Should I book my 2021 holiday now, and are there good deals? OLD
As a four-week lockdown begins in England, and people in Wales are told not to go on holiday outside the country, many prospective travellers want something to look forward to.
The travel industry, meanwhile, which has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic and government restrictions, is desperate to take bookings on a meaningful scale. Companies hope to tap into the appetite for travel from frustrated holidaymakers.
Accordingly, a wide range of flights, package holidays and cruises for 2021 and even 2022 are available for booking now.
What are the current rules on travel?
People living in England may not start holidays before 3 December 2020. Wales is currently in a “firebreak lockdown,” which eases on 9 November – but from then on, international travel will still be banned for Welsh residents.
Travellers from Scotland can go abroad, including from airports in England.
Until 13 November, people in Northern Ireland are told to "avoid all unnecessary travel.”
The Foreign Office warns against non-essential travel to the vast majority of destinations, and anyone arriving back in the UK must self isolate for 14 days.
Meanwhile foreign countries have a tangle of restrictions for international visitors, from pre-departure test requirements to outright bans.
Plenty of uncertainty remains about whether much meaningful travel will be practicable during the last few weeks of 2020.
The travel industry hopes to persuade customers that they can confidently commit to holidays next year and beyond. But be warned that choice is narrower and prices likely to be higher than in previous years.
A New Year city break?
British Airways is offering three-night holidays in Barcelona with dozens of hotels to choose from at a fixed price of £159 per person for the weekend of 8 to 11 January, including flights to and from London Heathrow (with checked baggage) and, in some hotels, breakfast.
From Manchester, easyJet holidays has three nights in Paris from 22 to 25 January for £188 per person – including checked bags but not breakfast.
But am I allowed to travel?
Not if the current rules apply. Both Spain and France, the two most popular international destinations for British holidaymakers, are off limits at present, with the Foreign Office warning they are “unacceptably high risk”.
If you book now and government restrictions mean you cannot travel, these and other companies selling proper package holidays – flights and accommodation bought at the same time – will allow you to cancel without penalty.
Note that some online travel agents, including On The Beach and Love Holidays, which package scheduled budget flights with accommodation, have declined refunds for the air fare portion of the deal. It has yet to be decided if that is legal.
In addition, at present it is possible that flights between the UK and the European Union could be grounded from 1 January 2021 in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told the virtual convention of Abta, the travel association: “We’re seeking arrangements that will maintain connectivity.”
But there is currently no legal framework for flights to continue to operate next year.
Can I go skiing?
The leading winter sports companies believe you can. Neilson has a week in the 24-room Chalet Hotel Edelweiss in the Italian resort of Sauze d’Oulx for £755 per person, including flights from Manchester to Turin, transfers, breakfast and afternoon tea daily and six evening meals with wine. The nearest lift is just 50m away.
Although in Italy, local restrictions mean ski slopes are currently closed.
If the trip is going ahead, you can still amend your holiday free of charge up to two weeks before departure to an alternative winter holiday.
Many people believe that restrictions will ease with time. As Easter Sunday in 2021 is relatively early (4 April), it includes opportunities for skiing. The same Neilson holiday is only £635 if you depart on 28 March and return on Easter Sunday.
We need a family February half-term holiday with some sunshine
A package holiday to the Canary Islands is normally the obvious choice. Late in October, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and their sister islands were opened up to British tourists, but English and Welsh holidaymakers are not currently able to travel there.
In addition, the Canaries government is introducing mandatory pre-departure PCR tests for incoming visitors planning to stay in registered accommodation (which includes all holiday hotels).
For many schools, the holiday is 13–21 February 2021. Tui has a week in Fuerteventura, departing from Birmingham on 13 February, for £569 per person based on a family of four, staying at the self-catering Hotel Broncemar Beach.
What about summer?
Prices for summer 2021 are higher than those last year, according to Britain's biggest holiday company, Tui. The reason: demand from holidaymakers who were not able to travel in 2020 and postponed their trips rather than cancelling for a refund.
But there are some competitive deals for those prepared to commit. Jet2 Holidays has a week at the Be Smart Terrace in the village of Porches on Portugal’s Algarve for £469 per person, based on a family of four, including flights from Leeds Bradford, checked baggage and transfers.
Is Florida a possibility?
President Trump’s proclamation of 14 March put Florida and the rest of the US off limits, but that is likely to change by next summer.
A half-term break departing from Heathrow to Orlando on 22 May 2021 with Virgin Holidays costs just £501 per person, based on a family of four, including flights with baggage and accommodation at the Champions World Resort in Kissimmee – handy for most theme parks.
Can I go on a cruise?
Logistically, the complexity of the cruise industry, involving crew and customers from across the world, and voyages typically calling at many destinations, has made it particularly vulnerable to the tangle of restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
It also has an image problem. Diamond Princess became a coronavirus hotspot in her own right while being held in quarantine in Japan, while several countries – including the UK – warn their citizens not to board cruise ships.
When cruising begins at scale, all passengers and crew will need to be tested before they’re allowed on board.
Cruise lines may insist on “official excursions only”, which will put some people off.
But the hard-pressed cruise firms are coming up with some attractive deals. P&O has a week’s fly-cruise on Azura starting with flights from London to Malta, and calling at Athens and the Greek islands of Crete, Santorini and Rhodes, for £949 per person.
Should I wait until the last minute?
Many travellers will do just that, simply to reduce the scope for unexpected events to thwart plans.
You will certainly reduce risk exposure. You might also get a deal, but conversely you could find that prices rise sharply as availability dwindles.
What sort of insurance should I take out – and when?
Any trip that you buy should be covered by insurance, so take it out at the time of purchase. Increasingly many policies include cover for coronavirus-related cancellations and the cost of Covid-19 treatment aborad.
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will cease to be effective from 1 January 2021, so free medical treatment will no longer be available for British travellers to the European Union.
My passport runs out in 2021 – when should I renew?
Now could be a good time; the collapse in tourism means online renewals are fast at present. From 1 January 2021, tough new rules on passport validity for British travellers to the EU will apply.
Should I seriously book now for 2022?
Some people are doing so, with Britain's biggest holiday company, Tui, putting trips on sale up to October 2022.
Cruise lines, too, are seeking to get customers on board. Royal Caribbean has a week’s Western Caribbean cruise departing from New Orleans on 30 April 2022, for £503 per person – though flights are not included.
To boost confidence, as long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your sail date, you’ll receive a “future cruise credit” valid for up to a year from the original sailing.
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