With lockdown ending, vaccines coming along like London buses and quarantine restrictions slashed, things are finally looking up. They're also moving fast, which tends to throw up more questions than answers. Enter the cavalry (that's us). Granted, we can't untangle the complications of day-to-day life (which family household to leave out in the cold at Christmas, for example), but we can shed a clarifying light on the travel rules. To make this as easy as possible, we've gone with the classic means of evaluation - The Five Ws and How - to explain where you can go now, in 2021 and beyond.
When?
From 15th December, the rules for quarantine on return to the UK are changing. Instead of the mandatory 14-day quarantine when returning from any country not on the air corridor list, you will now be able to take a Covid-19 test five days after returning and if it's negative then quarantine is over. This means that a Christmas getaway is yours for the taking, but we also recommend booking for 2021 and beyond to have something to look forward to.
Who?
(That's you).
What?
After such a long stretch without the pleasure of travel, you might want to consider a longer trip where you can really get to know a place - a key element to our Travel Less Travel Better philosophy - or even a sabbatical, to seriously get away from it all. Those who want to stay closer to home might consider a road trip to Europe or to explore the continent by train. Families can take the whole extended brood away on a multi-generational trip to make up for lost time, and those with new babies can take advantage of our family travel expertise to find the hotels and destinations that best look after new parents.
Where?
Whether you're after a sun-soaked getaway to the Maldives, a wildlife-filled adventure in Namibia or a winter break to the Greek Islands, we're always keeping an eye on where exactly is open for travel. We regularly update our website with a list of the countries where you can go on holiday now and your region specific consultant will explain the latest entry requirements for your proposed destination.
Why?
We don't have to convince you that going on holiday is a good idea, surely?
And Finally, How?
Travel is becoming easier, particularly when you book with Original Travel. We've looked at every facet of the holiday experience and introduced extra booking flexibility, improved airport services, coronavirus-covering travel insurance and more so you can explore the world with absolute confidence. Most importantly, many countries now require that you provide a negative Covid-19 test from within 72 or 48 hours of arrival (depending on the destination), so to make things even easier for you, we can help you organise these PCR tests (which, fun fact, test for the active virus antigen in your system) before you travel so that you don't have to worry about getting it all done in time. And on your return, to take advantage of the reduced quarantine time, you need to arrange a LAMP test (different from the PCR test). Again, we can point you in the right direction.