[wingcommander]

I think the forum of late accurately reflects the widely held feelings of frustration, boredom and the serious impact and implications that Coronavirus has had and continues to have on travel and individuals.

With the (generally) positive news on vaccine development, authorisation and deployment I wondered who, if anyone, has plans already in the pipeline – business or leisure?

To provide some welcome light and something to look forward to Mrs Wingco has booked flights in November (hopefully sufficiently far in advance) GLA / LHR to LAX for a week near Santa Monica then heading out to Hawaii by ship before returning.

Do you share the optimism?

What are your plans?

[Tom Otley]

I’d like to see my parents in Yorkshire, and then go for a family holiday to Portugal.
Tom

[rferguson]

I had my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday. The second dose will be in twelve weeks. The process was straight forward and well organised. First was the check in. Then the consent room. Followed by the jab itself. Then fifteen minutes in the ‘recovery room’.

In the consent room the (in my case) doctor went to great lengths to advise that even when fully vaccinated I would have to follow all existing precautions as it was still not known whether a vaccinated person could still theoretically catch and transmit the virus. He explained that the first jab would give me around 65% immunity and the second around 95%. I had zero side effects although this is likely a result of already having antibodies to COVID when I caught it in October so I imagine my immune system wasn’t so shocked.

I have noticed reading travel blogs online that some countries are beginning to open up to vaccinated travellers – both Cyprus and Vietnam have made statements saying they are planning this. Thai tour operators are also requesting a similar system.

My biggest ambition is to get to Australia to visit my parents. Even though I will be ‘fully’ vaccinated by April time i’m not optimistic i’ll be able to travel to Australia until 2022.

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Swissdiver, fatbear, DerekVH

[fatbear]

Being able to go to the pub would be a start !

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AnthonyDunn, sparkyflier, TGRW, alainboy56, traveldoc, TupeloKid, LuganoPirate, Swissdiver, BPP, PeterCoultas, Stevescoots, cwoodward, FaroFlyer, Montysaurus

[PeterCoultas]

Lovely to see that we are all “following the science” and happily believe that there will be 95% immunity after a second vaccination. A pity that this figure was calculated from data and in most cases the science would indicate “confidence limits” for the figure quoted… these seem to have been forgotten but could mean immunity is between 50 0r 60% and a little bit better that 95%…. LOL

[canucklad]

[quote quote=1090388]Being able to go to the pub would be a start ![/quote]

Hi fatbear , a massive start indeed , and apologies it was me that reported you — should have been a thanks — a Homer Simpson moment

As for after the pub, my big wish is to try out the new ice rink in DB in HK — home away home , that now feels further away than ever.
I’m also relatively younger than others on here so further down the vaccine list — still hopeful for this year though.

Apart from that, first time we see hope closer to home, I can imagine sitting in my bowling club and as said on another topic, fingers hovering over the confirm button to book a group trip to Malta or Spain or at this point even Mogadishu

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wingcommander

[MartynSinclair]

Being able to do everything mentioned in this thread, but doing so, without the worry of who we are mixing with and how close we are standing…

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TerryMcManus24, AnthonyDunn, alainboy56, BPP, wingcommander

[J_Pathmore]

What happens once the vulnerable have been vaccinated and death rates plummet, though cases still remain?

Are countries going to open their borders? Is this travel nonsense going to go on for years? I can’t see a scenario where cases are effectively wiped out given that vaccines prevent sickness, not cases. I can see a scenario – by the late spring – where most of the western world has vaccinated the lions share of the vulnerable population.

What happens next?

[canucklad]

[quote quote=1090403]What happens next?[/quote]

Sadly I’ll predict that we’re now on a journey , aboard a safety first at all costs juggernaut that means we’ve painted ourselves into that horrible corner called “getting used to the new norm” …

As we’ve got used to this nonsense (wearing masks- social distancing- society closed down – etc , etc ) it’s difficult to reduce our collective state of fear. And I’m only talking about hear in the UK, imagine being a Canadian and looking at the mess south of the border.

The harshest criticism I have of our leaders and their scientific advisors is how they’ve mismanaged messages to the point of creating at the least mistrust and at the other end absolute hysteria in our society.

So most of 2021 will be a continuation of what we’re now used —-please no though !!

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AllOverTheGaff, PaulNeumann

[esselle]

Melbourne for Christmas with our eldest daughter would be nice.

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wingcommander

[J_Pathmore]

@canucklad I agree with you though hope you’re wrong.

That said, if we look at Europe’s summer season in 2020, we all saw an incredible and somewhat “normal” time period. Much of the continent was travelling and things were pretty normal. You have to believe that summer 2021 will only be stronger and more open than 2020, because – seasonal affects of COVID aside – vaccinations will be fairly widespread.

I assume the EU will have to open their external borders in some capacity come July 1 … can you imagine the excess damage if they go another summer without foreign tourists? The US seems like they’d want to re-instate travel with the EU as soon as possible, and definitely by the summer.

My optimistic prediction: travel will open widely between EU/US/Western countries with pre-departure testing in the late spring or early summer because governments can now justify the risk of spread and death due to widespread vaccination. When coupled with likely low-ish infection rates and pre departure testing things will get going again. Travel with Asia/Australasia will be a whole other ballgame…

[DavidSmith2]

At the beginning of 2020, in addition to around 14 business trips, I had five leisure trips planned for the year from our home in Ghana:

– Easter to Albania to see my son
– May to the UK to see family and have a holiday on the Isles of Scilly
– August to Gran Canaria for holiday
– December to London to see family & shop
– December/January to Sao Tome for holiday

In the end, all I had to show was a 3-day trip to London in December.

All five leisure trips have been re-booked or rolled over (more or less ‘like for like’) for 2021. The first, to Albania, has already been cancelled and the BA credits from that used for the Gran Canaria flights. The UK visit in May is looking increasingly doubtful but I haven’t abandoned hope just yet. For the rest, who knows? And who knows when we will get vaccinated here, what will happen with the virus in west Africa, what will happen with UK quarantine rules and how another European winter will affect things as the year progresses?

One can only plan and hope, but have plans B and C ready to turn to as and when the needs arise.

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wingcommander

[ViajeroUK]

Not making any travel plans until after my second jab which is due at end of April, see how things pan out by then. My expectation is that travel restrictions will ease between UK and EU/USA by early summer.

My ‘local’ airport, BHX, has six flight departures scheduled for today, Dublin, Belfast (2 flights) Bucharest, Paris CDG and Istanbul, a shadow of a ‘normal’ day’s schedule.

[FormerBA]

There are reports on another travel site that Singapore and other countries are becoming concerned about the approach of the British Gov. Specifically they are concerned that the 12 week is more than that recommended by the manufacturer, and that consequently, they are inclined to the view that those with such a gap are not vaccinated at all and will not be granted entry or transit!

If true, this is a concerning development. No other country has taken this approach and if it is not supported by the WHO then it will become a bureaucratic minefield trying to navigate differing requirements of different nation states.

On the other hand, if it means more of us are safer, sooner, then it may be that we just have to remain on our island for a quite a bit longer.

[LuganoPirate]

I’m not anti vac, just want more time to evaluate it. However, I find it strange that the British government go against the advice of the manufacturers and give the second jab after 12 weeks. In Switzerland it’s given 3 weeks after the first jab.

[Author]

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