The Mock Turtle

My sister used to work for a high-end travel agent and went all around the world testing 5* hotels and holidays. She says Antarctica is the best place she’s ever been. I’m desperate to go but Mr C doesn’t like the cold. I may just go by myself.

Not Liverpool :mog;

Do it, Chicky.

sally maclennane wrote: ↑Fri Apr 30, 2021 4:57 pm Exactly like that, Smal


We are going to Oban

I know you all wish you were me

I had the best cheesecake I ever tasted in Oban.

We are going ( ) to Dolphinton

I do like Oban, but we should have been in Lisbon so its not quite the same.

The place we’ve booked sleeps 6 so I’ve invited my parents and my mum is actually beside herself. that it happens.

I went to Mongolia. I could fill up that travel tale thread with the week's events.

I would honestly love to hear those tales, Goat

Yes, tell us!

Pippedydeadeye wrote: ↑Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:06 pm The place we’ve booked sleeps 6 so I’ve invited my parents and my mum is actually beside herself. that it happens.

I really hope this happens. We’ve just booked Jersey for half term at the start of June, and a two bedroom lodge with a hot tub . We’ll need to take a test and self isolate on arrival, but they process results quite quickly (within 12 hours), so it’s not the end of the world. It’ll be the first time I’ll get to see my family in 18 months, I’m pretty excited.

Farts! You deserve this so so much.

Yay!

That sounds perfect Farty.

Are there any reasons we shouldn't travel abroad? (Green countries, jobs.) We are debating it but it feels a bit wrong for reasons I can't articulate to myself.

I don't think there are, but to me, it feels too early with uncertainty of new variants, changing lists for quarantine, not being able to properly relax thinking about if one gets covid abroad and not being double jagged.

But, I'd love to go somewhere with a guarantee of nice weather and not at home.

I think the sheer ball ache of huge passport / test checking queues, and the complexities (and cost) of getting said tests, as well as the possibility of getting somewhere and then having to quarantine at very short notice if rules change, are all conspiring to make me stay put.

Loralei wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:31 am Are there any reasons we shouldn't travel abroad? (Green countries, jobs.) We are debating it but it feels a bit wrong for reasons I can't articulate to myself.

I’m not keen on the idea (for myself - others can do what they like if the rules allow :benevolent: )

The reason I’m not considering it is that stress of having to get the private tests done within the specific time frame makes me anxious just thinking about it. And the risk of the rules changing before or during the trip would mean I couldn’t relax properly even whilst I was away.

We’ve booked a few days in Scotland in August and I’m a bit antsy about that.

We were thinking of doing something last minute (ish, with the need to order testing kits there's no such thing) to Portugal in mid-late June but with the wobbling about Portugal staying on the green list and the threat of doing what they did last year and moving things with almost no notice from one list to the other I'm beginning to think it's a non starter. Mr R has work in early July so there's simply no question of getting stuck having to quarantine and obviously the hotel quarantine is out of the question. And like Del I think airports and queuing could become unspeakably grim (more than normal) with all the need to check paperwork.

So for me it's the logistics, uncertainty and financial risks rather than ethics or fear of covid variants etc that are making me sadly wary. I'm now pondering a road trip in the MX5 to Devon/Cornwall or possibly Norfolk but my heart yearns for some proper actual heat and holiday vibe so I haven't quite 100% given up.

Could you consider going somewhere via ferry instead Rebs? That at least removes the airport part of the equation.

Derek Nimmo wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:52 am I think the sheer ball ache of huge passport / test checking queues, and the complexities (and cost) of getting said tests, as well as the possibility of getting somewhere and then having to quarantine at very short notice if rules change, are all conspiring to make me stay put.

Same. I'd love to go but I just don't feel like I can deal with the added anxiety of last minute tests etc and potential last minute changes to the rules. Even until feb/March I harboured hope we might be able to do something, and we've got time/leave/££ to do it later in the summer but things still feel so fraught I just can't see it happening. Never say never though. If things settled and France went in the greenlist I'd probably look for a crossing and go in the holidays.
The other thing I find personally off putting is the green list itself. There's no where I particularly want to go!

smalex wrote: ↑Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:58 am The other thing I find personally off putting is the green list itself. There's no where I particularly want to go!

This is also a consideration for me. Plus, EVERYONE will be going to those places, thus making them even less attractive.