RE: Rotterdam to Luxembourg in September - 2

Reluctantly, we have decided that our annual trip to Germany will have to be cancelled this year.
The reticence from P&O regarding future sailings coupled with the uncertainty and volatility of the virus situation is proving too much to overcome safely.
Maybe next year......

Alan

We always try to do the night P&O ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland, which haven't stopped running for passengers - we're booked 2nd week in Sept and will be returning from a French Alps trundle mid August hopefully!!! You board at 10 pm and and disembark at 8 am local time. Its not exactly cheap as you have to have a cabin as the days of sleeping on sofas are over, but I'll always pay the extra rather than suffer the chunnel. Also, its dead handy for me as I only live 30 miles from Harwich.

Sorry, its the Stena service between Harwich and the Hook - lockdown working from home confusion reigns these day - I struggle with what day of the week it is at the mo...........

Yes, Alan, the 3 of us in Driffield have decided the same. Real shame as this was going to be a retirement celebration, but so much to look forward to next year. Going camping to Northumberland next weekend though. Have sent you a p.m. about Saturday 25th.

Saturday's announcement regarding quarantine on return to the UK from Spain has prompted me to update my knowledge on restrictions to/from other countries.

My plan is to travel Hull-Rotterdam then likely straight from Holland to Germany and on to Switzerland. So it is disconcerting to read at

//reopen.europa.eu/en/map/NLD

"Tourists from EU or Schengen countries can enter the Netherlands. However, travellers from Sweden and the United Kingdom ...... are strongly advised to go into quarantine for 14 days. Tourists must reserve their holiday accommodation before they travel to the Netherlands. You may be stopped at the border if you don’t have a valid reservation. Dutch advice and rules to combat the spread of COVID-19 must be followed."

Of course I plan to arrive at 8:00 a.m and be in Germany by lunchtime (and in France before nightfall) but the above worries me a little.

FYI the Foreign Office sets out the UK position re other countries here:

... guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-countries-and-territories-exempt-from-advice-against-all-but-essential-international-travel

You can sign up for email alerts for any changes. I have done that for Holland, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium.

I am not travelling until 9th September. I am not hugely worried about quarantine on a return to the UK but, as things stand, I think I need to hold off booking any route until the last minute and may yet end up taking a ferry Dover-Calais or similar and riding exclusively through France until I make the Black Forest. No way do I want to be stuck in Holland, Belgium or Luxembourg for 14 days!! Gosh holidays are becoming hard work!!

Chris

P.S. I still cannot post links in any shape of form hence the truncated links above.

Well I have taken a leap of faith (Or is it fool hardiness?!!) having done lots of reading online until going cross-eyed.

Managed to change my leave from work to bring my trip forward by one week so now booked on the Hull-Rotterdam ferry on 2nd September returning on 15th.

Have scouted out various route options which involve only Netherlands and Germany until I make Switzerland at the bottom of the B500.

My vulnerability is the R rate in the Netherlands which is similar to France. However I have family near Zurich who I am desperate to see so, worst case scenario, I will carry a credit forward and use the booking on P&O at the first reasonable opportunity.

I made a couple of interesting discoveries before booking:

Switzerland may yet require me to quarantine for 10 days if things go pear shaped BUT they have a 24 hour transit rule. So an overnight stop in an infected country en route will not require me to quarantine. Very useful! So far I have not discovered anything similar in any other countries on my route of travel.

The Netherlands has a daytime motorway speed limit of 100kph. Argh! I wonder how strictly that is observed? Perhaps TenCats can answer that? Can I plead ignorance as a foreigner?

I still have cancellable bookings for the Ibis in Haguenau, France both ways but have plotted alternatives on German soil. (I notice that Ibis have changed their booking options so that there is no pre-payment but rather options of cancellable up to 18:00 on the day or, for a lesser price, cancellable up to three days before).

I am lining up a hotel booking for a few nights mid-break in Colico on Lake Como (Julier & Maloja Passes to get me there and, depending on my mood and the weather, the Spluga, St Bernadino, St Gottard or Bernina Passes, etc coming back to my family in Zurich for a second long weekend before heading home).

I have pre-booked the waiter service Brasserie Restaurant both ways on the ferry - no way do I want somebody coughing all over me in the self-service queue in the other restaurant and the difference is only £6. Then I shall retire to my cabin with a good book and a bottle of something.

Just a few practical problems to solve now:

Getting currency at a reasonable rate of exchange when I don't anymore go anywhere near a city centre Post Office.
Updating my maps on the Garmin Zumo (Always a "hold your breath" exercise for me)
Finding and ordering a good book on Amazon to read on the ferry.

Chris

P.S. The risk of quarantine on my return is no big concern for me. I work virtually from home and spend most of my time in near quarantine conditions anyway. Hence my strong desire for something resembling normal life for a couple of weeks!

Just checked. I have 40 Euros and 60 Swiss Francs in my Travel wallet (Also 220 Moroccan Dirhams!) I will get 100 Euros from Sainsburys. That should do. Obviously I pay for petrol, all meals and hotels by plastic but I like to have an emergency reserve. (One year travelling with a new card I managed to mis-remember my new PIN - Three strikes and I was out until a new one was delivered to my home. Meantime my son withdrew cash for me and I transferred the money to him online but I had to get to him in Zurich first!)

I use a FairFX pre-paid credit card which gives me a good rate of exchange and limits the damage in the unlikely event that somebody dishonest gets to access it. If it ain't there they cannot spend it!! I keep my Co-op bank card for emergencies and online shopping on the ferry paying in sterling.

Sorry to read that your trip is crumbling. Let me know if there is any scouting out I can do for you assuming I make it. (I will report my progress in any event). I adopt the opposite approach to the older people in your party - Life is too short and I want to get on with it.

P.S. Just ordered three Le Carre novels for the journey- I think the suspension will cope with that!

Chris