travel

Belarus in crisis

Kate becomes joint president of Scout Association

Spoiler alert! Upcoming TV soap storylines

Coming up on Coronation Street, Todd Grimshaw's return could spell trouble for Eileen. On EastEnders, Callum continues to feel divided loyalties between his job and the Mitchells. Scarlett Brady comes back to haunt Ned Willis on Neighbours.

Bloody Sunday

Aer Lingus sues passenger after duty-free alcohol falls from overhead locker onto woman’s head

Woman lists vertigo and post-traumatic stress among her injuries

Japan's national parks join destinations seeking to woo remote workers

Japan is billing its national parks as the latest scenic base for remote workers.

'There's nowhere I'd rather be than Somerset's quintessential seaside town'

It’s half past nine on a balmy mid-September morning and the Butlin’s end of Minehead is ghostly quiet. Bar some gutsy swimmers bracing the biting Bristol Channel, I’ve almost got the coastline to myself. Serene isn’t exactly how I remember this buoyant beachfront.

Air tax to increase despite pleas from beleaguered travel industry

The Government is pressing ahead with plans to increase Air Passenger Duty (APD) despite pleas from the beleaguered travel industry to temporarily scrap the tax.

Coronavirus: Airlines not spacing out passengers on flights even when there are free seats

Passengers have ended up seated next to strangers despite room for distancing on board

Tui quarantines 12 crew members after they test positive for Covid-19

‘Thanks to the health measures in place and the vessel cleaning rules, there is no reason of concern for visitors and crew members,’ says tour operator

How a trip to a forgotten village in Slovakia brought an Auschwitz survivor's story to life

Heather Morris will never forget the home town of the Slovakian Auschwitz survivor whose story she told

Aviation industry collapse could be ‘equivalent of when mines closed in the north’, warns Heathrow chief

‘The aviation sector could be destroyed in this country and that would be a tragedy,’ says John Holland-Kaye

The truth about Hemingway, bullfighting and Pamplona

Sheila O’Flanagan gets to grips with Hemingway on a visit to Pamplona in northern Spain

Australia and New Zealand hoping for travel bubble in time for Christmas

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said travel between New Zealand and Australia could be possible before the end of the year if Covid cases continue to decline. New Zealand has only 59 active cases and 1,477 confirmed cases in total, while Australia has reported over 27,000 cases and 872 deaths. A travel bubble between the two countries was first mooted in May, but plans were put on hold after a resurgence of Covid in recent months in the southeastern state of Victoria. New Zealand, which is often held up as a country that has managed Covid-19 particularly well, also saw a spate of new cases in August after a cluster emerged in Auckland. However, effective contact-tracing prevented a major outbreak. Australia’s cases are back under control now, too. Yesterday, the country only reported four positive cases of Covid-19. Since Australia’s cases have levelled out, Ardern has said a bubble by the end of the year is “possible”. In an interview with TVNZ, Ardern said on Monday that Canberra originally wanted an Australia-wide approach. “We said that would slow things down,” she said. Instead, a ‘hotspot’ approach has been suggested, allowing travel to open up depending on the number of cases within an Australian state. Queensland, for example, has only reported six deaths since the beginning of the pandemic so would be a likely candidate for an early travel corridor. Victoria, on the flipside, has had 787 deaths and could remain off the cards for now. “What we would need to be assured of is that when Australia is saying 'okay we've got a hotspot over here', that the border around that hotspot means that people aren't able to travel into the states where we are engaging with trans-Tasman travel,” Ardern said. Australian politicians have publicly supported the idea of a travel bubble. However, details on how and when it will come into force, and whether arrangements would be reciprocal, lie in the hands of New Zealand, which has a stringent ‘zero Covid’ threshold. “Ultimately, whether New Zealand opens up to Australia will be a matter for New Zealand,” Australia’s Tourism Minister, Simon Birmingham, told Nine News on Sunday. It is thought that only New Zealand residents from the country’s South Island, which is deemed to be ‘Covid-free’ right now, would be allowed to travel in the first instance. In the early days of the pandemic, travel bubbles were put forward as a way of opening up tourism economies, but many have stalled. South Korea proposed a four-country arrangement with Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore, while Japan, which enacted one of the world’s strictest travel bans at the pandemic’s outset, suggested the idea to 10 other Asian countries, including China, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia. But cases have since spiked across Asia, and some tourism officials are suggesting borders won’t reopen until 2021 at the earliest. “I see no signal from the government that the country will open this year,” said Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya of Thailand’s Tourism Authority. “The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year, in February, which is an iffy proposition at best now. Unfortunately, this is not a rosy picture.” Europe has been more successful at opening up travel between countries. In June, borders reopened, although over the last few months a number of countries have imposed new travel bans on other countries due to rising cases of Covid-19. The UK’s travel corridor list was first unveiled on July 11, and featured 59 countries that British holidaymakers could visit without needing to quarantine on their return. Since then, a number of top holiday destinations including France, Spain, mainland Portugal, Croatia and a score of Greek islands have been removed from the ‘green list’. Europe is said to be considering a traffic light system, colour-coding countries based on their coronavirus infection rates.

A first look at SS La Venezia, the cruise ship that's more like a Venetian palazzo

Cruise line Uniworld has revealed the interiors of its highly anticipated new ship SS La Venezia, showing off its celebration of Venetian design house Fortuny.

New rules for skiing in France herald the end of après – but capacity on the slopes will not be cut

Ski resort bosses in France have revealed a raft of Covid safety measures for holidays in the Alps and the Pyrenees this winter.

Corona Curtain: exploring the new and invisible frontier through Europe

British visitors approaching the Swiss-German border on tram number 8 should alight from the rear to avoid two weeks of self-isolation

Can I leave a local lockdown to go on holiday?

Local lockdowns with differing restrictions and contrasting regulations in the home nations have made a mockery of calls for a clear, consistent message over Covid-19. For those planning holidays the situation has become more and more complex. Here is our guide to if and where you can go on holiday in Britain at the moment – whether you are in lockdown or not. My area has been locked down – am I allowed to go on holiday? England: If you live inside an area with local restrictions in England, you can still go on holiday outside that area (in Britain or abroad), as long as any indoor socialising you do is only with members of your own household or support bubble. However, it is permitted to stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast with another household if you avoid sharing rooms with people you do not live with and don’t socialise with them in restaurants and bars. The Government “advises against” sharing a caravan with another household and says you should not share a private vehicle with them to travel to your holiday destination. The countries you can (feasibly) visit right now Wales: The lockdown affecting much of South Wales is the most draconian in the UK. It is divided into several geographical areas which residents are not allowed to leave except for essential reasons. These include travelling to take a holiday, even if it had been booked and paid for and you stand to lose your money if you cancel (see below). Scotland: There are no specific legal bans on travel currently beyond the national rules on social distancing and meeting (see below). Other local restrictions are detailed here. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has, however, asked people not to book overseas holidays during the October half-term break. What if I cancel my holiday? This is a very problematic area. If you unilaterally cancel your holiday you will nearly always forfeit the cancellation costs. A few airlines and operators have said that they will allow customers who have already booked to postpone their holidays, but you have very little chance of a refund. People in lockdown in Wales are most likely to be affected. The advice from the Welsh government is not very reassuring. It acknowledges the likely disappointment, but goes on to say: “If you have pre-booked – and paid for a holiday – we would advise you to contact the travel agent or travel company to discuss the current situation [in your area] and the restrictions which have been put in place by the Welsh Government to restrict non-essential travel. You should also contact your travel insurer to discuss the situation – while many insurers have designed policies with coronavirus exclusion clauses, some annual policies may cover this situation.” This last point may be true, but it is clutching at straws and very few people are now likely to have cover for this. What about holidays in the UK for those not living under a local lockdown? England: Theoretically, you can travel anywhere in England, as long as you don’t socialise – or stay – in groups of more than six. You probably wouldn’t want to visit an area in lockdown, but it is not against the rules to do so, as long as you follow the guidance and don’t stay in self-catered accommodation, such as holiday cottages, apartments or boats, with people you do not normally live with. Wales: You may only travel into and out of restricted areas in Wales (see here) if you have a “reasonable excuse”, which includes going to work (where you can’t work from home) but not visiting for a holiday. There are no legal restrictions on people travelling to parts of Wales which are not under local restrictions. You can book a holiday with members of your household or extended household in self-contained accommodation or hotels, B&Bs; and campsites. The Welsh government is not exactly encouraging, however: “We are not telling people they shouldn’t come to these parts of Wales but we are asking people to think very carefully about making journeys.” Basically – you can come, but don’t expect us to welcome you. Scotland: You can go on holiday to or in Scotland as long as you respect the rule that in private indoor spaces, including holiday accommodation, you can only stay in one household. In public indoor spaces such as restaurants or pubs, you are allowed to meet up with one other household in a group of no more than six people. (Children under 12 don't count towards the total of people within this group of six). Outdoors, you are allowed to meet up with one other household. You can still book your household onto organised activities – outdoor activities, tours, coaches – alongside other unconnected households, as these operators are still allowed to take larger numbers where capacity allows. Full details are here. Note that Scotland specifically asks that those living in areas of England currently under tighter restrictions only travel to Scotland “for essential trips” and not for holidays.

Michael Palin: ‘Travel has become a commodity’

‘Travelling woke up my senses and emotions and showed me a whole new way of life, so I never noticed the male menopause’

Singapore Airlines to launch A380 restaurant, home delivery meal service and tours

Travelers who really miss getting on the plane can now reserve seats onboard Singapore Airlines A380 to dine, but not ‘fly’ to nowhere.

Man tries to smuggle gun through airport security in his shoe

‘This was an intentional effort on the part of this individual to try to board an airplane with a gun,’ says TSA director

How to go skiing this winter

How to go skiing this winterCovid-19 restrictions may seem daunting but ski resorts are open – and if the continent seems too far, hit the slopes in Scotland