Yes sorry.
My usual thread drift.
And aversion to new technology.
Though there are a couple of points relevant to travel!
I've already posted it, twice.
I said it was a review not a recommendation so the above quotation marks are misleading. I feel your faith in the Home Office is quaint.It is not a Govt "recommendation" but the Home Office website showing accredited test providers.
I expect the Home Office to help me, yes.
Not yet because I've had at least three trips binned due to the pandemic. I have seen one of someone I know who travelled last autumn.Have you filled one out?
The problems don't seem inherent to digital. You could have a similar experience if you picked "Lionel Hutz Testing" from a row of physical shops.Paper serves me best.
I am of that generation which views digital as unreliable- with good reason as it turned out.
Good point. Reply trimmed to basics. Upshot: don't blindly pick the cheapest and probably avoid Vivisection Clinic. Other posts suggest discounted testers recommended by transport operators work OK.
(Snip only for brevity.)
Equally, why pay £15 to waste a lot of time and stress when maybe you could pay £29 like MrsHJ for one that works smoothly and is staffed properly so they don't have a 2hr helpline queue?PDQ Mobile wrote: ↑7 Jan 2022, 10:21am All I can say is that I chose an accredited tester from the Home Office webpage relevant to my location here.
Why pay £100 when you can pay £15?
You would have been equally stuffed if it had all been on paper and the border guards rejected your form for an invalid reference number. Possibly more so.And the salient point is that it is impossible to know what such a digital mismatch problem is because no detailed reason is given and therefore for an enduser digital incompetent (or anyone?) difficult to resolve.
That is the big negative with the over-reliance on digital.
It wastes so much valuable time.
Except that Eurostar are still not accepting bikes ...mjr wrote: ↑6 Jan 2022, 5:05pmExcept for the virus-related requirements, it seems easier at first glance than the old Zeebrugge ferries from Felixstowe or Hull: one train to London Euston (still limited bike spaces but far more trains), a short transfer to nearby St Pancras International and then either Eurostar to Brussels (normally 9 a day) for south/east Flanders, or Southeastern to Dover (hourly trains, 6 bikes per train plus more at guard's discretion) for a ferry to Dunkirk (normally every 2 hours) and the recently-completed EuroVelo 4 section to De Panne for western Flanders and beyond (the weakest link is now the little bit out from the port to EV4).
DFDS have also extended their (very) flexible booking rules, on their channel routes as well as Newcastle-Amsterdam. (And at the moment have an early-bird booking discount offer on the NCL-AMS route: 20% off if you book before January 10th).MrsHJ wrote: ↑7 Jan 2022, 10:08am For those thinking about travelling but not wanting to commit Brittany’s ferries is currently offering fully flex fares for the same price as semi flex and only £10 more than fixed for cyclists. Airlines are also pretty flexible and I’d add the bikes on nearer to the travel date.
NB I did cycle last year in France/Switzerland and it was fine. I didn’t enjoy the tests and stuff (extra things to go wrong and a bit stressful but was doable).
On the first point I only chose after the P& O provider states "out of stock".mjr wrote: ↑7 Jan 2022, 10:42amEqually, why pay £15 to waste a lot of time and stress when maybe you could pay £29 like MrsHJ for one that works smoothly and is staffed properly so they don't have a 2hr helpline queue?PDQ Mobile wrote: ↑7 Jan 2022, 10:21am All I can say is that I chose an accredited tester from the Home Office webpage relevant to my location here.
Why pay £100 when you can pay £15?
You would have been equally stuffed if it had all been on paper and the border guards rejected your form for an invalid reference number. Possibly more so.And the salient point is that it is impossible to know what such a digital mismatch problem is,
because no detailed reason is given and therefore for an enduser digital incompetent (or anyone?) difficult to resolve.
That is the big negative with the over-reliance on digital.
It wastes so much valuable time.
Definately but by ship / campervan, not by train or plane for me.
Daytime ferries have cheap cabins eg £30 for you to have a snooze and chill/avoid other peoples kids. Nighttime: I did all the cheap options when in my teens and twenties- now I’m too old to be interested in sleeping on a chair so I’m always going to get a cabin. NB my recent experiences are almost all on Brittany ferries due to where I live. However, I do understand what you mean on risk.simonhill wrote: ↑7 Jan 2022, 1:36pm Chris: Some countries, eg Portugal require test before inbound flight. So that's half your problem solved.
Now the bad news.
Everyone talking about ferries, but the last few overnighters that I have caught, if you book a seat you are in a large room with lots of other people for much longer than any Europe flight. Also probably worse a/c. Are masks mandatory on ferries? They are on planes.
Personally I have often taken risks when travelling. Typhoons, earthquakes, malaria, rabies, poisonous snakes, dodgy transport, military coups, awful food, etc, etc. Travelling is a major part of my life and COVID is not going to stop me as long as I can do it in a relatively (to me) safe way. Some seem to want 100% safety, fair enough, but for me I'm happy to go a lot lower %age.
I took cross channel ferries with my bike on two trips last year, DFDS and Brittany. I booked a seat on both (= 4 crossings) occasions. The "lounge" was practically empty on the Brittany, mostly on the DFDS. This gives you sleeping space on the floor and Brittany Ferries had a shower as well. Many seats (alternating) were taped off. Personally I wasn't worried about "infection" but the extra space was excellent for sleeping. I was cycle camping on both trips so had plenty in the way of a sleeping bag etc. The lack of people on the boat meant that my luggage was pretty safe too. I really couldn't see the advantage of paying for a cabin.