Cleared For Take Off….?
It’s beginning to look like we’ve got lucky. We do seem to get lucky quite often, but this one is making us smile.
If you read our post the other day, you will know that we booked flights a couple of weeks ago with the intention of getting away for the rest of the summer, but with travel restrictions of all kinds still prevalent there were some decisions to make in terms of destination.
It soon became clear that Greece currently has the least amount of restrictions on visitors entering from the UK, comprising just proof of double vaccine and a passenger locator form, so we went with our instinct and booked flights. At that point though, Greece remained on the list of countries where the UK Government advised against all but essential travel.
And then our good fortune kicked in. Yesterday, the UK Government removed that advice and freed up amber countries, including Greece, for non-essential travel, with effect from July 19th – which just happens to be the very day that we fly out. It now feels as if most barriers have been removed and that we will be on our way – travelling again, at last!
Our starting point will be the beautiful city of Thessaloniki, from where we intend to explore some of the mainland for a couple of weeks before we head off to the islands. The rest of what will, all things being equal, be a 12-week tour will evolve as we go, determined in part by whether border crossings into other countries become easier.
One thing is for certain though: now that we’ve had that stroke of luck, our countdown clock is most definitely running.
28 Comments
Nemorino
I hope you have a great trip with no hassles.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you!
Gilda Baxter
Fantastic news 😀 I am sure you will have a great time. I am looking forward to travelling vicariously with you.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Gilda….we’re delighted to be on the verge of travelling again
wetanddustyroads
Oh, how amazing is this! I’m definitely taking a virtual travel with you guys 😄.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks for joining us, let’s hope it’s masses of fun…
Annie Berger
Hooray, hooray – so happy that you’ll be hitting the road again for a lovely trip to the Greek isles and possibly other countries, too. Make sure to keep us all posted when you can tear yourselves away from an ouzo or two!
Phil & Michaela
Absolutely cannot wait – we’re counting the hours now (231….)
Toonsarah
How wonderful for you! You’re going to have an amazing trip and I’m looking forward to joining in the fun vicariously 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Sarah. We are frantically rushing around putting things into place before we go. A trip to see my Mum for a few days next week and then we are ready to go😁Michaela
grandmisadventures
Yay! So excited to follow along on your trip to Greece! 😀
Phil & Michaela
Thank you so much for following – we look forward to sharing our adventures!
Monkey's Tale
Have fun!!!
Phil & Michaela
We will do our very best!
Heyjude
Well you can easily spend the entire summer exploring the Greek Islands, but what I am wondering is how do you go about booking accommodation?
Phil & Michaela
Hi Jude. Well on past trips to the Greek islands we haven’t booked anything ahead, the ferry always gets met by people with rooms to let and we have just done the backpacker thing and grabbed whatever we can. This time we’re not so sure what the COVID influences will be – so we’re booking our mainland stays on airbnb. We’ll probably start on the islands by doing the backpacker thing and not book ahead…only if COVID has made things more difficult will we start booking ahead. It’ll probably end up being a mixture, but we like not booking ahead as we enjoy the freedom it gives us with the length of stay in each place.
Heyjude
Hope it all works out for you, there is nothing quite like travelling without knowing exactly where you will be.
Jyothi
Nice view and have a great trip!!
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Congratulations! I hope it all goes well for you. We are presently on the verge of canceling our trip to London/Cotswolds in November due to the 10day quarantine rule + COVID tests on both sides, + proof of vaccine. which are all still in play. Our accommodations are not refundable past September so it’s best to regroup now, rather than later. I feel certain that as soon as we cancel some of those will be lifted. Oh well. It’s all about timing and taking chances. If it were just the 2 of us we would roll the dice, but we are traveling with our family of 5. Best of luck and have a good trip.
Phil & Michaela
So much is immeasurable in advance, you are wise to play the wait-and-see game, I think
Andrew Petcher
That is lucky. TUI cancelled our planned holiday to Corfu.
Andrew Petcher
Who will cut the lawns while you are away?
Phil & Michaela
We have such things sorted, Andrew!
leightontravels
Congrats! I’m sure you are going to have a blast!
Lookoom
Great news. I am already looking forward to your articles on Greece.
WanderingCanadians
Woohoo!! Looking forward to vicariously living through your travels!!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you 😊
carolinehelbig
How exciting! Have a great trip.