Travel to the EU after January 1st

tidewatcher said:
It s interesting that all the arguments about safer travel in camper vans is dependant on how many actually do it. If everyone with a camper set off to europe then it would be an obvious threat to the measures taken to control the virus. If very few do it then it is a smaller threat. The point is we would all like to travel and those actually setting off can only do so because the majority of us are acting responsibly. the difference in spelling between selfish and selfless is small but the difference in meaning is great.
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If I were in England now and wanting to come here, that would be irresponsible (as well as illegal). But those of us who came out when it was allowed will have to come back at some time. I don't think anybody is advocating travelling randomly wherever we want but there is a simple practicality that has to be faced and the safest way for us to get back is in our motorhomes.
 
John H said:
If I were in England now and wanting to come here, that would be irresponsible (as well as illegal). But those of us who came out when it was allowed will have to come back at some time. I don't think anybody is advocating travelling randomly wherever we want but there is a simple practicality that has to be faced and the safest way for us to get back is in our motorhomes.
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Agreed, also many full timers are in a similar position regarding stay or move. My point is there are many who seem to be looking at heading off to fields afar by pushing the rules one way or another. As I mentioned in an earlier post when travel was allowed To France I headed over there for a couple of weeks. It just wasn’t the same and in my mind the balance of risk was not worth the reduced pleasure of a country under restrictions. In your case heading home in the van is the obvious answer where you can at have some control over your risks. To be honest the whole change In our lifestyle and expectation is A pain in the ......
 
John H said:
Some travel is inevitable - or else you wouldn't eat. But the point that we are questioning is your claim it is safer to travel by air than in your own vehicle. That clearly makes no sense to most of us.
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No i'm not saying safer for you i'm saying it is safer for other people in the countries you travel through which is why i'm saying worst case you may get no option other than direct flight home - you only have to look at how bad it is going - but as i've said i look at worst case scenario if i was where you was (y)
 
John H said:
It seems that the UK government is about to announce that the hotels will only be for those travelling from "high risk" countries such as South Africa. That also makes no sense to me. Whatever your views on what should or should not be done, surely any system is only as strong as the weakest link and such a system has so many weak links it is difficult to know where to start. In the interests of balance, the Spanish system makes no sense either - entrants by sea or air are subject to severe restrictions but you can come in by road without anybody taking any interest in you at all!
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All that will do is just allow people to buck the system. If you are not allowed to enter the uk from South Africa anyone determined enough from there will just find another stepping stone route. It might slow things down a little but but the South African variant is already here. Once the genie is out of the bottle you cant put it back in.
 
mfw said:
No i'm not saying safer for you i'm saying it is safer for other people in the countries you travel through which is why i'm saying worst case you may get no option other than direct flight home - you only have to look at how bad it is going - but as i've said i look at worst case scenario if i was where you was (y)
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I cant see how that can be safer. Lets say John has covid but doesnt know it (Sorry John). He sets off home in his van, takes him three or four days to get up to Calais, stops on quiet aires fills up with diesel a few times (pays at pump as you do), gets on a ferry and hopefully its quiet and he socially distances. How many people is he likely to infect compared to queuing in close contact at an airport and then being sat on a plane in close contact for three hours?

The two to me are massively different in risk to others. Much safer to others him being in his own van surely
 
mfw said:
No i'm not saying safer for you i'm saying it is safer for other people in the countries you travel through which is why i'm saying worst case you may get no option other than direct flight home - you only have to look at how bad it is going - but as i've said i look at worst case scenario if i was where you was (y)
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Contact works both ways. If it is safer for us then it is safer for others too.

Sorry, Barry - I didn't see your excellent reply until I'd posted this :)
 
barryd said:
Of course. You wouldnt get me on a plane right now if you paid me. It would be crackers to force motorhomers onto planes. Just send them home if need be like before.
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I totally agree. I am quite happy to isolate in whatever way the government decrees at the time - hotel quarantine included - but the one thing I would object to would be if the government ordered me to fly back instead of getting the ferry. To issue such an order would be sheer madness.
 
John H said:
I totally agree. I am quite happy to isolate in whatever way the government decrees at the time - hotel quarantine included - but the one thing I would object to would be if the government ordered me to fly back instead of getting the ferry. To issue such an order would be sheer madness.
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I wasnt joking when I suggested they use some of the Farage Garages (Kent lorry parks) for you motorhomers to isolate in. If it comes to that of course. If they do decide to quarantine those of you returning from Spain (and its a big if) they probably need to plan something as there may well be a fair few motorhomes returning roughly around the same time unless they just forget about the Schengen rules. Where are they going to put all those vans?

I suspect the most they will do is tell you to go home and isolate there.
 
barryd said:
I wasnt joking when I suggested they use some of the Farage Garages (Kent lorry parks) for you motorhomers to isolate in. If it comes to that of course. If they do decide to quarantine those of you returning from Spain (and its a big if) they probably need to plan something as there may well be a fair few motorhomes returning roughly around the same time unless they just forget about the Schengen rules. Where are they going to put all those vans?

I suspect the most they will do is tell you to go home and isolate there.
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I seem to remember that, during the first wave, a limited number of caravan sites were allowed to stay open for full-timers. It seems to me that if they want us to quarantine under their control then the obvious solution would be to do something similar, with a dedicated campsite near each of the ferry ports. We will be coming into Portsmouth, so I don't fancy travelling to Kent! :)
 
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If france does not let you cross the border then what are you going to do unlikely but it could happen
 
Portugal is very likely to be included in countries on the list of those requiring to hotel quarantine because of its links to South America.
 
This wrestling about having to fly back to the uk then stay in a hotel or drive back in your van is not so simple as first appears. After all if you are driving back what about getting rid of your grey water? That combined with the inevitable fridge problem and problem finding lpg sites let alone the old bio tabs or loo blue makes the whole trip a potential minefield.
 
tidewatcher said:
This wrestling about having to fly back to the uk then stay in a hotel or drive back in your van is not so simple as first appears. After all if you are driving back what about getting rid of your grey water? That combined with the inevitable fridge problem and problem finding lpg sites let alone the old bio tabs or loo blue makes the whole trip a potential minefield.
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At the moment, campsites in Spain are open. When we travelled north last March, campsites were closed but aires were open (some of them with electricity). LPG was not a problem because garages were open, so we filled up here in Almeria and had more than enough to last us back to the UK, even though we drove through France to the Channel. This time we will be sailing from Bilbao, so it should be even easier - especially since we carry several months worth of loo-chem! :)
 
John H said:
I seem to remember that, during the first wave, a limited number of caravan sites were allowed to stay open for full-timers. It seems to me that if they want us to quarantine under theri control then the obvious solution would be to do something similar, with a dedicated campsite near each of the ferry ports. We will be coming into Portsmouth, so I don't fancy travelling to Kent! :)
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Ah ri
John H said:
At the moment, campsites in Spain are open. When we travelled north last March, campsites were closed but aires were open (some of them with electricity). LPG was not a problem because garages were open, so we filled up here in Almeria and had more than enough to last us back to the UK, even though we drove through France to the Channel. This time we will be sailing from Bilbao, so it should be even easier - especially since we carry several months worth of loo-chem! :)
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LOL! I assumed Tidewatchers post was a joke. Least I hope it was. 😬
 
As was pointed out to me. When I said I was going to take Moho out for a run. Brakes batts etc. What if while you are out some idiot smashes into your Moho. And possibly police. Ambulance. Fire service are involved. Also breakdown. Recovery. How many people now involved. 15. 20. Suppose one has no symptoms but is a carrier. Now possibly 20 people with COVID plus all they are then in contact with. All because I wanted to give Moho a run. I know this is extreme. But I have found that the extremes seem to happen to often Anyhow made me change my mind about using Moho. Even just going to shops it could happen. Ok I won’t go to shops Hold on I want to eat ,,,, .......... brian’
 
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