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Travelling to Another Country

Started by monkfromhavana, June 30, 2021, 08:23:24 AM

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monkfromhavana

Has anyone done this in the past couple of weeks?

Situation is that my partner (Polish) has not seen any member of her family in two years and it's affecting her mental health quite badly. I've told her to book a flight in August to go and see them for a couple of days. She will have had both her jabs since then, as will her family there (and they have all had COVID). Due to her work, if she doesn't go in August it'll probably be Xmas before she's able to go. Her employer has basically said that anyone who goes abroad (they meant as in 'holiday' but with no regard for non-UK workers based in the UK) can not work for ten days on their return. Even at home, as this would be unfair on the people who haven't been on holiday, so she's having to take this unpaid.

So, should she go? It's one thing for me to say to her to just hold on a little longer and wait and see, but I'm not in her shoes. Obviously were I in her shoes I'd be delighted at not having to see my family, but different strokes and all that.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Quoteit's affecting her mental health quite badly.

It sounds like this is the thing to focus on. If that's the case then you both need to whatever is necessary to make the journey happen. Would suggest sooner rather than later as the very high number of UK cases is making the rest of the world sit up and change their rules for travellers from the UK.

monkfromhavana

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on June 30, 2021, 09:00:08 AM
It sounds like this is the thing to focus on. If that's the case then you both need to whatever is necessary to make the journey happen. Would suggest sooner rather than later as the very high number of UK cases is making the rest of the world sit up and change their rules for travellers from the UK.

She had booked a flight with Wizz Air a month ago for August - cancelled Monday night. Couldn't find any reason on the website so messaged them on Twitter to get the response "We are unable to advise on the reasons of cancellations". Rebooked with them again for a flight the day later from/to a different airport, if that gets cancelled we'll try Ryanair.

Hopefully the situation / guidelines in both countries don't change.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Sadly I can well imagine how torturous and frustrating the process will be. Hope it works out as smooth as it can do from here given the circumstances.

buttgammon

All the best to your partner, it's a difficult situation.

I've been mulling over going from Ireland to Britain and back, which I assume is much easier, but I'm still a bit confused as to what's possible. It's not going to happen until things have calmed down in the UK and I'm fully vaccinated anyway.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

I was thinking of making ROI my first trip abroad this year on the basis it might be least faff. Bet it'll still end up being Lithuania or something.

buttgammon

Ireland still has strict rules compared to most of Europe. I know that the Common Travel Area probably has some sort of leeway but as I understand it, people travelling from Britain still have to quarantine for - I think - 10 or 14 days when they arrive here. I'm not sure how flexible they are with people who are fully vaccinated, but I'm hoping to be able to find out soon enough (looks like I'm getting my first dose this week).

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Well, I'm banking on there eventually being a system where they wave through double vaccinated people without need for tests or quarantine. Seems like UK-Ireland might be likeliest.

IsavedLatin

Quote from: buttgammon on June 30, 2021, 08:40:35 PM
Ireland still has strict rules compared to most of Europe. I know that the Common Travel Area probably has some sort of leeway but as I understand it, people travelling from Britain still have to quarantine for - I think - 10 or 14 days when they arrive here. I'm not sure how flexible they are with people who are fully vaccinated, but I'm hoping to be able to find out soon enough (looks like I'm getting my first dose this week).

I have just arrived in Ireland for the first time in 18 months -- much like the OP's girlfriend, not seeing my family was really starting to get me down, and though I didn't love the idea of quarantining, I was fearful that if I waited longer then new variants may very well snooker my hopes further down the line. Obviously OP's girlfriend's situation differs from mine but it has been comically nice to be back with my family, I'd recommend she try and make it happen ASAP.

I have had one jab, which means I am quarantining in the family home for 10 days (with government Covid tests on days 5 and 10 of that) -- the gov phrase it, for travellers coming from Britain, as quarantining for 2 weeks, but that you can stop after a negative Covid test on day 10 (so, effectively, it's a 10-day quarantine). I'm lucky in that I can work remotely in this time, so that's what I'm doing.

I believe if you've had two jabs it's just the five-day quarantine for travellers coming from Britain (but obviously check the guidance and don't go off some rando on the internet).

buttgammon

Thanks, I wasn't sure of how things were if a vaccinated person travelled.

It's frustrating. I had hoped to get home to see my family over the summer but even if I could travel to Britain okay, I'm not sure how I'd manage getting back into Ireland. A quarantine period would be far from ideal at the moment. I'm resigned to waiting until I'm fully vaxxed at least, and hopefully things will have improved by then.

monkfromhavana

Quote from: IsavedLatin on June 30, 2021, 09:22:56 PM
I have just arrived in Ireland for the first time in 18 months -- much like the OP's girlfriend, not seeing my family was really starting to get me down, and though I didn't love the idea of quarantining, I was fearful that if I waited longer then new variants may very well snooker my hopes further down the line. Obviously OP's girlfriend's situation differs from mine but it has been comically nice to be back with my family, I'd recommend she try and make it happen ASAP.

I have had one jab, which means I am quarantining in the family home for 10 days (with government Covid tests on days 5 and 10 of that) -- the gov phrase it, for travellers coming from Britain, as quarantining for 2 weeks, but that you can stop after a negative Covid test on day 10 (so, effectively, it's a 10-day quarantine). I'm lucky in that I can work remotely in this time, so that's what I'm doing.

I believe if you've had two jabs it's just the five-day quarantine for travellers coming from Britain (but obviously check the guidance and don't go off some rando on the internet).

That's great. One of our main concerns is that either something changes internally in Poland with their batshit government which would make the journey undoable, or the flight home gets cancelled whilst we're there leaving us in the shit. On top of that there's also the first travel to and from another country after Brexit which ads another dimension. Not too bothered about the Polish end, but more the UK when we get back. My girlfriend's friend went back to Poland earlier this year and when she came back, even though she's got Settled status, has lived here for 10 years, has a job and owns a house, she got a right grilling.

nugget

I managed a visit to Prague at the weekend, but that hardly counts as travelling as it's only a couple of hours on the train, and the border with Germany is completely open now.

I'm in a slightly similar situation to your girlfriend, although I did manage to visit my family in the UK last summer. I had planned to fly back to spend Christmas with family until the alpha variant happened, so I cancelled and rescheduled my flights for Easter, assuming the situation would have calmed down by then, but then Easter came around and it still seemed like a very bad idea to travel. I keep waiting, thinking things will improve soon, but now the delta variant means that anybody travelling from Britain is particularly unwelcome in Germany (I think this is reasonable, btw). At some point I'll probably just say fuck it, fly back, and endure whatever tests and quarantines are necessary on both sides, since I have no idea if there will be 'good' time to travel in the foreseeable future, and being able to see family from time-to-time is important to me.

IsavedLatin

Quote from: nugget on July 01, 2021, 08:34:35 PM
I'm in a slightly similar situation to your girlfriend, although I did manage to visit my family in the UK last summer. I had planned to fly back to spend Christmas with family until the alpha variant happened, so I cancelled and rescheduled my flights for Easter, assuming the situation would have calmed down by then, but then Easter came around and it still seemed like a very bad idea to travel. I keep waiting, thinking things will improve soon, but now the delta variant means that anybody travelling from Britain is particularly unwelcome in Germany (I think this is reasonable, btw). At some point I'll probably just say fuck it, fly back, and endure whatever tests and quarantines are necessary on both sides, since I have no idea if there will be 'good' time to travel in the foreseeable future, and being able to see family from time-to-time is important to me.

This is just the point that I reached recently. The precipitating factor was my company's mandate that we're all jolly well going to return to the office for a set number of days per week from September -- once presented with that, and triangulating quarantine periods around the proposed return to the office, I had a bit of a meltdown and thought, now or never, I just had to go for it. I didn't love the journey over, and I'm already feeling a bit queasy about the return but, well, fuck it.

steveh

As an additional complication to travelling in Europe, if you received an Indian-made rather than UK-made AstraZeneca jab then it doesn't currently qualify under the EU vaccine passport scheme, although some countries will individually allow it.

Batch numbers on your card or in the NHS app will be 4120Z001, 4120Z002, 4120Z003.

mothman

Quote from: steveh on July 02, 2021, 09:22:49 AM
As an additional complication to travelling in Europe, if you received an Indian-made rather than UK-made AstraZeneca jab then it doesn't currently qualify under the EU vaccine passport scheme, although some countries will individually allow it.

Batch numbers on your card or in the NHS app will be 4120Z001, 4120Z002, 4120Z003.

Which is me and MrsMoth. We're just fucked, really. If we cancel everything we booked now, we'll lose money and won't go anywhere. If we hang on and see what happens, we'll lose money - or might actually still get to go somewhere.

buttgammon

Not sure how far along progress is in the UK, but in Ireland, the legwork is all being done for the passport system despite massive technical problems after our healthcare system got hacked. The doctor who gave me my jab yesterday said the information is already basically there, and he thinks you'll be able to get a QR code or something two weeks after your second vaccine that will be accepted by all EU countries and presumably a lot of other countries as well.

Quote from: mothman on July 03, 2021, 09:05:55 AM
Which is me and MrsMoth. We're just fucked, really. If we cancel everything we booked now, we'll lose money and won't go anywhere. If we hang on and see what happens, we'll lose money - or might actually still get to go somewhere.

Fucks sake, first jab was 003

the science eel

Quote from: buttgammon on July 03, 2021, 09:28:49 AM
Not sure how far along progress is in the UK, but in Ireland, the legwork is all being done for the passport system despite massive technical problems after our healthcare system got hacked. The doctor who gave me my jab yesterday said the information is already basically there, and he thinks you'll be able to get a QR code or something two weeks after your second vaccine that will be accepted by all EU countries and presumably a lot of other countries as well.

It should already be available on your NHS app. I've got mine there and also printed out the QR code with details below.

Ferris

Most countries will just take your proof of vaccine without looking at batch numbers surely?

Ferris

Amber countries no longer require a quarantine period on return if travellers are fully jabbed. My parents are already booking their flights over the Atlantic.

IsavedLatin

Quote from: IsavedLatin on June 30, 2021, 09:22:56 PM
I have had one jab, which means I am quarantining in the family home for 10 days (with government Covid tests on days 5 and 10 of that) -- the gov phrase it, for travellers coming from Britain, as quarantining for 2 weeks, but that you can stop after a negative Covid test on day 10 (so, effectively, it's a 10-day quarantine). I'm lucky in that I can work remotely in this time, so that's what I'm doing.

I am climbing the fucking walls now, I must say.

checkoutgirl

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on June 30, 2021, 04:36:13 PM
I was thinking of making ROI my first trip abroad this year

No. Stay in England please.