Emigrating during the covid19 worldwide pandemic is not for the fainthearted. This is also not my first post about emigrating to the UK; you can read the other post here. But this post is being written in our final weeks in South Africa before we embark on our move to the UK.

where the uk is at

Currently, as a red listed country, South Africans (amongst many other countries around the world) have to complete a compulsory (and costly) stay in an airport hotel upon arrival in the UK. But before you even get there, you have to find an airline that can get you to the UK! That’s a whole mission on its own because many countries are not allowing South Africans to pass their borders.

The UK airport hotel compulsory quarantine costs £1750 for the first adult, plus £650 for the 2nd adult or child over 11 years. A child aged 5 – 11 is an additional £325. But, if you want to get 2 rooms as you’re 4 or more people in the family you pay £1750 for both parents… and then even getting 2 inter-leading rooms is your next hurdle.

compulsory hotel quarantine

The airport hotels are under immense pressure with this compulsory hotel quarantine for people travel to / emigrating during covid19, and many (ok most) are failing dismally! People are liking it to being in prison. Terrible food, let outside (with security escort) for just 15 minutes a day and basically treated like a deathrow inmate!

I have read way too many posts from people about these appalling situations they find themselves in for 11 nights! And to be 110% honest with you, my mental health won’t survive that. I will be coming out the other side in a straight-jacket and heading straight for the mental ward!

jokes aside

Jokes aside (I’m not actually joking though), we are looking at alternative ways to get to the UK but avoid the hotel quarantine.

If one travels through an amber or green list country then you either quarantine at your UK residence for 10 days with 2 covid tests or not at all respectively. I can 100% handle home-based quarantine no problems!

But, the UK seems to update their traffic light system every 2 – 4 weeks so that means that, if you’re traveling through another country on route to the UK and the UK change their list whilst you are there, you might get stuck there or still have to do quarantine in the UK hotel on arrival.

basically it’s a shit show

Let’s also remember that our (Mr M & both boys) visas were meant to be issued from 25 June but when they arrived back they were valid from 26 April… so we have 90 days (until 25 July) to get into the country and collect the BRP’s! Hence all my stress; we had planned to leave in August / early September and now we need to go ASAP.

so where to from here?

Emigrating during covid19 is going to be rough no matter which way you approach it. For us, going via an amber (or green) country is first prize and we need to move quite quickly before rules change again. Currently Egypt is our best (and only real) option so we are looking at firstly what it’s going to cost vs hotel quarantine and secondly when we can realistically leave.

We are very fortunate that we are able to look at alternatives as I know there are many people that have to do the hotel quarantine as extra cash is just not available to them.

Each person / family’s emigration journey is unique and different, but we all need to be grateful that we have this opportunity for ourselves and our children.

Much love xxx