*Note: Sorry this post is very late, I got stuck in Germany for a week so I was busy stressing over that situation, more on that below, enjoy!*
Hi everyone,
During crazy times like these, I see many people are not up for travelling. This is mostly due to restrictions and obvious concern for personal safety, which is understandable. Yet, nevertheless, I decided to travel to Germany by car with my boyfriend, he was an exchange student but had to rush home due to the virus and he left a lot of his things in his apartment there, so we decided to go and collect them and give the keys back for the flat.
I thought it would be a good idea to show you what it was like travelling during the current circumstances. Not by plane but by car and ferry, show you what restrictions and checks are happening and what countries are doing to keep their citizens safe.
During this time, I was filming the process and I was going to post it here in a vlog format, but I found out quickly I am not good at vlogging, I hate myself on camera and scraped the whole idea, maybe next time!
Also, as mentioned in the note above, we got stuck in Germany. We were supposed to only be there for 2 days, to pack and go. But as we were packing up the car to leave on the 4th we noticed something leaking from the car, and it was the engine coolant.
The part had to be delivered from France to fix the car (as we have a right-hand drive car) so we had to wait a week and then finally made it home. But originally we were supposed to make it back to the UK before the new self-isolation rule, but we did not, which kind of makes this more interesting to write as there were a lot more checks at border control on the way back!
Enough explanations, below are the experiences from travelling during CO-VID19 by car and ferry, enjoy.
LEAVING THE UK:
When we arrived at Dover port, we were asked for our passports as usual, but before we got there we did some research and found out that while travelling through France and Belgium, you need to have this document filled out, it consisted of your name, why you were travelling etc. Also, it was advised to have some sort of proof of residency or any other document to prove your reason for travelling through the country. So we did as asked, Dawid had his residency agreement and proof of being enrolled in the university he was in. None of that was asked for, nothing, just passports and that’s it, just as if there was no pandemic, we got on the ferry and that was that. The funny thing was that when we drove up the first checkpoint, we passed the man at the widow our passports, which are Polish. He said, and I quote, “Ah Polish? you can go”.
FERRY:
While also doing research as mentioned before, we found out that DFDS (the ferry company we were using) required you to wear a mask and gloves while on board. So me and Dawid were prepared, got out the car in gloves and masks, and then looked like absolute idiots. No one else was wearing masks or gloves, not even the crew! We kept ours on just for the sake of it, I mean we went through the effort might as well follow along now. Other than that it was just like any other ferry ride, which was common for the both of us as we travel to Poland by car a lot, there was just not as many people as usual, which is understandable due to the virus.
FRANCE AND BELGIUM:
We didn’t stop in these countries a lot, so not much to say here, we stopped at one service stop in Belgium, same on the way back, and people were just wearing masks and as in the UK, social distancing. So obviously we did the same and were back in the car on our way.
GERMANY:
When we finally arrived in Germany, we first went to do some small shopping for the expected few days we were going to be there, we went into the store and everyone is wearing masks, everyone except us. At the time we didn’t know the current rules so we just did our shopping quickly and went home, to then later find out that it is mandatory to wear masks in enclosed spaces, but outdoors you don’t have to wear them. Now for the rest of our time in Germany, we followed these rules and it was all okay. Also, we found out that when you go to restaurants, you need to sanitize your hands, sign some paperwork with your details on there (not really clear on why as it was all written in German) and wear masks until you were seated, same with bars.
BORDER CONTROL RETURNING:
After a stressful time in Germany, we were finally on our way back, and this was during the mandatory UK self-isolation period (which I am currently on day 4 of, 10 days to go!) So we went through about 4 different windows, 2 of them were France border control, where they just checked our passports, asked if we have the documents the UK now requires and that’s it. Then when we entered UK border control, they checked the car, asked us to open the boot, checked all of our documents and made sure we understood that we had to quarantine for 14 days. So due to the new self-isolation for travellers in the UK rule, it was a lot more strict than on the way there, I even got a call the following day checking up on me seeing if I am home but for now that’s all!
So finally, the restrictions of travelling during CO-VID19 are not that bad, other than the now self-isolation in the UK. You just have to be well prepared, safe, and follow the rules in place. Of course, it is not like travelling used to be, but for now, if you want to travel then this is some of the things you will have to abide by!
Stay safe,
Love, Kasia x
P.S. They didn’t even fix the car properly, the engine coolant is still leaking from somewhere and we had to keep filling it up on the way, on to the next mechanic I guess.
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