Designer Travel managing director Amanda Matthews says the government’s latest travel corridors change has left her and others now facing quarantine ‘in disbelief’
After the last six months of relentless work looking after our clients, offering constant advice, rebooking and chasing refunds, and trying our best to keep our amazing homeworkers positive, motivated and supported I felt I needed a week to recharge my batteries.
Having not given my family any of my time over recent months and worried about waiting until October half term, I decided that we needed a break. This wasn’t a decision I’d taken lightly as I had to accept my 14-year-old would miss another week of school but thinking of the bigger picture made the decision.
More: Tui and Thomas Cook lead Turkey holiday cancellations
Turkey removed from UK travel corridors list
The big question then was where to go, as I couldn’t afford to have to quarantine with hubby and my 18-year-old needing to get back for work and my youngest back to school.
Based on all the evidence and stats I honestly believed Turkey was a safe bet. I explained to school – who were very understanding – and booked.
Our journey was stress-free, our resort from arrival has taken Covid very seriously. To be fair I’ve never felt unsafe in the UK, but here it’s really been stress free. We’ve enjoyed a very normal holiday experience, being used to masks and other measures, we’ve kept our distance from others and all holidaymakers have done the same.
On Thursday night while enjoying a lovely family meal my phone started beeping and I was in total shock. Within seconds I attempted to get flights home on Friday instead of our Sunday departure but every option was full (given Turkey has been so popular). Delivering the news back to my family was hard, I’d convinced them that Turkey was in the safe zone, stable and highly unlikely to change whilst we were away.
You could feel the news spreading around the restaurant and resort, people sat in disbelief, then started to voice their anger and frustration. What makes no sense is that I’m travelling home from a country that has much lower Covid numbers than the UK (I’m guessing even with the new way of reporting), but we are higher risk?
Turkey quarantine ‘ludicrous’
These rules are ludicrous but then again most of the ones at home make no sense either. Many contradict themselves and this makes it very hard for people to fully comply.
We will have to self-isolate for 14 days, yet we are told it takes five days for symptoms to appear. Why can’t we have a test after five days and then resume life under UK rules?
I have two days’ holiday left, and it will be impossible to relax when I know we have hundreds of bookings to Turkey to rebook or cancel which will again cost us and our wonderful homeworkers time and money.
It feels like no one in government cares about our industry, no one cares that lives in the aftermath of a tweet are turned upside down. Something has to be done to save our industry and our sanity but how far and how bad it will get before anyone listens is the most worrying question.
Even my son, Nick, said: “Why would one day make a difference? Surely Mum, they should let the people that are here stay but any new people come knowing they have to quarantine on their return?” That is a 14-year-old applying logic which is seriously lacking elsewhere.
More: Tui and Thomas Cook lead Turkey holiday cancellations
Turkey removed from UK travel corridors list
