Summer 2020 - Right On, or Write Off?

The travel industry has spend months debating whether or not Summer 2020 holidays would happen - either within the UK or abroad - and thanks to the FCO announcement on 04 July 2020 that they had lifted the travel restrictions, summer was officially back on! However, some people still have a lot of apprehension about travelling and I am regularly being asked, "Should I go abroad this summer?" The answer is, only you can make that decision. But it may help if you are armed with more facts to help you make the right informed decision, based on what is right for you and your family. I'll give you some information here, but this is a condensed view. Please take time to investigate further, and also keep in mind that the UK and every other country are regularly changing advise as the Covid-19 situation continues to change. If you are reading this today, it's all valid. After today, please double check any guidance before travel....

Where can I go? Most of the UK is open for holidays, but has been selling well for weeks now, so whilst there is availability, it is limited, so you may not get exactly what you are looking for. If you want to travel abroad, there are lots of options, and currently, holiday prices are significantly less than they usually would be, particularly during the school summer holidays, which for most of England, commence on Friday of next week (19 July). For a current list of where you are allowed to travel to from the UK, please check the FCO webiste. However, remember that whilst we are being allowed to travel there, it doesn't mean all of those nations will permit us entry from the UK. Some countries still have their borders closed to UK citizens/residents. What will travel be like? Regulations state that before entering any airport terminal building, you must apply your face mask. The exception is anyone who has a genuine medical reason for not wearing a mask, and children under the age of 6 (masks are optional for them). Only employees and people travelling that day will be allowed entry into the terminal building. Once inside, ther are electronic (and sometimes manual) temperature checks, you will see social distancing signs (2m gap) and plenty of hand sanitation points. You must sanitize when passing any of these points. Where possible, check-in on line and use the baggage drop facility with one touch screens. If you do need to use check-in desks, you will notice the addition of a protective screen. At security, each passenger will need to hold their own passport and boarding card, approach the screen, lift your mask so that they can check you and the passport match, and show your boarding card. If you have e-boarding cards, the person who has them on their phone must step forward to show the boarding cards. Many airports have closed shops and restaurants, so it is advisable to pre-book food on the plane, or pre-book an airport lounge, where food and drink are inclusive in the price (I can book these for anyone, even if you haven't booked your holiday with me).

What about the plane? Planes are being deep cleaned after ecery trip. In addition, they are fitted with surgery quality HEPA filters, and every 2 minutes, old air is pumped out of the aircraft, clean air is drawn in from outside, it gets filtered, and 99.976% of bacteria is removed from the air. This should give you some peace of mind that it is a sanitised environment. When boarding, you will scan your own boarding cards. The plane will be boarded in small groups. Planes are being deep cleaned between flights. Some airlines are issuing a sanitation pack and/or a snack and drink pack when boarding. Your mask must remain on, unless you are eating/drinking. If you have to take it off for these purposes, you must not put it down on any surface. Either keep it on you, raised/lowered, or place it in a clean clear plastic bag until you have finished. There are various toilet procedures. Some airlines are asking passengers to remain in seats and only get up if the toilet is free - no queuing! Others are asking passengers to press the call button to alert cabin crew that they need to leave their seat. Your airline will advise when you are on board. Disembarkation will be in small groups. What will happen on my transfer? Coach transfers are operating as normal, but masks must be worn, and coaches are likely to operate at a reduced capacity. If you are being collected for a private transfer, your transfer company will have to wait outside the terminal building to meet you. Masks must remain on until you reach your hotel room.

Do I need to produce any evidence of my health? Individual country tourist boards are the very best place for advice on this. There is a huge variety of systems. Some countries require Covid-19 free certificates, others require you to complete an online health questionnaire before travel, some require you to download an app and give health details that way, some are using paper based systems on entry. You need to know before you travel what the system is for the country you are visiting.

What will happen in hotels? Hotels have social distancing signs in place, advising of the distance that must be maintained in that country. If in doubt, use 2m! They have plenty of sanitation points, temperature checks, and masks must be worn at any indoor public area. Some hotel restaurants are operating on a time slot system, some buffets are assisted, with a member of staff to place the items on your plate, some have moved to menu systems and menus are on a QR code system, so ensure you have a QR code reader app on your phone. Facilities at most hotels are open, but operating with restrictions, e.g. social distancing between sunbeds, reduced capacity in restaurants and kids clubs, cleaning in between shared items (like bikes, golf clubs, etc) being used.

Do you have any tips for staying safer on holiday? Getting upto speed with local regulations via the tourist board for the country you are visiting is the main thing to do. Check out their website. Avoiding people is one of the best ways of staying safe. Therefore, there has been a huge rise in the booking of villa holidays. Villas are a great way to isolate from other people. You re in your own bubble, just as you would be at home. If you have to use a hotel, self catering is the current most popular board basis. This means you can avoid going to restaurants, you only need to visit a supermarket once (maybe twice) during your stay, and you are cooking and eating in your own bubble. This keeps you much more isolated than an all inclusive holiday, where you would me entering a restaurant, shared with many other people, 3 or 4 times per day. Pack plenty of masks. You will need masks a lot during your holiday. Disposable ones are ideal for this situation, but if you have reusable masks, take plenty of disposable, sealable plastic bags with you to store your mask in when you aren't using them, and dispose of the bags, rather than the masks. Take your own hand sanitiser. There will be times when the unexpected happens. Someone could cough or sneeze near you and if you aren't close to a sanitation point, you can't cleanse. Pre-book your time at the beach. Most are offering a morning, afternoon or full day session. Sunbeds are between 1.5 and 4m apart, depending on the destination. Avoid busy areas and social gatherings. Many foreign countries have festivals throughout the year, which draw the crowds. Usually, tourists would turn up, but there could be local guidance on who can attend, how many can attend, where you can go, etc, and you wouldn't be aware of this, so just stay away to stay safe. Follow all the same safety rules that you would follow at home and you won't go far wrong.

If you are happy to have some restrictions or amendments compared to normal, then there is no reason (other than something medical or specific to you) why you shouldn't go abroad on holiday. Now is a great time to take advantage of all the amazing holiday offers and low prices. If you are unsure and would like to discuss your holiday requirements, please get in touch. And don't despair if you can't get abroad this year, there's always 2021, and that's bookable now too! Created by: Julie @ Worldwide - Explorer Travel Holidays, July 2020 #safetravel #covid19 #summer2020 #WorldwideExplorerTravelHolidays