[TupeloKid]

[postquote quote=1006778][/postquote]

I can’t say I miss the travel at all, especially now that Marks and Spencer in Hong Kong sells Marmite.

[K1ngston]

[postquote quote=1008542][/postquote]

Save me some TupeloKid please… like rocking horse do do here 🙂

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TupeloKid

[cwoodward]

I’m a convert to Vegemite- much healthier and better tasting and readily available across Asia.

M and S Food is expanding across Asia and a decent selection of food now in Philippines (7 in Manila) and Bangkok.
In HK the fruit and veg and meat is now often better and in many cases cheaper than the local supermarkets.

[K1ngston]

[postquote quote=1008712][/postquote]

NOOOOOOOOO I cannot get into Vegemite, in fact im shuddering thinking of it …… 🙂

[WinnipegMax]

Absolutely!

And after 193 days in the Canadian Prairies, basically life-in-cotton-wool, I bit the dust and flew to Lisbon/Toulouse last night. Wonderful to be back in the air, although Montreal airport was a touch dystopian. And, for those interested, TAP A321 NEO was a good way to fly. It was my first long-haul on the aircraft, and I was pleasantly surprised. There were only 5 in J, but the cabin was airy and bright, the catering pretty good given the circumstances, and the flight crew terrific.

I will be there for a month and will take the 14-day quarantine when I return … it will be worth it

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K1ngston

[Swissdiver]

Today I took the train to go on the other side of my little country and I had the feeling I was travelling! See the level of despair! And I am afraid this will last as no politician will have what is required to relax the rules when that C thing will only be a mere flu (we are not yet even there!).

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Polly

[SimonS1]

[postquote quote=1010938][/postquote]

Exactly. It’s so depressing.

Even the Daily Mail has dropped its “something must be done” routine but some readers are stuck in the routine….shut everything down, play it safe, blow up the economy….

[MartynSinclair]

An easy to use chart detailing who is open and entry requirements. Please note the validity warning – (correct within the last 7 days).

https://www.aircharterservice.com/travel-restriction-updates?mopt_in_status=true&mmarketing_language=EN&muid=6111284721

(I do not work for ACS, but have used their services)..

[TiredOldHack2]

[quote quote=1006778]At the moment, I have no trips planned and it’s starting to look like there won’t be any trips until the middle of 2021![/quote]

Managed a week in Rhodes in early September. BA Holidays. Supposed to be going to SA in March (doubt that will happen) for work and May (might happen) for work and the Galapagos in May for a holiday (looking better).

Haven’t booked any ski trips at all.

[K1ngston]

As mentioned in another thread my husband and I are on a flight from BKK to SIN on 15th Nov. SQ are calling these flights repatriation flights but having been very vague and saying they wouldnt take our animals to now being super accommodating, I will be flying for the first time since March 5th ….

Many thanks to @martyn who went away and beyond to try and find us private flights when SQ refused to take animals but they have had a change of heart and with my status we will probably get away with just overweight luggage …. Roll on the 15th

[canucklad]

it’s incredibly frustrating , and worse depressing.
Yesterdays Nicola Sturgeon’s spin was beyond believe. Never mind travelling beyond our shores, I can’t even travel to my local very safe pub
We’re not locking you down , its just that we’ve shut everything else down ( shopping apart) , and in any case we don’t want you to travel anywhere anyway!!.

Pubs have been open for 3 months and the R rate stayed reasonably stable and flat. The rug rats go back to school and the rate spirals, yet no mention of the kids.
Everybody else’s fault bar the bleeding obvious. Always said if governments were transparent and truthful I would unhappily accept restrictions

It’s clear they’re now stretching their reasoning and science based decisions to the limit. Circuit breaking isn’t going to solve a damn thing, just continuing the cancerous suffering on our economy . 4 months ago , we didn’t need to wear masks, and we could gather socially distanced apart., and the spread was under control. This week , masks are mandatory, limited to 2 households , now no households and we’re back where we started — What are you expected to think ?

Sorry for the rant, but frustration has now turned to anger and benefit of the doubt is now long gone !

Under the current myopic thinking, i can’t see me having a beer at EDI before boarding a flight this side of next summer —shambles

[DavidSmith2]

We were due to come to London (from Accra) in mid-December for a week of pre-Christmas gatherings, to see a show or two, and pick up stuff to bring back to Ghana for Christmas.

I have now re-booked, so that I will come alone, a week earlier, and only stay for 3 days, in the hope that I can at least see my son and a friend of two. But at the moment it looks like I will spend all 3 days isolated in my hotel. I will still come as I plan to take receipt of large Amazon and Tesco deliveries, but it will be a fairly joyless visit, unless some system of testing is instituted and the quarantine regulations are relaxed.

[FaroFlyer]

After a mid February trip to AMS for a trade show then nothing.

At end August, when the corridor between UK & Portugal briefly opened, we managed a 4 day trip to the UK using BA’s new LHR service. Bought the middle seat to ensure a little distancing, although I do not mind getting close to Mrs FF on occasions 🙂 I made a mistake in booking an Avis car at T5 as I thought that would be simple. Turned out that I had not “read the label” and it was an empty bus ride to the depot near to T2. Travelled in Y and the boarding procedures at both ends were managed by rows, as was disembarkation at both ends. BA handed out crisps and water, but nothing else, and nothing for sale. Mask wearing was enforced. Returning to FAO was same service, or lack of, and disembarking was controlled. Load on both sectors was probably > 50%.

Last weekend took advantage of a Ryanair 2-for-1 deal to fly to EMA for 1 night with the guarantee that the seat next to me would be empty. Cost €82 round trip for 2 pre-assigned seats near the front! As the load factor was only 36 PAX boarding was just called. The gate agent actually came to me and said that they were only waiting for Mrs FF, and I explained that she would not be joining me. The flight was obviously quiet, but the crew made 3 drinks and food runs, so I enjoyed a beer. At EMA we were bussed to the terminal, but it did not seem too “close”. Returning to FAO was same service and disembarking was not controlled but, with front and rear doors both used, letting 30+ passengers leave was not an issue.

We have a trip to the UK planned for December but, if there is another really good deal, and no quarantine needed, we will go back in November. After that I have trade shows pencilled in for January (UK), February (Barcelona) and April (Frankfurt) Flexible hotels booked, but no flights. Looked at booking a HKG run for February taking advantage of BA Avios promo, but decided not to.

What is interesting to me, is that I seem to have lost the desire to travel. I am self employed, and my business is mostly connecting China component manufacturers with European manufacturers, but for now business in Europe, in my sector, is largely on hold as it is entertainment related. A good trade show in April may renew my enthusiasm.

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WinnipegMax

[TimothyTanks]

This news report from Singapore’s Channelnewsasia may shed some light on what happened to Thailand’s plan to open up to a limited number of tourists this month.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-foreign-tourists-delay-phuket-china-guangzhou-13230416

Apologies, posted this reply in the wrong thread.

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GivingupBA

[alainboy56]

To those who have such boring lives and follow my meanderings, I have taken my first opportunity as a ‘special case’ (or ‘Head Case’ to use the English vernacular), and ”escaped” the Holy Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in particular the wonderful exciting capital city of Riyadh. As a GCC resident I qualified for a seat on the recently re-started FLYNAS flights (a new A320neo if anyone is interested) from RUH to DXB. It entailed precise planning as one must (as others have described here previously), applying to Dubai Gov’t for permission to return (received in 26 mins), and applying on-line with the same for a Covid-19 test at an Dubai Gov’t authorised/attested clinic in Riyadh and receiving the test result in original for the flight (no mob or pdf acceptable).
Anyway managed all this complicated process and escaped on the morning of 29/09 to arrive in an absolutely deserted DXB Airport T3!!
For those who have returned or passed through there – is it no wonder Dubai is in severe problems? There were 39 pax on my flight, on arrival at Immigration there were no other persons whatsoever, and after passing Immigration procedures, the baggage hall, and anybody please correct me if I am wrong, but there could be 10 carousals left and right, so maybe 20 No in that huge hall, were completely and utterly empty.
I booked my ticket for next morning to Stockholm with EK, went to The Conrad Hotel in SZR and out in JBR of the evening with friends, but Dubai was empty!
Could not go home to Al Ain, as that would entail 14 days quarantine, and wearing a bracelet like a criminal.
The usual DFXB/EK mess up/bullshit the next morning. EK 157 was sparked so far away from any terminal (as all other gates are blocked with ‘parked’ aircraft trying to give an impression that they are flying normally), and was on a stand up by the Fuel Farm, not a big deal normally, but despite the whole exercise of social distancing, we were all put on a bus for the 15 minute journey to the aircraft stand, including using all seats and standing in the aisles!!!

Anyway to summarize the past 14 days, I have passed through Arlanda Stockholm, an empty airport, arrived in Helsinki, again empty and border closed except for special cases.
I have flown to UK with Finnair (they run 2 x A319s daily) for a long weekend to see the offspring, into and out of T2, again completely empty.

Only one Security channel open, and despite there being only 8 pax going through, those wonderful security staff still managed to delay us all and make a queue! When I made a comment about how with so little to do, they still manage to screw it up, one girl told me ‘oh stop whinging’!!!
So as ever, the nicest, friendly and efficient security staff in the world, who paint a fantastic picture for the UK and its efficiency.
I could not be bothered to complain about the miserable bitch, as they are all useless, and obviously so are their managers (a word I use very very loosely)!

So on this very relevant topic, I am travelling again, but what a very sad experience it all is now, in this, the 9th month, of this world changing disaster.

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GivingupBA

[Author]

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