Travel situation in Europe

[cat]

I am thinking about summer vacation.
I was lucky with my vaccination dates and will be fully vaccinated beginning of July. However, we are travelling with small children.

Originally, we wanted to go camping in Sweden in June, but this now seems difficult. So I plan to go on vacation in August instead, hoping that the situation will be easier then. However, Sweden still requires travelling through Germany and Denmark and everybody seems to hate Sweden atm and I don't want to risk being sent to quarantine on the way back home in any of those countries. I'm also not sure what the weather is like in Sweden in August. Three years ago we went there in June and we had wonderful weather, hardly any rain.

The other option would be to book a package holiday in Greece. I've heard that Greece will be very lenient regarding any COVID measures, basically ignoring small children, but I wonder if going there in August is a good idea (is it too hot maybe?).


What is the situation in your country? Do you have any vacation plans?

[Cassiebsg]

I've been thinking about summer since x-mas... and have still no idea if I'll stay or go (no, I'm not singing here  ).
Still no idea when I'll get the vacine, I'm hoping sometime during the next month, but really, who knows?

Right now, I'll probably stay here... but maybe when the time gets closer, we've got our vacine and the situation with Covid is calmer, I'll change my mind and I'll travel anyway "back home". That is, assuming there's a cheap flight by then to take. But right now, I really don't know. 

[Danvzare]

I'm paranoid. So personally if I was you, I'd wait until next year before going abroad.
But take that with a pinch of salt, since I've never actually been abroad.

[cat]

Greece is off the table now for August for various reasons, so back to the Sweden plan.

I'm considering flying into the Stockholm area and renting a car. Is it a reasonable thing to do? Is August a good time for travelling Sweden? What is the current situation there ATM regarding travel, quarantaine, eating out etc.? Especially regarding children <6 yo. Do they have to do regular tests or stuff?
Can some of the Swedish members here give some input?

[Reiter]

I believe it would be possible - although I have not rented a motorcar in my life, so it may be worth doing some inquiries from home first. I think most of the big companies would have offices in Stockholm.

August is a splendid time for a visit, usually. It is late summer, and the weather is usually fair and stable. Usually, mind. All bets have been off the last odd years, but it is still a reliable choice of month. Camping is certainly a possibility, although I cannot swear if the camp-grounds are open or not. I imagine they are, but it is best to make inquiries beforehand. No matter what you have planned, I think August is the best choice of month to visit Sweden, on the whole. With the exception of skiing, perhaps.

Domestic travel is free from restrictions, I think. There are, however, some restrictions of entry.

His Royal Majesty's Pencil-Pushers have this to say:

"A temporary entry ban with a testing requirement for entry from EU/EEA States and certain other states has been in force since February. To travel to Sweden from EU/EEA States and certain other states, you must be able to present a negative COVID-19 test result or be exempt from the test requirement.
As of 30 June, the Swedish regulation will be adapted to the EU regulation on a COVID certificate. This entails an entry ban on travel to Sweden from EU/EEA States unless a vaccination certificate, a negative COVID-19 test result, a certificate confirming recovery from COVID-19 or a corresponding certificate can be presented. At present, this regulation applies until 31 August.

Entry from Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway is not subject to any entry restrictions."

The whole article is here: https://www.government.se/articles/2020/04/questions-and-answers-about-the-entry-ban-to-sweden/

As for quarantine, it is a Recommendation that you self-isolate for seven days after entry, unless you are fully vaccinated and two weeks have elapsed since the second dosis. More about that from the public health authorities here: https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/communicable-disease-control/covid-19/if-you-are-planning-to-travel/recommendations-for-those-travelling/

Eating and drinking out is fair game; the only restriction is that all the pubs and restaurants have to close before 10 o'clock in the evening. I do not think there are any special restrictions regarding children, with the exception of care homes and so forth. Exercise good judgement, and it will be quite alright. Hospitals and so forth have their own protection routines by now, so it should not be a problem if you need their services while travelling.
As for masks, again, it is a Recommendation^tm that "On working weekdays between 7:00â€"9:00 and 16:00â€"18:00, you should wear a face mask when travelling on public transport where a seat reservation is not offered.", which is worth keeping in mind, but masks are not generally required. Hospitals and dentists and other places with elevated requirements on hygiene may require them, but they tend to provide masks by the door. It is not necessary if you are walking about the town or going into ordinary shops, as a rule. Keep a few with you just in case, however.

In short, I think it would be quite possible to visit, now. The covid stance in the kingdom is rather relaxed and permissive. Any sudden new restrictions are most unlikely at the moment, and the late summer is Sweden at its best, in my mind. Do make some inquiries first, but I do hope you can still come. The realm is lovely this time of year, perfect for a visit!

[cat]

Thank you for the detailed answer! This sounds quite manageable for us. We are used to wearing masks and will be fully vaccinated by August.

Let's see if I can book good travel arrangements.

[cat]

We came back from Sweden two days ago. It was a great vacation. We were staying in rented houses in Östergötland next to smaller lakes, one close to the ocean and one close to Vättern (one week each).
We went swimming, used the rowing boats that were included with the houses, rented a kajak and visited Astrid Lindgrens Värld.
The weather was fine, mostly 20°C with sun and clouds and occasional rain (which luckily was never long and mostly happened when we were inside anyway). Since it was late in summer, the lakes were quite warm already. Good decision not to go to Greece with 45°C there atm.

It was also some kind of COVID break for us - no vaccination checks at all, no registrations in restaurants, no mask wearing for two weeks. Just a poster here and there reminding people to keep distance from others.

[Behis1995]

We thought for a long time about where to go to rest abroad in the summer. Unfortunately for us, any travel outside the country requires mandatory vaccination. We are categorically against this and I consider it a violation of civil rights.

[Danvzare]

We thought for a long time about where to go to rest abroad in the summer. Unfortunately for us, any travel outside the country requires mandatory vaccination. We are categorically against this and I consider it a violation of civil rights.

Travel outside of the country requires vaccination, but since travel isn't required, therefore vaccination isn't required. I fail to see the violation of civil rights. Then again, that could just be because I live on an island where it's impossible to simply walk out of the country.

It does seem a bit wrong when you consider those that can't get vaccinated though, such as those with allergies. So I guess I can kind of see your point.

[Cassiebsg]

Well, if you wanted to go to Africa, you would also need to get malaria and yellow fever vaccine. And they recommend a bunch of others.

I see no problem requiring covid-19 vaccine for entry in a country, or alternative negative test and quarantine (for those that do not want or can't get a vaccine).
If it wasn't for our travelling habits, diseases like Covid  would have a much harder time to spread around the globe.