It’s August 2020, the whole world is in the middle of a pandemic and travel is off the cards (or is it?). Thankfully for us Brits, the government put in place what’s called travel corridors which allows people to travel from the UK to certain countries without needing to quarantine for two weeks on your return.
Now as a teacher, travel during the summer holidays in particular can be VERY pricey. However, thanks to the pandemic (one positive) flights and holidays this year have been super cheap due to people not booking to go away due to the uncertainty of everything right now.
Booking the holiday
At the minute, any booking of a holiday comes with risks. One of the biggest ones being should a country have a rise of Coronavirus cases, it may be added to the quarantine list. After looking at the numbers of coronavirus cases in different countries we settled on Greece as it had relatively low numbers and there was a travel corridor meaning no quarantine upon our return. We left it until just a week before we wanted to travel to book to try minimise the risk of another cancelled holiday (we had already booked to go to Spain which we had to cancel due to quarantine) should the numbers of infection rise.
I actually went against all my usual travel advice of booking things separately and staying away from package deals. In the current climate, I think package holidays are a safer option, especially if you book with a reputable company that are ATOL/ ABTA protected. We decided to book with Jet2 as they had very good reviews for dealing with travel during the pandemic and they had cancelled and refunded customers when other country had been added to the quarantine list.
The holiday cost £392 per person for one week. This included flights Birmingham-Rhodes, transfers and self-catering accommodation. Although this wasn’t as cheap as if I would have booked everything separately, it only worked out around £50 more expensive each. In the current climate I didn’t see this as too bad, especially in the summer holidays!
Please be aware that certain Greek islands have now been added to the quarantine list. Go check out https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors for destinations that do not require a two week quarantine on your return to the UK. Please be aware that some of these countries require quarantine on arrival so be sure to check specific country requirements before booking.
Things to note before travel
Two days before our scheduled departure we were informed via email from Jet2 that we needed to complete a Passenger Locator Form each (as me and my partner live in separate households). It was a quick form to complete including your personal details, your flight details and your accommodation details at your destination. We were then emailed a QR code before midnight the day before travelling which we were told we needed to print out and show on arrival or alternatively it could be shown on our phones.
At the airport
We arrived at the airport where it was mandatory to wear a mask. Our temperature was taken by some kind of remote sensor as we walked through the airport doors and we were asked to take down our masks at the check-in desk so they could check our passports.
I was so shocked with how quiet the airport was to say it was the middle of the school holidays although it was hardly suprising considering most people are hesitant to travel at the minute.
We got through security in about 5 minutes meaning we had time to grab a quick pint in Wetherspoons. We sat down, removed our masks, ordered on the app and our drinks were brought to us in a matter of minutes. Upon boarding, we were asked to remove our masks again when checking our passports and onto the plane we went.
On the plane
The flight was full. Flights are operating at full capacity so please do not book a flight and expect to be able to social distance as it physically cannot happen. We were told that mask wearing was mandatory throughout the flight and that we were not allowed to wander around the cabin. Queueing for the toilet was off limits meaning you had to wait for someone to leave the toilet before you made your way up the aisle which led to a secret battle of being the first out of your seat when that toilet door opened.
You were of course allowed to remove your mask when eating and drinking although some people took complete advantage of this leaving their mask off for the majority of the flight and snacking throughout. Some people even just took them off even to speak to their travelling companions. Jet2 announced a few times that mask wearing was mandatory although they did not challenge individuals. Upon landing everyone stood in the aisle like normal waiting to disembark the aircraft. Again, it was impossible to social distance.
The food and duty free trolley operated as normal.
Arrival in Greece
On our arrival, we went through passport control as normal and we showed our Passenger Locator Forms to two officers. These were not scanned but merely looked at and we were waved through to baggage reclaim. There was a desk set up where random people were being selected for Coronavirus testing. I’m presuming if you are picked for testing then they use your QR code to contact you with your results. We picked up our bags and headed out to our transfer. Our Jet2 rep welcomed us and told us that face masks were to be worn for the duration of the bus journey to our accommodation.
In Greece
On arrival I was blown away by how stunning the authentic, cute little streets of Lindos were. We checked in as normal and headed out to explore for an hour before the 12pm curfew.
During our time in Greece, there was a 12pm curfew imposed meaning that all hospitality places needed to be closed by midnight or they faced a fine of €10,000. We found that most places started taking last orders around 11.30pm and started kicking you out around 11.50pm. We saw police walking down the main street one night at around 12.20am to check all venues were closed, which they were.
Mask wearing was not mandatory outdoors, in bars or restaurants, although you needed to wear them in shops. We also went on a boat trip and were told we needed to wear our masks until we got out of view of the beach but we were then told we could remove them.
In restaurants and bars it was obligatory that staff wore masks/visors or they faced a fine. However, a lot of staff had them around their chin or hanging from their ear when talking to customers/other staff. This can’t be said for everyone as a lot of venues did constantly have their masks on. However, in over 30 degree heat you could see why some people felt the need to take them off for a little while to get some fresh air. A lot of staff had the mini visors that rest of their chin and shields the mouth. This seemed to be more comfortable in the warmer weather.
It was my first time in Rhodes so I cannot comment on how busy it was in comparison to normal. However, we were informed by multiple bar staff (and even a guy who worked at the petrol station) that Rhodes was very very quiet this year compared to normal and certain places including bars, hotels and waterparks have not opened.
We did have to occasionally brush past people in the narrow streets and some days it was difficult to find somewhere to lay down a towel away from others at St. Pauls Bay due to it being very small although if you are worried about social distancing there were always plenty of space and sunbeds available at the main beach where problems social distancing were not an issue. I also found restaurants and bars adhered to social distancing very well and all were table service only.
On one occasion, we were sat in a restaurant when everyone’s phones started buzzing at the same time. I checked my phone and there was an emergency alert written in Greek. At that point. I was immediately convinced the world was ending with how dramatic it all was. I thought it was warning us of a terrorist attack or some kind of natural disaster with the way it was written in big bold letters and exclamation marks. Due to the whole of Greece receiving the same message, the website crashed meaning I couldn’t view what the alert was saying in English. When I eventually got onto the site after a good five minutes of panicking, it was a warning saying there was a virus and we needed to social distance and wash our hands… well I never.
Did I enjoy my holiday to the full?
I would say that overall I had a lovely time and Coronavirus did not impact on my holiday a great deal. It felt more normal than it does in the UK and I kind of forgot at times there was even a pandemic crippling the world.
The only thing I would say that was a little annoying was that the bars had to close at 12pm. However, we got around this by just going out earlier to dinner meaning we had longer to enjoy our evening. If we wanted another drink then we bought some drinks from the shop on the way back to our room and drank them in the shared courtyard of the accommodation. However, if you are planning to go on a party holiday to somewhere that has this restriction imposed then it could impact your holiday a lot. As we were just looking for a relaxing holiday with a few adventures it did not spoil our holiday and I would travel again to somewhere that has similar restrictions in place.
https://youtu.be/WvDHy6GZVWk