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Thoughts on European travel in a post-COVID world anyone?


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I know it's a long way off and I know Europe generally hasn't yet made the vaccine progress the UK has but what are people's thoughts on travelling into Europe next year? I'm interested for the sake of the 10CR but also for other trips planned. My folks have a place in France that they were virtually living in but retreated back to the UK when restrictions came and have not been able to get back out there. I also had a route to follow some of the World Cup Rally route that I was planning with a few mates but that was canned for this year.

I'm in no hurry to go abroad until virus is under control, not particularly from a safety perspective just that the local authorities and services have enough to cope with without me galivanting all over their countryside for pure pleasure. Don't get me wrong, as soon as it's safe, legal and I can enjoy it, I'll be back up the mountains, mispronouncing foreign names, speaking pigeon German to try and buy a battery for a Triumph from a farm machinery repair shop or trying to repair an overdrive solenoid at 2am in a car park whilst some trucker negotiates with a lady for a service nearby - happy days!

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We are playing a "wait-n-see" strategy at the moment, but miss taking the overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge. If things return to "normal" by late summer 2022 I think we'll be taking the Spitfire for a run down to Northern Italy and back. We might go sooner, but I doubt it. Hoping to get a trip to Vienna in again some time, but that'll be a flight, haven't got the time to drive that route!

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Travelling around Europe is getting easier, slowly. To start with you have to be allowed in, let alone go between different countries and then watch out for local movement restrictions in each country and even between areas in the same country.

I think you would be allowed into France with less restrictions from the 9th June, for instance. The timetable for the lifting of restrictions here is in 3 more stages. The important ones for you would be bars & restaurants 😁 and curfew times.

By the 9th June, here in France, the curfew should be at 23h00, restaurants & bars max 6 per table inside & outside open. Hotels are open, and have been, and will be able to open their restaurants to hotel clients from the 19th May.

 

To be honest I would suggest that any plans you make for this year can easily be cancelled in case . . 

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You will need a passport (if you come from outside the EU) and costs for things like mobile phone and mobile data might change... as far as the COVID rules as said it is all changing and evolving but I reckon by next year (2022) things will more or less be back to normal...

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1 hour ago, DVD3500 said:

 costs for things like mobile phone and mobile data might change..

Yes now the UK is out of the EU phone companies no longer have to maintain the same charges as you move about the EU, so yes they are almost certain to increase.

2022 will be fine and back to normal. Unless . . . 

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We are planning to go to Ligurien in Italy from 4 June. Of course getting there is much easier and shorter from Germany than it is from the UK. I understand that a proof on innoculation ( both jabs) will be required to both trravel through Switzerland and then into Italy itself- Looking foreward to the trip which will be the first long one since my Herald has had its new Crank installed. Have been making some local round trips and short Autobahn high speed trials to test its reliability.

Ich freue mich, sono contenta

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Personally, I can't see my age group getting both jabs before winter. I've not had one yet despite being stuck in a crowded classroom with students aged 16-18 - the main spreaders.

 

I was meant to be doing a trek in the Sahara at Easter and climbing Mount Toubkal in July and they all obviously got cancelled. Finding out that it wasn't going to happen destroyed me mentally as I'd booked them a year ago after covid forced other events to be binned. I'm on the cusp of booking a Mont Blanc climb for next year but don't have much confidence in it being able to go ahead. Not at least until we see how autumn and winter goes this time.

 

Europe might be OK to visit soon, but many other places won't be. A few of us befriended some of the porters when we did Kilimanjaro and hearing their stories of government encouraged herbs to protect them from covid has been heartbreaking. We were hearing this first hand as international news was reporting mass graves being filled at night to hide it from the locals. I would assume there's a lot of similar going on in the developing world.

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12 hours ago, ferny said:

I was meant to be doing a trek in the Sahara at Easter and climbing Mount Toubkal in July and they all obviously got cancelled. Finding out that it wasn't going to happen destroyed me mentally as I'd booked them a year ago after covid forced other events to be binned. I'm on the cusp of booking a Mont Blanc climb for next year but don't have much confidence in it being able to go ahead. Not at least until we see how autumn and winter goes this time.

Wow, that's just sh1t @ferny, having adventures like that cancelled. 😞

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On 04/05/2021 at 12:36, Rosbif said:

Yes now the UK is out of the EU phone companies no longer have to maintain the same charges as you move about the EU, so yes they are almost certain to increase.

2022 will be fine and back to normal. Unless . . . 

They have that there is no intention to change the roaming, but then no-one is using it at the moment so it isn't costing them anything.

Worst is that it will go back to pre roaming setup. Which isn't the end of the world.

Edited by thescrapman
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On 04/05/2021 at 11:07, yorkshire_spam said:

but miss taking the overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge. If things return to "normal" by late summer 2022 I think we'll be taking the Spitfire for a run down to Northern Italy and back.

Worth checking, but I believe the Zeebrugge Hull ferry has been shelved. We had booked and got our money back. You still can take the hoek of holland option, but that means longer EU driving....

 

and yes we also are playing the waiting game, but then to see if we can come over to UK....

For now only local drives I think.

D

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18 minutes ago, Saltddirk said:

Worth checking, but I believe the Zeebrugge Hull ferry has been shelved. We had booked and got our money back. You still can take the hoek of holland option, but that means longer EU driving....

I heard that too @Saltddirk, I hope that by the time we can travel freely again it will be running again, but if not I don't mind travelling to hoek of holland. 

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Not quite the same ... but if European travel is still looking difficult in the run up to planning the next 10CR - perhaps a year doing 5CR - Eire, NI, Scotand, England & Wales might be worth considering - taking in some of the best roads used on RAC & Circuit of Ireland?

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Come on, the world has to start to operate again...although our ex European cousins have been slower on the uptake of vaccination, I cannot believe that most of Europe will not be operational by September 2022. 

The 10CR visits western European Countries, surely they will be fine for visits in 16 months time.

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44 minutes ago, Tim Bancroft said:

The 10CR visits western European Countries, surely they will be fine for visits in 16 months time.

If things aren't back to normal by then you won't be able to see the countryside due to the huge piles of dead bodies, not because of Covid but because of the suicides!

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On 07/05/2021 at 19:51, Saltddirk said:

Worth checking, but I believe the Zeebrugge Hull ferry has been shelved. We had booked and got our money back. You still can take the hoek of holland option, but that means longer EU driving....

 

and yes we also are playing the waiting game, but then to see if we can come over to UK....

For now only local drives I think.

D

The Hoek ferry has its advantages, especially when you live 10 mins from Harwich, but boy do they know how to charge for using it, so we some times drive down to the tunnel, and back up and stay in a hotel as it is much cheaper.

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I Know A,

we also prefer to come over with the tunnel. Although the Zeebrugge Hull has its advantages, you leave EU early evening, a relaxing meal and a good sleep and by 0800 you're in UK ready for the days drive. We do use it when going to the lakes, it is then only a day drive before you can enjoy the scenery, not that other parts are ugly, or not worth visiting, but you do have to make choices sometimes. 

Looking at the meal and Hotel plus transport it almost become "cheap" especially if you hunt for deals. ours came at 180 euro without the food, so almost in the same league as hotel + tunnel.

D

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22 hours ago, thescrapman said:

The Hoek ferry has its advantages, especially when you live 10 mins from Harwich, but boy do they know how to charge for using it, so we some times drive down to the tunnel, and back up and stay in a hotel as it is much cheaper.

It is costly (day crossing is cheaper) but you do get a good night's sleep in a decent cabin and wake up in lovely Netherlands...and, of course, if you live a few mins away from the ferry, even better. I have an open ticket on this route as the GT6 weekend in the Netherlands was cancelled in 2020, hopefully it will run this autumn so I can use it.

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On 07/05/2021 at 21:30, Greta said:

Not quite the same ... but if European travel is still looking difficult in the run up to planning the next 10CR - perhaps a year doing 5CR - Eire, NI, Scotand, England & Wales might be worth considering - taking in some of the best roads used on RAC & Circuit of Ireland?

Damn shame that crossing the Irish Sea is more expensive than zipping up the Channel!

Edited by mikeyb
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