decisions are made, every destination is either a risk if currently allowed (Iceland!) or has an opportunity to open up before departure, based on theoretical models as much as raw data.

So, based on this decision likely to be announced later, we will probably start looking for a holiday - maybe a counterintuitive move, but it's how I am feeling at the moment

northeastflyer

My main concern is whether you would be asked questions about why you're travelling at the UK departure airport and would it cause problems. I asked that specific question on this forum yesterday I think. The answer was clear i. e. that you'd have no issues checking in and boarding for any travel reason. I think to a degree I'm still trying to convince myself that this will be the case.

KARFA

correct, there will be no questions or forms leaving the uk about why you are travelling, you can leave the uk to go to any country of any colour for any reason you like.

mikeyfly

Correct - travel is not illegal now to red amber or green ?

SavvyTravel

Just to highlight the polarity here ... we're double jabbed, booked to ANU in July and we are choosing not to go. Not because of the hassle (which it clearly will be) but to play a small (and probably insignificant) part to stopping cross-border sharing of the virus and variants. I love flying but now is not the time for us, at least.

mmxbreaks

You're a free person in a free country with the right to (attempt to) travel to any other country in the world (most won't let you in - but that's another matter!). Don't let the all-over-the-shop UK government's system make you doubt yourself. Just be fully up to speed on protocol and testing costs so you have a true understanding of the personal time and financial implications.

LCY8737

Non-essential travel was naughty (not sure about the legal definition) from Jan to sometime in mid/late April, then illegal until 17 May. Now it is perfectly legal to leave the country to go to the few places that let you in, you just have to deal with the amber/red consequences of coming back.

LCY8737

Well... Free again. Up until 17 May I referred to this country as "Prison Island".

Robert279

The Telegraph are reporting that Madeira and the Azores are being lumped in with the Portugal decision. Last year the government, eventually yielded and treated these autonomous regions as separate entities, removing restrictions, in view of their own biosecurity arrangements and low levels of infection. This will be disastrous for FNC where there is so much dependency on UK tourism.

I selfishly hope the Telegraph are wrong. It's a pretty poor show though that this information 'escapes' in to the media long before an official announcement. This shouldn't be happening but does, repeatedly.

James91

I was hoping Madeira may be left off because it's an island but it doesn't look optimistic.

mmxbreaks

I get the sense that the government has used 'The Portugal Experiment' as a method to show that it is still in control - well, under its terms anyway (read that as you will) - in order to put off UK residents from the very idea of travelling, well, anywhere abroad.

northeastflyer

I have all my plans in place, tests booked apart from now having to do a day 8 test and possibly test to release. I'm totally confident and aware of all of that. It's only the vague rules for outbound travel that were bothering me. The only thing that's bothering me now is whether my flight out on Sun will operate, but I suspect not much chance of cancellation due to people wanting to return. I don't however have the same confidence in my return flight a couple of weeks later not being cancelled, but I'll worry about that much later.

CatchThePigeon

It's disappointing but I don't think any of us should be surprised. Ministers have (mostly) been clear that holidaying overseas this summer isn't recommended and we know that incidence of Covid can change quickly anywhere in the world. Add the voodoo that is variants and we're up against a very changeable and high risk picture. And all this before you consider what other countries might impose on the UK as we're more often than not one of the first countries to find cases of "new" variants in country.

We all want travel to be like pre-Covid but I've accepted that it will be years before we can travel without testing or fear of a country becoming no-go for Covid-related reasons. It's a mess and will only get messier.

BAeuro

Oh for goodness sake. So now the island policy isn’t going to even be a thing. Madeira is an autonomous region with low covid rates and one of the highest testing levels in Europe. This is madness and makes me so angry. Vaccines don’t equal freedom at all.

I’m not advocating for fully open borders, I just want a realistic approach which allows travel to countries with low covid cases and high vaccination levels. So the government are saying I am safer holidaying in Bolton than Malta or Madeira. I can’t even...

scottishpoet

just a few weeks ago people were saying how unfair it would be if people who have been vaccinated can travel but those who have not cannot. two tier society and all that.

i suspect that opinion will change now that around 50% of the population has been vaccinated and its now unfair that those vaccinated do not have any privileges

poland does allow people who can demonstrate that they have been vaccinated to avoid quarantine on arrival, the eu will be moving more and more that way, i expect the uk will follow over the next few weeks