You have to giggle . . .

A week or so before Christmas as we watch the Covid19 case numbers continue to rise in the UK, we thought we have to escape now. Fortunately an upside of the rising case numbers and challenges of Covid19 travel paperwork is that hardly anyone else was escaping. So we managed to book ourselves on a flight on New Year’s Day and find a slot at a pre travel Covid19 test centre. We decided to take a ‘belt and braces’ approach to the test and booked a PCR rather than lateral flow. We didn’t want to be caught out at the last minute if the rules changed, and also felt more confident the PCR would be accepted by the Portuguese authorities. Self-administered tests are a no-no in Europe for travel and we didn’t want to risk getting a certificate that didn’t meet the minimum data set – more here on the Covid19 paperwork.

The company we used – TAC – had good reviews and were based at our local airport, so we felt confident it would go okay. It did; the day of test it was a slick process and whilst we had paid for results to be returned within 24 hours they were with us in less than 12.

Our airline caused us a minor panic when they emailed us to say our test certificate also had to state what type of swab had been taken, but after contacting TAC they reassured us there was no need for that information for Portugal. They did though confirm in writing for us the type of swab so I could print that off on the back of our certificate just in case!

We printed everything off after we had checked in online and completed the Passenger Locator Form for the Portuguese authorities. I even sorted them into a folder so they could easily be shown. You can use your phone to show digital versions, but I wouldn’t recommend it having watched airport staff and passengers struggle to find and check everything that way.

On day of travel we had a bag to drop off and so all our paperwork was checked at that point. The 30 minutes spent in the queue before hand was probably the most stressful queue wait ever. We had already overheard a passenger on their phone telling a friend how they had been refused travel because they did not have the right Covid19 paperwork, and we observed another couple being turned away shortly after. A family also had problems, although we later saw them on the flight so they must have got their paperwork sorted out just in time. Our belt and braces approach worked, and all looked good for the flight.

And the flight was just fine, we had an exit row to ourselves – MrB was one side of the aisle and me the other – there was a sunset view and we arrived ahead of schedule. Now we just need to get through the Covid19 checks and immigration.

That went fine too. Our PCR test certificate was checked against passport and accepted, and then we just had to show our residency permits and passports to immigration. Both queues moved quickly and the staff were lovely.

We had arrived!

It was with a huge sigh of relief we got into the taxi for the apartment, and it was less than 25 minutes later we were making ourselves a cup of tea. Would have been 20 minutes but our keys needed to be updated by the hotel!

We could finally relax we were back . . . . . . . . . or could we?

Yup a 4.4 earthquake occurred, and its shallow depth and close proximity meant we felt it. No damage occurred, just a very weird sensation. Also a relief we were not in the lift at that time!

After a day full of anxiety and stress, no wonder we got the giggles.

Our unusual welcome didn’t stop there though. I woke early this morning, and couldn’t wait to get out for my first sunrise walk. Instead I found myself enjoying a second cup of tea and pondering whether someone somewhere was trying to tell us something.

This was the view from the back of the apartments just before sunrise. What a welcome, you have to laugh!

Author: BeckyB

It had been a good life walking, cooking, photographing, volunteering, blogging, and best of all spending time with MrB, family, & friends. Sadly it is no longer what it was, as suddenly and unexpectedly I became a widow.

36 thoughts

  1. Isn’t it wierd? We had clear blue skies till about 10.30! Then the fog snuck in… and was gone again by 1. Keeps us on our toes. Glorious afternoon.

    1. Like you took until 1pm to properly clear, but you were lucky to wake up to blue skies at least! Such a strange morning after the earthquake the evening before.

  2. Well, you seem to have had enough adventures to last a long time. But a cup of tea? That sounds an incongruous start! Happy New Year in Portugal! xx

        1. I’m sure it is absolutely delicious, just that my taste buds refuse to agree! They’re the same on coffee, and also ginger in sweet dishes. I’ve tried talking to them but they won’t change their minds!!

  3. You has a smooth flight. you were prepared and covid tested and proved. Portugal decided to have a little dance for your return. And now you were able to relax and have more tea. I’d call that perfection. You’ll get plenty of sunrises 😀 😀

    1. Thanks Andrew. I really hope so. Travelling in October was a breeze compared to yesterday’s trip. So glad we’ve come back though

  4. Becky, congratulations for getting out of the UK without incident. Seems like you covered all the bases well. Malcolm and I like ‘printed’ everything and although I do use my phone for digital flight info, some things are just too important to chance. You seem to take the earthquake in stride. Is that a regular occurrence? I could do with an escape to Portugal about now. Happy New Year

    1. I do the same as you printed and digital but so noticeable the printed passengers were having an easier time.

      There are really small ones regularly but this size less common thank goodness. Their biggest concern is tsunamis as it is so low lying this part of Portugal.

  5. At least you’re there, Becky, earthquakes and dense fog aside. Doing anything these days is a bit of a faff; although I have a feeling faff-free days are now not too far away… earthquakes and dense for aside! 🙂

  6. Well that’s put me off flying for now. But I’m glad you managed to get away. Hope you both stay safe and enjoy your stay. How long for this time?

    1. Definitely need to be committed to the journey to even start it these days. Probably why we have no idea when we’re going to return!

      1. I guess you are restricted to the 90 days in 180 rule? Not sure how that works with you already having stayed there. Life and travel is so very complicated now.

        1. Back in November when we arrived we did start calculating, as the 180 days is a rolling count hence spending whole of December back in the UK. However we have been accepted on our residency permits this trip and so the count no longer applies, thank goodness. Not sure how long we can continue to use them but at this this trip we can relax. In future we will probably do the 90 days in one block between January and March, which would then enable us to do repeat trips in early autumn

  7. I’m glad the journey went well even if you did feel rather stressed at the time. I think I like that view – the clear alternative sounds dreadful 🙂 Happy New Year by the way, I hope it’s a good one for you 🙂

    1. We’re glad too.

      Ah its not as bad as has been suggested. The camper vans have been visiting for years, and we’ve never seen the behaviour mentioned. The other campers would soon have something to say.

  8. It improves the view, as otherwise you might see the illegal camper Vans, emptying their loos.
    Welcome to Olhao

    1. hee hee, I know bit of a shock to see so many there. Fortunately we don’t look that way very often, and they are hidden a bit by the buildings.

      Don’t quite understand why they have created car park for them all but no facilities.

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