International travel – today it all changes.

So, that was ‘yesterday’!

Two years ago yesterday, on 17^th March 2020 the UK Foreign Secretary, Dominic Rabb, advised the British public to avoid non-essential travel anywhere in the world for at least 30 days as the government stepped up its battle against Covid-19. He said the Foreign Office was responding to “fast-changing international circumstances”, including the growing number of countries that had closed their borders.

In recent months international borders have continued to open, most recently New Zealand has announced that from 13^th April, vaccinated tourists from Australia will be able to enter the country without isolating and from 2^nd May, vaccinated tourists from other visa-waiver countries, including the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Japan, Singapore and others, will be allowed entry.

“We’re ready to welcome the world back,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said. “New Zealand will be ready with open arms.”

With other countries around the world making similar announcements almost daily, it really does feel like travel, and in particular, holiday travel is very much back on the agenda.

So to today

So here we are today, 18^th March 2022, two years on from the UK announcement banning non-essential travel, seeing remaining UK travel restrictions being scrapped and as of today there is now no need for testing or to fill out the cumbersome Passenger Locator Forms before returning to the UK.

In other announcements, some airlines are withdrawing the requirement to wear facemasks during the flight and Heathrow airport has dropped its mandatory requirement to wear masks whilst inside the airport buildings.

Of course, there is still every need to take sensible precautions when travelling as Covid 19 has not gone away and that is why it is prudent to seek expert advice before booking your next holiday.

International destinations have a range of entry requirements which must be adhered to, and these are subject to change at any time.

Airlines and resorts are getting back up to full speed as quickly as possible, but the travel industry is certainly not up to full capacity after such a long period of hibernation. This means that the expert insight of a Personal Travel Consultant can be invaluable in helping you to get the best deals at the best destinations, saving you time trawling the internet to try to make sense of what is or is not available at the price you are willing to pay.

So what next

My years of experience of helping my clients navigate these challenges to achieve the holiday experience that will be remembered for all the right reasons is available to you when planning your next holiday – and what’s more, my services are free. You only pay for the holiday you book.

It’s time to look forward to holiday travel again and reach those destinations we have been dreaming about for the last two years.

What a long way we have come – thankfully.