"We will have a summer tourist season, promises EU"

Sure, but the tourists will come from other EU countries or regionally. A 14-day quarantine is not a big deal to many Europeans since they accrue a lot of vacation time, and they actually use it. Plus, many like to go to their summer cabins and spend time outdoors, so those German-type camper trips are totally doable (say, to an adjacent country that has a reciprocal agreement for travel).

I am not sure I believe this....

If you are in the UK and you want to go to the beaches of Spain "two week quarantine" first.

If you are in Spain and you want to go to London, "two week quarantine"

There are some places you can go, but even reading that article I don't see much of a summer tourist season happening.

BBC should have said "vacation season" rather than "tourist season."
No quarantine intra-European after June 15th hopefully.
Spain just imposed a 14 day quarantine, to the dismay of those on both sides of the border who wanted to reach the beaches and those who wanted to sell them ice cream. (French beaches are closed.)

I expect that means within Europe, sadly for us who are clamoring to get on a plane and spend time in our favorite--and yet to be discovered--cities. But it'll be great if they do have a return to tourism however domestic it may be as I worry about all the shops, hotels and restaurants who are struggling.

Actually, BCC would have said "holiday season" if the world was included in the plans and not just fairly close locals..

While allowing some movement and some reopening of touristy destinations, I do not believe they are going to throw the doors open and let the masses invade.

For many Europeans this will be a blessing in that the cities and tourist sites won't be flooded with foreigners.

I really doubt this is about swinging open the doors wide, and inviting in international visitors (especially from places whose infection rates are still going up).

Just go ahead and say it: Americans will likely be the last people allowed in.

I think its implicit in this decision, that countries are making the choice of an acceptable level of risk/infection/death versus economic death. Not saying its a right or wrong decision, but I think there should be public acknowledgement of this calculation, and maybe public debate.

Heck here in France we are just waiting to see if we will be allowed to go further than 100 km from our residences for summer vacation within France.

According to announcements that the prime minister made today, we (French residents) should be able to vacation in France in July and August — but I am not yet sure that those of us in red zones (hello Paris, Strasbourg and Lille) are going to be able to go further than the 100 km.

Just go ahead and say it: Americans will likely be the last people allowed in.
I think its implicit in this decision, that countries are making the choice of an acceptable level of risk/infection/death versus economic death. Not saying its a right or wrong decision, but I think there should be public acknowledgement of this calculation, and maybe public debate.

I would imagine it will be all third countries, with may be an exception for the UK...

You also need to understand that the European prospective is very different to the US, with maybe the exception of the UK, the economy is never a very hight concern for most Europeans in recessionary times because they are well protected. Of course people are concerned that this time it will be a bit deeper and cost a bit more... in it is not top of the list right now.

Holidays is an important part of European living, we've got five or six weeks to spend and we've missed the traditional spring holidays and the possibility of missing the summer break is putting pressure on politicians to try and do something. Even unemployed people here in Switzerland get four weeks paid holidays!

And of course the reality is the European tourists are the major source of income for the south, so the main moves will be to get the north/south flow going again when it comes to tourism.

Even unemployed people here in Switzerland get four weeks paid holidays!

Isn't that redundant? You already are not working, so what makes these 4 weeks a holiday compared to any other day? :-)

Isn't that redundant? You already are not working, so what makes these
4 weeks a holiday compared to any other day? :-)

But your partner probably works, and your children go to school, which means you can go on holiday as a family.

How do you get four weeks of paid holidays if you're unemployed? Does the government pay for you to travel and sight-see?

Why can't we get deals like this in America?

Holiday in Europe means getting away whether to a rental near the beach in Spain, a campground on the Riviera, grandparents old farmhouse in the countryside, or other. It doesn't mean being off work to hang out at home doing repairs or a couple of weekends towing the boat to the lake.

(But you already knew that :--)

"Just go ahead and say it: Americans will likely be the last people allowed in."

You could be right - https://www.thedailybeast.com/with-coronavirus-american-travelers-are-about-to-find-out-what-its-like-to-be-the-pariah?ref=wrap .

It appears that some countries will first establish "travel bubbles" within their region and with similar pandemic rates. That's already being discussed between Australia and New Zealand, and some countries in Europe. At least to begin with, travellers from North America, South America, Asia and other countries not within Europe will probably be excluded until the virus is under control. Countries outside Europe may be allowed access one-at-a-time based on how effective their virus control measures have been. Just my opinion of course....

So, "Holidays in Europe for the unemployed" means what? The government pays to transport a family to a resort for two weeks? I'm just curious.

But your partner probably works,

I hope so if you have bills to pay. But I do not understand what that has to do with your own unemployment and having a period defined as "holiday" versus just another day not working.

I don't know what the unemployment process is like in Europe. Here in the US you have to prove you at least applied for a specific number of jobs you would be likely to be hired for each week in order to continue receiving your unemployment benefits. Is there something in the European process requiring you to show up somewhere every day or week in order to keep unemployment benefit payments coming in that is not required when you are officially on holiday?

Not wanting to beat the dead horse as the saying goes, but am truly interested in the process.

It means the unemployed person doesn’t have to be actively seeking a job during this period. Yes, otherwise they normally show up at the agency and go through the listings, take training, speak with a counselor, etc.

Resorts—probably not for most people. Only the wealthier.

First, (again I can speak only for France) only 1/2 the population can afford to go away. Many families can only afford to visit friends and family in a different region. Second, campgrounds are popular, nice ones with pools and activities. There are also Vacation Villages for families that have inexpensive apartments with kitchens, common areas, pools, game rooms, activities. ( FYI a vacation village is what the government opened up to quarantine the people evacuated from the cruise ships. Nice!) Some people can afford overseas trips. All of these can be subsidized through various means for certain segments of the population. Leisure is a good segment of the economy.

As for me I am grateful for my time in Europe but for me and mine we are happy to get in the car and explore the US of A. Let us know when the welcome light comes back on.

There's talk of "green" countries - see this - those meeting criteria for both past and future performance, like having hospital capacity for treatment in case of a local flare-up/outbreak for visitors as well as locals. Those countries would allow mutual travel.

I am hopeful that by fall, Israel will be able to reach agreements to travel to low-risk European countries . . . maybe Greece which is very close. We get a lot of Greek tourists visiting the holy sights here and lots of Israelis visit Greece as well.

Thank you, Bets. I was wondering if an extra stipend would be paid to the unemployed to allow them to travel.

The Baltic States have instituted a "travel bubble" allowing free movement inside them. However, they still require a 14 day quarantine of anyone entering from outside. So that doesn't do us any good. It is a step in the right direction, though.

See this article for details:

Coronavirus: Baltic states open a pandemic 'travel bubble'

Just opened an email from the French organization that runs vacation villages where we’ve stayed. They are announcing that reservations are now open for summer! They offer self-catering apartments in Provence, Alps, Brittany, Landes, Jura.

None of their organized trips inside France or elsewhere p were mentioned in the email.

I'm hoping for at least one more trip to Europe before the Second Civil War breaks out in the U.S.

I'm hoping for at least one more trip to Europe before the Second Civil War breaks out in the U.S.

Perhaps we will let you in as a refugee in that case ;-)

@Carlos. Your post is great, you made me smile

Maybe they will introduce "Corona passports" - if you have an antibody test at least 14 days before your trip, and it shows you have had the virus, you'll be allowed in.

We're Americans. We don't need holidays (vacations):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2019/08/28/what-does-america-have-against-vacation/

What does America have against vacation? August 28, 2019

As summer-getaway season draws to a close, it’s time to face a tough
reality: America is not a great vacation nation.

In fact, one report goes so far as to call the United States a
“no-vacation nation,” thanks to the paltry (well, nonexistent) amount
of paid vacation time mandated by federal law compared with that of
other well-off countries.

And then there are the Americans workers who need to work multiple jobs plus SNAP benefits to survive.

Or maybe they will follow Iceland

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.com/iceland-open-to-tourists-june-15-free-coronavirus-test-arrival-2020-5%3famp

@TimW - Corsican leaders announced they were doing exactly that, until the central French government told them they couldn’t . . .

I would love Iceland's policy. I can see quarantining tourists if they're actually carrying the disease, but if it's easy enough to test someone and find out they're not carrying, it shouldn't require a 14 day quarantine.

Iceland's policy sounds like a great idea, but I hope they're using a highly reliable testing method. I've seen a few news reports lately indicating that some of the "rapid tests" may provide correct readings only about 50% of the time.

I'd like to visit Iceland but it's so doggone expensive.

File this promise right up there with:

"We won't bail out bad banks with public funds."
"We won't use taxpayer money to prop up failing businesses."
"We won't exceed our target budget constraints."
"We'll punish those countries who fail to meet their budget targets."
"We'll only admit countries into the Union who have viable economies."
"We'll treat every country exactly the same."
"There will be no exceptions to the Carbon targets."
"We will ensure vehicle emissions will meet the Euro 4 standards on time. Well, okay, the Euro 5 ones. No? Maybe the Euro 6 ones? Oh the heck with it lets just give all the CEO's a raise and pour some more public funds into these vital industries."

EU promises are worth slightly less than Mussolini lira.

KGC,
A huge LIKE for your post.

We won't plan to visit Europe this year, but Italy is on our calendar for October 2021.

Well done, KGC. Well done.

We're aiming for Scotland RS tour 2021 but I'm not booking jack until there's a vaccine that has proven its efficacy.

"We won't bail out bad banks with public funds."
"We won't use taxpayer money to prop up failing businesses."
"We won't exceed our target budget constraints."
Oh the heck with it lets just give all the CEO's a raise and pour some more public funds into these vital industries.

@KGC - are you sure you are not just talking about the good ol' USA here? Sounds like a pretty fair assessment of late-stage capitalism since 2008 ;-)

@Carlos -

Yes, they are pretty similar. Of course, here in USA everyone's thrilled about getting a $1000 "free" paycheck and ignoring the $18,000 debt load the FED just dropped on every single person in the country, including those who didn't get said check in the mail.

My daughter gets 4 weeks vacation, but is not allowed to take more then 2 together during the fall and winter. During June, July and August she can only take one week. With children in school, what good is this. Can’t drive too far to other states, can you take a quick trip overseas? Maybe, if they went without the kids. That is the policy of her employer, and many have the same rules.

Barbara, I'd guess with 9 days off that a quick trip to Europe would work. We have to play the cards dealt to us. Went to Paris for six nights and saw pretty much everything we wanted to see in the city and didn't feel overly rushed. One site in the morning, one in the afternoon. I'd suggest getting back a day early, like Saturday, so you can rest up a bit, do laundry, and that sort of thing before work Monday morning.

**
I'm hoping for at least one more trip to Europe before the Second Civil War breaks out in the U.S.

Perhaps we will let you in as a refugee in that case ;-)
**

I'd like to begin the application process RIGHT now for refugee status :)

...can you take a quick trip overseas?

Sure you can, Barbara. You just can't try and cram too much into 1 week: Choose, say, a week in a bigger city, such as Paris, London or Rome, and do a day trip or two. Or choose a small country, such as Belgium, where distances between some interesting little cities, such as Brugge and Ghent, aren't far so they're easily covered in 8 days or so from Brussels. Where does your daughter live? If it's East Coast, near where you are, there's the added advantage of much shorter flights than tourists from the western US have to deal with.

Back when we had little vacation time, we used to push the envelope by departing on Friday nights and coming home Sunday, a bleary Monday at the office be damned. If you can include a bonus holiday Monday (Memorial or Labor Day), all the better.

PS: even a fast trip to the "Holy Trinity" in Italy can be done in a week if necessary. Flying into Venice on Sat. AM...

Venice - Sat/Sunday nights/1.5 days sightseeing days
Florence - Monday/Tue/Wed nights/2.5 sightseeing days
Rome - Thursday/Fri/Sat. nights/2.5 sightseeing days
Fly home Sunday

This is much quicker than I'd personally care to do it - Rome really needs another day - but it's not impossible. I love Florence but it could be skipped if it doesn't appeal, and those nights added to the other two.

Many Americans have had too much "vacation" time recently, but are not allowed to go anywhere, even to nearby parks and beaches.
My husband gets 4 weeks a year, but I doubt he will use it this year since almost all of our trips have been cancelled and the one trip we can still take was planned to make use of the July 4 holiday weekend.

Here are a couple more articles from the BBC. They are, of course, oriented towards travelers from the UK. My summary is that if you go to the UK soon, you should plan on staying in quarantine for 14 days--not much of a holiday. Things may or may not open up more in the Fall.

Coronavirus: What are the UK travel quarantine rules?

Coronavirus: When will I be able to go on holiday?