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'No amount of sunshine is worth it' – My parents are agonising over their upcoming trip to Spain

Is a holiday to Spain worth the risk this year? - sopa images
Is a holiday to Spain worth the risk this year? - sopa images

My parents have been holidaying on Spain’s Costa del Sol for as long as I can remember. Having bought a second home there when I was in my early teens, they have spent large portions of the year, and every school holiday, in the country religiously – until 2020.

On March 14, my father recalls the exact date at a click of a finger, they were among the last Britons to make it back to the UK before flights were suspended and Spain entered one of the most draconian lockdowns in the world.

Since, my mother in particular, has been counting down the days until she can dust off their sun loungers – by now they should have returned twice already, for two weeks in April and two in June. Lockdown has left them with a handful of flights to rearrange.

Therefore it came as no surprise that as soon as the government granted permission for travel to Spain to recommence, without any risk of quarantine restrictions at either end, Mr and Mrs Aspden wasted no time in securing flights, departing in early August for almost a month of Spanish sunshine.

However, now as the departure date grows closer as does the worry, especially since local outbreaks of the virus have emerged on the Costas, most alarmingly in Catalonia and Barcelona – albeit a fair distance from my parents' beloved southern neighbourhood. “I’m not nervous, I’m cautious,” my father insists, but recent headlines have somewhat dampened the pre-holiday spirit.

On Thursday Marbella reported its first case in 11 days and 23 people contracted the virus in Malaga in the previous 48 hours. Despite the Costa Del Sol and the communities that lie between Malaga and Marbella appearing to still have a lid on the virus, compared to their northern cousins, confirmation of new cases and concerns Spain could be removed from the government’s travel corridor list are hard to ignore.

“The fact they’ve had new cases this week is a cause of concern, if it continued to rise I won't be going - no amount of sunshine or commitment to flights would convince me otherwise,” my father says as we talk about their upcoming trip.

“The problem is when do you make the decision to cancel? That just adds to the stress.” It’s a question nobody can answer, frustratingly.

Since the virus struck with a vengeance in spring and Boris Johnson plunged the nation into lockdown my father has been a stickler for the government’s Covid rules and regulations, never tempted to flout a single restriction. He has also been keenly following the actions of the Spanish government as much as our own, only willing to commit to a trip if he felt it was safe to do so.

“I think the Spanish government, both at a national and local level, have been taking greater precaution than the UK and especially in Malaga and Marbella it seems they have things under control,” he tells me as he browses through the daily updates he has signed up to from the local authority and emails from contacts who live in Spain permanently.

“The restrictions and rules on the ground in Spain have been much more stringent than in the UK and in fact that makes me feel more comfortable than being out and about on home soil,” he added.

However, that confidence has begun to wane in recent days. “Earlier on there was a feeling that Spain was in a better position than the UK was. Whereas now I think we’re back on a level playing field,” he said.

My parents are among thousands of other Britons who have second homes in the Mediterrean, and it seems that the comfort of a home-away-from-home is the driving force behind this summer’s planned trip.

Ronda
Ronda

“If we were staying in a hotel, I wouldn’t be going – we’re lucky to have our own place to stay. Having our own private accommodation makes me reasonably comfortable but still apprehensive,” he says.

When I ask about what they’ll do when they arrive, the answer is definite. “I certainly won’t be going to the beach, despite there being measures in place. Malaga and Marbella are so popular with tourists there will simply be too many people – I want to enjoy a break without that risk or the concern.”

It’s not necessarily life on the ground that’s fueling all the apprehension either, boarding a plane to fly is in fact one of my father’s major concerns. “It’s a necessary evil at the moment – I think I’ll be ok in the airport, but if it’s a full plane I won’t feel comfortable,” he admits. But put frankly, “there’s not a lot else you can do at the moment.”

The memory of March’s mass exodus at Malaga airport is still fresh in his mind. “The airport on our return in March was uncomfortable and everybody was nervous – before that day I don’t think people had realised how serious the whole situation was and that will stick with me.”

I ask uncomfortable questions, like youngest children often do. What if they are forced into an unexpected quarantine? What if, heaven forbid, they caught the virus whilst there?

“Whilst quarantine in Spain doesn’t seem like such a bad prospect, because we have accommodation and our own space, the cost and experience would impact me. If there was any chance of that being imposed I won’t be going,” he confirms, as suspected.

He understands his cautious approach might not be shared by all of those around him though. “If I was 30 I probably wouldn’t be anywhere near as bothered, but because of my age [newly 60] I’m subsequently at greater risk. Add to that the thought of being in a Spanish hospital, alone, unable to speak the language, is enough to put anybody off. Plus at the moment the questions around getting insurance to cover coronavirus-related claims is a big concern,” he admits.

It remains to be seen if my parents will make it back to their Spanish bolthole this summer, but one thing is for certain my father will only fasten his seatbelt and secure his facemask once all facts have been calculated and considered. It’s not often holidays are approached with such caution, but in the new normal spontaneity and uncontrollable excitement must, it seems, make way for a degree of nervousness and vigilance.

Are you planning to travel to Spain this summer? Do you feel confident or nervous about your travels? Comment below.