A lifestyle expat travel blog about culture, history, Brexit, the Royal Family, travels around the world, Europe, and being British in Berlin!
Posted on July 20, 2020 by thebritishberliner
You might have wondered where I got to.
Well, I didn’t go far.
We went on holiday.
Yipee!
At last!
A family holiday.
In Germany!
Hurrah!
Now don’t get carried away with visions of some sort sort of exotic get-away ‘cos you’re mistaken. In case you’ve forgotten, we’re still slap bang in the middle of a global pandemic!
So similar to most of you, we wanted the outdoors and a bit of fresh air.
We opted for the Baltic Sea!
Gasp!
Shock!
I know!
But can you go on a European holiday?
Sure!
Should you?
Nope!
Now don’t get your knickers in a twist.
By all means, take a breather and go SOMEWHERE!
But.
My advice six weeks ago is still valid.
For unnecessary tourist movement.
Do not travel outside your country or local region!
And here’s why:
Spain gets Covid pretty much under control, and then the Brits roll up.
— Jane💙 (@JaneRemain) July 14, 2020
My god. There are a lot of selfish, ignorant bastards about.https://t.co/q8ZRCYGBTJ
Party trotz #Corona? #Mallorca ist dicht, in Bulgarien geht es weiter. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/jXOk2ho5y8
— Kontraste (@ARDKontraste) July 17, 2020
Soviel Rücksichtslosigkeit ist schwer zu ertragen. Wenn Ballermann Urlauber krank zurückkommen und vielleicht teure intensivmedizinische Behandlung benötigen erwarten sie ohne Bedenken die Übernahme der teilweise 6stelligen Kosten durch Solidargemeinschaft https://t.co/beHww4IHTb
— Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) July 12, 2020
Hunderte Deutsche haben am Wochenende ohne Schutzmasken am #Ballermann gefeiert pic.twitter.com/QOdsHE9VWp
— ZDF heute-show (@heuteshow) July 13, 2020
In Österreich kommen schon die ersten Coronainfizierten aus dem Urlaub zurück. Ballermann Urlaube sind leider die perfekte Vorbereitung einer 2ten Welle. Idealerweise müssten alle Urlaubsrückkehrer auf das Virus getestet werden, sinnvoller als Massentests https://t.co/zG7aKEzShM
— Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) July 12, 2020
I mean, what is going on?
Can’t we be trusted to abide by social distancing rules, in a foreign country not our own?
Obviously not!
Now before you send me all the hate, understand that nobody is expecting you to hide in your basement, live like a nun or never go out.
That’s not what I’m saying.
What I’m saying, is what I’ve been saying for weeks.
STAY LOCAL!
We wanted somewhere small so we chose Rügen!
Rügen is an island on the Baltic Sea Coast and just a couple of hours from Berlin.
We don’t have a car in our suburb of Prenzlauerberg in Berlin and neither do we need one, so we rented a rather large car as we needed to put everything in it.
Any by everything, I mean blankets, bed sheets, towels, food, condiments, beer, wine and disinfectant.
Just in case you understand!
Sure you can!
We arrived a little later than planned, checked into our lovely seaside apartment house – the Villa Bergfrieden – in Göhren – otherwise known as Ostseebad Göhren or the Göhren Baltic Seaside Resort!
It was very nice.
Most importantly, it was very quiet!
We loved Rügen, I’m sure you’ll love it too.
I’m going to write more about in in the coming weeks, meanwhile here are some of my favourite photographs.
Enjoy!
Obviously, you need to live in the EU at the moment, or be one of the lucky nations allowed to send tourists to Germany.
If you’d like to go to the other parts of Germany, please do your research via the following official federal state office or local tourism board:
Because like everywhere else in the world, things can change. Germany is brilliantly safe but no where on earth is by any means guaranteed as due to recent Covid-19 break-outs, some German destinations aren’t always allowing German native tourists either!
In fact, some German states are insisting that you bring documentation proving that you have tested negative for COVID-19 in the last 48 hours before travel!
Sadly, if you live or have recently been to Gütersloh or Warendorf, nobody wants you visiting their town!
German federal states will now require negative COVID-19 tests from out-of-state visitors who live in areas hit by a coronavirus outbreak. https://t.co/Lbgmo8Esck
— DW News (@dwnews) June 27, 2020
Here are some recommendations:
p.s If you’re booking hotels, houses and apartments, use this link to save 20% or more, between 5th January and 31st March 2021!
Booking.comAs much as I love train travel, I wouldn’t recommend using public transport at the moment and for goodness sake, try not to fly!
To be candid, the countries that we, as Germans and expat Brits, absolutely CANNOT travel to right now are the Balkan countries (minus Croatia), Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia, Moldova. And the rest of the entire world!
As far as the German Federal Office is concerned, the travel warning for the vast majority of the globe will continue until at least August 31st, although it might change and be lifted on a country-by-country basis.
Because as you might have already seen, NOT every country is allowing everyone in.
Some countries request that you self-isolate or entry is restricted or you might be asked to quarantine.
If you’re from the USA or a “third country” outside the EU, quite frankly, you’re buggered right now!
And besides, for most countries, and certainly in Germany, foreign travel isn’t recommended at all!
However if you insist, here’s a list of Europe’s country-by-country travel restrictions explained as well as the very reliable web platform created by the EU!
Obviously, no-one is going to tie you in ropes IF you do go abroad, but if anything goes wrong, you’re on your own!
The fact is that primarily tourists destinations are over-whelmed, and there’s a legitimate and very huge risk that if you DO travel far and wide, your destination might have a sudden increase in outbreak, your friends or family might get infected, you are forced into quarantine for a certain unforeseeable amount of time, and if you’re very unlucky, the borders might close.
Again!
If you’re tired of reading bad news or anything at all about covid19, check out my upbeat and funny posts here instead!
Is this the future?
The stark reality is, there is NO “business as usual.”
How can there be?
Until we get a vaccine, and perhaps, even beyond.
There’s only a “new normal.”
The simple fact is, the COVID-19 isn’t a conspiracy theory, it isn’t the end of time, and the stock market isn’t more important than people’s lives, but given the closeness, speed, reliance and ease in which we connect via global trade or travel, is a real legitimate worry.
Start thinking about a staycation as most regions around the world, are beginning to re-open.
In fact, this might be the time to jump in your car / on your bike, and explore where you live.
Yep!
It’s time to go local and explore!
But remember, no jumping on the nearest plane and causing havoc abroad!
Just ‘cos there’s a relaxation of lockdown doesn’t mean that Covid-19 has disappeared.
It hasn’t.
It’s still very much with us and likely to be around for quite some time!
So if you’re looking for a change of scenery, stay local!
Even better, stay home!
I mean, come on!
Is it just me?
See you next week!
Stay on top of things by listening / reading the news, but don’t go mad. Watch or read once, then switch it off!
To be sure, life will NOT be what it was before and you can expect real change about the way we choose to live, and the political leaders you can trust.
Speaking of trust. As far as travel blogs are concerned, you can trust ME!
I do NOT write about places that I haven’t personally been to.
I do NOT get paid to write on my blog.
All content will continue to remain free of charge but if you feel like buying me a cup of tea, I will graciously accept!
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Once again if you can, please do stay at home, keep your distance from others, and flatten the curve!
Better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t forget, please SHARE this post!
Rügen – In Pictures!
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If you want to keep up with reliable news on what’s going on around the world, you can follow me here.
Don’t forget.
Click here!
And book your luxury hotel for 2021 right here!
Don’t judge me!
This article is not sponsored, and all thoughts and opinions, are my very own!
A huge thanks goes to all the many doctors, nurses, healthcare staff, keyworkers and volunteers world-wide, who have and are still, putting their lives on the line in order to help others.
Thank you.
July is going to be something most of us have never ever seen in our lifetime before.
See you soon!
Watch this space!
DISCLOSURE!
Please note that The British Berliner is a participant in affiliate programmes designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to World Nomads Travel Insurance & Booking.com.
In short, there are two affiliate link companies connected to this post!
Every time one of these services is used, booked, and paid for via my link, I get a little percentage, but at no extra cost to yourself!
A win-win for all!
Note! I never travel without insurance as you never know what might happen.
I learnt my lesson in Spain. And obviously, in countries like Qatar, where technically the risk is higher, I can’t imagine going that far beyond WITHOUT INSURANCE. No siree! You can get yours here, at World Nomads!
So what are you waiting for?
Thanks a million!
See you in Berlin.
If you have any questions, send me a Tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on LinkedIn, make a comment below or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com
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I'm a British girl from Manchester living in Berlin with my German husband and my half British – half German son. My blog is a lifestyle expat travel blog and puts a focus on my promotion of culture, history, travels around the world, Europe, Brexit, the Royal Family, British-German life and being British in Berlin - I am The British Berliner!
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