Before we move on to the blog proper can we just acknowledge those events. Personally, except for the impacts of lockdowns and new precautions, and the need for Pip to take shielding care for health reasons - asthma - during the first lock down especially, we have been fortunate in our avoidance of the worst aspects of covid. No illness for ourself nor do we personally know of any family or friends who have been ill at all.
But we reckon that amongst our readers there will be some who have not been so fortunate. If so you have our kind thoughts and sympathies.
Along with a lot /most of the casual travelling world it has been a long, long time since we travelled abroad. Over 2 years in fact - July 2019 - since we set off for Russia on a trip that finished (via Singapore) with 6 weeks in China in October that year, probably just as covid was incubating in Wuhan. Eeek ?? not that we
We are still travelling light, basically a rucksack each, but there things have also changed. Our preferred local carrier - EasyJet - has changed their luggage policy. In an effort to encourage most passengers to check in their luggage for the hold the airline no longer allows a standard fare to include one bag into cabin overhead lockers. You can only take into the cabin a smaller bag capable of slipping under the seat in front of you. To access overhead locker space you now have to pay the extra for the early boarding /extra legroom seats at the front. So weve bit the bullet. The extra was not too bad, and we always feel knowing our luggage is under our direct control. But also, as the EJ bag policy is about bag size rather than weight we have been able to take a bit more volume with us - rucksack plus which helps with clothing layers for the Iceland weather.
Planning and getting to the country is also different at the moment. The morning after the UK government announced the relaxation of travel rules, and introduced green/amber/red countries,
we were on the web booking to a place we always promised ourselves we would get back to - Iceland. At the time of booking Iceland had a very lax entry requirement. They had dropped all testing and quarantine requirements, we thought we could basically just walk in. Things have changed since then though. If you are double jabbed, which we both are, you can enter but you need a negative test in the UK. Nicely the Icelandic Govt have allowed either of PCR or lateral flow (but not the free NHS) which takes away some of the time pressures with the time it takes for PCR results to arrive - 24 to 36 or more hours - vis a vis how old it can be when you arrive in Iceland.
We booked, therefore, a lateral flow test at a supplier at Exeter Airport. Test taken Saturday morning, which would give us enough time to cancel everything we had booked without incurring any trip costs if we got the worst result.
45 minutes later the results arrived by email - both negative! Phew, we were good to go (the previous week had been a bit nervous
as Paul spent last weekend with 15000 people at the End Of The Road Festival, but he avoided the more crowded tents etc, and we have got away with it).
Originally we booked a Gatwick flight but EJ moved it to Luton. Whilst we took a long day over slowly, via the Cotswolds, at the airport the car park /hotel /terminal are within 10 minutes walk of each other. So much than Gatwick.
We did a quick check walk to/from terminal from our overnight hotel - 10 minutes. On the way we passed the Holiday Inn Express. We were curious as to the people hanging around the with security officers. It eventually dawned on us that they were quite probably Afghanistan refugees/in quarantine.
An early flight this morning, 06.30, meant a very early rise, especially as we anticipated extra levels of checks to get to the flight. We are still a bit old school about this, so despite all documents being on Pauls phone we also print hard copies too.
