With the government’s new traffic light system for travel currently in effect, you may be wondering what this means for you if you’re looking to book a holiday abroad this Summer or further down the line.
Read up on the latest information we have collated below, and we also recommend visiting the government website (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) before booking a holiday at home or abroad too.
Holidaying abroad
The government announced that travelling abroad (from England) can now resume, under the new traffic light system.
The traffic light system places countries into one of three categories – as you’d imagine, green, amber and red. Each come with rules for travel based on vaccinations, infection rates, how common Covid variants of concern are and finally, testing, and sequencing capacity.
Green countries: Passengers will not need to quarantine on return, but must take a pre-departure test, as well as a PCR test on return to the UK
Amber countries: Travellers will need to quarantine for 10 days, as well as taking a pre-departure test and two PCR tests. It is advisable that you do not travel to these countries for leisure.
Red countries: Passengers will have to pay for a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel which will cost £1750 per person, as well as a pre-departure test and two PCR tests. It is advisable that you do not travel to these countries for leisure.
At the time of writing, the government has announced 16 more countries outside the UK are moving onto the green list. This means after 30th June that 27 countries will be on the green list. Those returning to the UK from said destinations will need to take a pre-departure Covid-19 test and a PCR test on or before day two of their return. The cost of a PCR test was originally expected to set you back £120 per person although this appears to now be decreasing. Either way - if you do book a holiday abroad, remember to factor this (worst case scenario cost) into your overall budget.
With regards to countries moving in and out of the categories, the government has confirmed that there will be a green watch list to detect the countries in danger of moving from green to amber. Unlike last year’s travel corridors, the public will be given three weeks warning if a country is going to change colours.
Rules for holidaying abroad if you’re travelling from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are yet to be announced.
Holidaying in the UK
In England, people are now free to travel wherever they want within the borders and can now also holiday in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However the government has advised you steer clear of the following areas where the Delta Variant has been spreading, please check the government website (England: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do) for updates on these areas. You will also need to check if you are coming from one of these areas on restrictions from other parts of the UK which may be in place before booking your travel.
In terms of who to holiday with, you can go away with a group of up to 6 or if you are from up to 2 households (including their suppport bubbles) you can go in a larger group. Hotels and B&Bs re-opened their doors on 21st June, but you can still book self-contained accommodation if you prefer.
In Wales, people are free to travel wherever they want within their borders. Similarly, you can go away with people in your household or support bubble. Both self-contained accommodation and hotels are open for business with certain restrictions in place.
In Scotland and Northern Ireland, residents of each respected territory are free to travel within their own borders too - hotels, B&Bs, self-catering, caravan and camping sites are free to open and book, however different households are not permitted to share holiday accommodation yet. As previously mentioned there are some restrictions on travel to some of the places cases of the Delta Variant is rising in.
Checks to do and other considerations
Although prices may increase as the months roll on, don’t be tempted to book a cheap getaway purely based on the hope that it will go ahead.
Always double check the terms and conditions before you book. Some holiday providers may only require a small deposit up front but could also entail a high cancellation charge if you cannot or decide not to go ahead. Within the fine print, also check the airline’s or provider’s cancellation policy. If for whatever reason the trip can’t go ahead, you may have the benefit of being able to postpone until a later date but that doesn’t mean one rule applies for all.
Remember to always book with an Atol-protected company or agent and ensure that you pick the right travel insurance policy to go with it. To help protect your money, the policy should cover for financial failure and of course, look into what the conditions are relevant to the Coronavirus. Consider how you pay for your holiday too. Booking with a credit card will help protect your money - if your holiday falls through and the company or airline you have booked with refuses a refund, you can look to claim through your credit card company.
Bottom line, do your research before booking, and always remember that things can change. If your holiday can’t go ahead, it may be difficult or at least take some time to recoup all the costs you have paid out.
This information is correct as of the 25th June 2021, we will try and keep this updated as new information comes to light.
