Anonymous wrote:Our AP just asked to fly to Tampa for a week in July for her vacation. I'm incredibly uneasy about this, as cases in FL are spiking and it has the making of a new epicenter. She needs to know soon so she can book her flight. She's going with a friend who has a place there, so they won't stay in hotels at least.

You have to let her go or rematch. Give her extra for a direct flight and rental car.

Our AP just asked to fly to Tampa for a week in July for her vacation. I'm incredibly uneasy about this, as cases in FL are spiking and it has the making of a new epicenter. She needs to know soon so she can book her flight. She's going with a friend who has a place there, so they won't stay in hotels at least.

Most APs seem to be sensible about COVID. Some have gone home early but few seem to want to travel the US right now.

Our AP last week is in July and she wanted to go to the beach with her friends before going to her new family (she is extending with a new family in the area). She knows how I feel about traveling right now, so she asked to leave our house two weeks earlier so she can move with her friends and they can travel together, fine with me! She says her new family doesn't mind, pro to them!

My family is not ready for this next step yet. So we are not getting a new AP just yet.

Anonymous wrote:we are saying no to travel. the nice thing is that our ap is very smart and views travel as too risky. if things were different and she wanted to go anyway we would rematch. we have vulnerable members in our home. if an agency wants to blacklist me, fine.

Yikes! Let's hope she rematches to a more emotionally stable environment.

we are saying no to travel. the nice thing is that our ap is very smart and views travel as too risky. if things were different and she wanted to go anyway we would rematch. we have vulnerable members in our home. if an agency wants to blacklist me, fine.

I'm glad you started this thread OP.

We struggled with this one for a couple of months because so much was unknown about the virus. We even told our AP that she should feel free to rematch because we didn't know when we'd be comfortable with her traveling, etc.

Now that some time has passed and we feel like we can better assess our risk, we just told her to use her best judgment. She's an incredibly cautious person by nature, and we trust her.

I'm not comfortable telling her to not do things that she's legally able to do, if that makes sense.

But if things start to get bad (higher death rates, etc), then we'd have to revisit everything again.

I don’t understand how you can require that. If you choose to have her quarantine in a hotel/motel room after she gets back, you can do that provided that you pay for her food, room and stipend while she quarantines away from your family. But again, you can only require her to stay there for up to 45 hours during the week, so she can do whatever she wants locally during the rest of the time.

Absolutely! But a separate bathroom is not.

Anonymous wrote:No, we do not pay for her vacations. And to be clear, she is not going overnight - just day trips.

When she traveled with us for vacation, we always paid for everything and made sure to get a place that had an extra bedroom and bathroom for her to use exclusively. We also gave her ample free time to explore or relax on her own.

If she travels with you for vacation you are required to give her a separate room....

No, we do not pay for her vacations. And to be clear, she is not going overnight - just day trips.

When she traveled with us for vacation, we always paid for everything and made sure to get a place that had an extra bedroom and bathroom for her to use exclusively. We also gave her ample free time to explore or relax on her own.

Anonymous wrote:My AP has told me of at least three of her friends who live in our hard hit suburb and are now flying for vacations (like to San Francisco). I realize that these ladies are adults, but I am surprised that host families are allowing this. We have asked our AP to stick to drivable outdoor destinations for her remaining month. She traveled extensively prior to March. I am also curious what others are asking of their APs.

Are you paying for her rental and/or lodging?

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone setting limits for au pair vacations this year with the pandemic and no vaccination available? I’m curious as to how other families are handling this situation...staycation or vacation with host family only?

Legally you cannot do that - mandate that they spend their "vacation" locked in your house. You could rematch, but you might flagged by the agency as a rules-breaker.

My AP has told me of at least three of her friends who live in our hard hit suburb and are now flying for vacations (like to San Francisco). I realize that these ladies are adults, but I am surprised that host families are allowing this. We have asked our AP to stick to drivable outdoor destinations for her remaining month. She traveled extensively prior to March. I am also curious what others are asking of their APs.

Is anyone setting limits for au pair vacations this year with the pandemic and no vaccination available? I’m curious as to how other families are handling this situation...staycation or vacation with host family only?