Fly me to the Moon - your 3rd travel Megathread - read OP

Shiok · 01-04-2022 3:23pm

I could be very unlucky but we haven’t caught it yet so have to hope for the best!

The flight is less than 2 hrs. My door to door travel time is less than 5 hrs.

From my perspective, I don’t feel any pressure that it would end up being a wasted trip. The country is so easy and cheap for me to get to from here that I have been lucky to travel there several times a year for the past 10yrs that I have lived in Asia. Would have been normal to hop on a flight Friday afternoon pre-kids for a long weekend, did our fair share of island hopping, my hen weekend was in Bangkok etc etc

I will pass through Patong Beach on way to hotel, reminisce with hubby that that used to be us, content now to be having a very low key break were the highlight will be seeing an Easter egg hunt & a lot of the spa.

The alternative is we stay at home (haven’t we all done too much of that) as don’t want to travel too far & all our other short-haul neighbours have similar if not stricter restrictions, so have to take a little bit of risk..

Fingers crossed I haven’t completely jinxed myself with my overzealous previous post, just spotted I said phased instead of fazed!

Sheep Shagger · 02-04-2022 11:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118860759#Comment_118860759

Good call on Tui, never travelled with them before but we booked the family holiday yesterday.

Obviously not as good value as the likes of Thailand but that will have to wait given their testing requirements.

€3.4k for two adults, two kids covering direct charter flight, 14 nights hotel with a kids club and free access to a massive water park, checked bags and transfers in Tenerife during school holidays.

Can't wait now its booked :)

pc7 · 02-04-2022 1:56pm

Aw delighted SS, I found them great nice to have something to look forward too. Siam is amazing! One of the best water parks I’ve ever been too.

Sheep Shagger · 02-04-2022 10:41pm

Seems Thailand have just scrapped the pre flight PCR but you still need to take a test and quarantine for one day on arrival.

https://www.thaiembassy.com/weekly-updates/the-new-test-and-go-and-the-new-sandbox-and-quarantine-program-top-20-questions-on-thailand-pass-and-travel-to-thailand

Nigel Fairservice · 02-04-2022 11:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118844436#Comment_118844436

I was in Belgrade in March. Went there with Lufthansa, Dublin-Frankfurt-Belgrade. I uploaded my vaccination certificate to the Lufthansa website before flying and they issued my boarding pass. Immigration at Nikola Tesla didn't look for it all.

Our flight back from Belgrade landed at 9.01 am in Frankfurt. Our flight to Dublin was boarding at 9.05 am. A representative from Lufthansa met us coming off the plane and put us on a bus to another gate. The rep then put us to the top of the queue for security screening and walked us to the gate. It was an efficient rush job by Lufthansa. Ireland had dropped all Covid related entry requirements a day or two before the flight so no messing around with documentation.

jmreire · 03-04-2022 12:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118872378#Comment_118872378

That's great up to date news Nigel, Thanks,

When I was booking my flights last year, I used travelgenio, as I had used them in the past, and found them OK. Never again though,,,, but I seem to remember seeing an ad from Lufthansa where they guaranteed making the connections, when all flights booked with them directly. Is this arrangement you had booked with them? So even if I was flying Lufthansa, I had booked via Travelgenio, so all connections are at your own risk. But great to hear that all you had to do covid-wise, was up-load your covid certs direct to Lufthansa, and no one even looked for any covid documentation in Belgrade airport...great news!!! That was sure a headache last September. Did you enjoy your visit? Much snow?

Nigel Fairservice · 03-04-2022 1:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118872594#Comment_118872594

I found the flights on Skyscanner but I booked them directly with Lufthansa. When you book directly with the airline I think they will sort you out if you miss a connecting flight due to your other flight being late. In fairness they really made it their business to see to it that we got our connecting flight to Dublin on the way home.

The only Covid thing we had to do was upload our vaccination certs to Lufthansa when checking in for the flight. I was half worried because the Serbian authorities required a negative Covid test to enter the country up to recently. I kept thinking I hadn't read the requirements properly and I'd be turned away for not having a Covid test!

We had a lovely time in Belgrade. It was great to see a city with so many bookshops. There was one snowy day when we were there. We ducked into the lobby of the Moscow hotel for the afternoon and had coffees watching the snow come down. It was a great place to pass a few hours.

jmreire · 03-04-2022 11:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118872687#Comment_118872687

I genned up on the covid requirement before I booked the tickets, and the Govt website and they said that one or two hours over the 48 hr requirement would not matter to tourists or others whose flights had been delayed. But when I arrived in the passport / covid check desk, I asked about this exception but was told in no uncertain terms " Not even 2 mins over" !!!, And yet, you just handed in your passport, and straight out the door. Hotel Moscow ( in Moscow, they have Hotel Belgrade) straight across the road from McDonalds,, LOL. So you visited Skadarlija and Kalemegdan Fortress? Did you have time to visit the Nikola Tesla museum? Enough to keep you going there for a few days !!! Lovely old city.

josip · 04-04-2022 1:18pm

Does anyone have an inside line on when it will be possible to buy fastpass again? It's 'temporarily' sold out.

How long is the security queue lately for the hoi polloi in cabin class ?

Bumpstop · 04-04-2022 2:45pm

Flew to Edinburgh at the weekend from Dub. nothing required either end.

Dublin airport no masks required, they were required on the plane, at Edinburgh airport I took my mask off.

I was stopped by the police and told to put it on, despite about 30% non compliance. I duly did.

I found from a mask point of view Edinburgh has not really moved on, most people wearing masks in shops pubs etc.

There are signs everywhere saying masks are mandatory. Though there is about only 70% compliance and no one seemed to mind if you were not wearing one.

VG31 · 04-04-2022 2:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118878964#Comment_118878964

Well they are still mandatory in Scotland so that might explain why most people are still wearing them.

faceman · 04-04-2022 5:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118878964#Comment_118878964

"No one seemed to mind if you were not wearing one"...

...except the police 🤣🤣

In fairness, their house their rules. If Edinburgh want to continue with a mask mandate, just like many EU countries, then visitors should respect it. At this point in the pandemic in well vaccinated countries, I dont seem much value in the mask mandate but I loathe people who dont follow the rules even more. (this isn't directed at you OP)

Amenhotep · 06-04-2022 2:08pm

Does Australia require a test as well as vaccination to fly into ?

I was reading on their travel info page that you need to be vaccinated + test.

I thought it was just vaccinated.

faceman · 06-04-2022 4:23pm

Spain are dropping the requirement to wear masks indoors from April 19th. Public transport is an exception however.

Amenhotep · 07-04-2022 8:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118879800#Comment_118879800

You live in Spain right ?

Did you "loath" the people not wearing masks outdoors when it was legally required ?

dalyboy · 07-04-2022 9:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118889755#Comment_118889755

That just leaves onboard aeroplanes as the only place where masks have an existing mandate. Hopefully that too is removed soon (if not then it brings into question the effectiveness of hepa-filters which are in 95% of all commercial airlines). Personally speaking the wearing of masks on a recent long-haul flight was a very uncomfortable experience and I felt sorry for the airline staff needing to enforce such redundant covid rules.

pc7 · 07-04-2022 9:50am

Think Spain removing need to fill in the health form form the 19th April for vaccinated folk, will try find link.

faceman · 07-04-2022 10:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118892453#Comment_118892453

What a stupid question

faceman · 07-04-2022 10:06am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118892744#Comment_118892744

Yep that's correct. For EU folks anyway, The rules for Brits and non EU visitors aren't entirely clear on it yet.

Amenhotep · 07-04-2022 1:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118892835#Comment_118892835

No not a stupid question, you stated you "loathe people who didn't follow the mask rules" on a previous post, and am genuinely curious how as a resident of Spain you felt about that particular ridiculous rule

faceman · 07-04-2022 2:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118893746#Comment_118893746

You are in your hoop curious.

"genuinely curious how as a resident of Spain you felt about that particular ridiculous rule"

Instead, you are looking to argue or demean anyone who doesn't agree with your perspective on a matter.

Move along and focus on something more worthwhile rather than stirring crap in a thread about travel.

sunbabe08 · 08-04-2022 2:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118892720#Comment_118892720

having just done a recent flight to the states I had no problems wearing the mask long haul and felt safer with it on. And no one else on the flight had a problem either

dalyboy · 08-04-2022 11:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118896670#Comment_118896670

Different strokes for different folks 👍

Amenhotep · 08-04-2022 12:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118894203#Comment_118894203

Thank you, now I know you agreed with an authoritarian rule - making you an authoritarian yourself.

Sammy2012 · 08-04-2022 7:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118892744#Comment_118892744

Is it from then as it doesn't seem to be a requirement this evening. I was looking as we are going next week but its not the same information as yesterday. So now I'm not sure. We have recovery certs for all travelling and covid certs for all adults.