Press Release

At 11pm on 31 December, the Transition Period will have concluded and new rules for travel to the EU will apply. Brexit will be complete. Notwithstanding the current travel bans imposed on the UK by many member states due to the new Covid mutation, the ease with which British passport-holders have been able to travel to the bloc is about to be replaced with new procedures.

Covid restrictions

Perhaps 2020 was the year you’d planned to travel in a big way. The year you’d seek out secret beaches muttered about by in-the-know locals. The year you’d camp in a rainforest, see waters lit by bioluminescence and have a celebratory swig of something strong atop a wind-battered mountain. 

The Canary Islands have been granted a travel corridor, transport secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed via Twitter.

The islands have been added to the government’s safe list alongside the Maldives, Denmark and Mykonos, which is restored having been previously removed.

The only country to be removed from the list this week is Liechtenstein, Shapps confirmed in a second tweet.

Following an update to the implementation of changes to corridors last week, the new rules will apply from 4am on Sunday, October 25.

Travel agents are the first responders in our industry.  Chaotic government guidelines coupled with fears over financial protection and insurance coverage make people reluctant to travel at all. As travel has become increasingly complicated, it is the role of travel agents to step in and restore consumer confidence and reassure travellers that the world is still open for exploring.

Indeed, recent research from OutThere magazine reports a staggering rise from 42% to 66% globally from direct booking to booking through a travel agent or tour operator. And this is set to soar.

The German word “fernweh” describes a debilitating “longing for distant places” – which avid travellers suffer more than most

But the pandemic, of course, has grounded us and curtailed even the making of future plans to escape. Consequently, many of us are beginning to feel quite sick of home – of the kitchen and cooking, of the television blaring bad news, of the neighbours and their infernal strimming machines and, now that autumn is upon us, leafblowers.

As the vestige of European summertime slips beyond the western horizon, our thoughts traditionally turn towards the prospect of winter sunshine. Perhaps a little Bajan calypso? A touch of shopping in Dubai? And now, mojitos in Havana?

Yet never in recent times has it been so hard to predict what will be available. 

Soon 2020 holiday blues will finally come to an end, there's a faint whiff of optimism in the air that holidays may not be too far away, and everyone is finally crawling out of social hibernation to start the new decade once and for all. Never ones to be left behind, we are already thinking about what 2021 holds. To help your fill your calendar with exotic destinations to daydream about, here are our predictions for the best 2021 holidays to help you craft your "Very Far In Advance Travel Plans"

Double Up on Lions in South Africa 

The Foreign Office (FCO) currently advises against all non-essential travel to every country in the world and this advice runs until April 15, but the travel ban may be extended, so don’t assume travel after this date will go ahead.

However, if it's you who doesn't want to travel abroad this summer, don’t assume you’ll be able to get your money back yet.

Which? Travel editor Rory Boland says: “The best advice we can give at this stage is not to cancel just yet, and wait until the FCO updates its advice against all foreign travel.

Navigating turbulence in the travel industry

Over the last 12 - 18 months, the travel industry has had to contend with the demise of Flybe, Monarch and Thomas Cook, uncertainty around Brexit, flight strikes and now the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is causing turmoil for travel professionals and travellers. 

We’ve all been there – your job is stressing you out, money worries are constantly on your mind and the classic British weather is making your daily outings more like a trek through a monsoon rainforest. Everyday life has a funny way of building up, and before you know it, these little nuisances feel like they are taking over – causing unhelpful tension and anxiety. 

You can’t tackle any of life’s problems, big or small, when you’re worried and worked up. So, the best cure: a spa and wellbeing vacation!