Weeks pass yet question marks remain over the resumption of international travel. On Easter Monday, at a Downing Street press conference, the prime minister said he was hoping that non-essential travel abroad would resume in May, yet supporting documents, published at the same time, appeared less optimistic
The road map review read: “Given the state of the pandemic abroad, and the progress of vaccination programmes in other countries, we are not yet in a position to confirm that non-essential international travel can resume [from May 17].”
Not all hope is lost, though. What we do know is that when travel restarts it will do so under a traffic light system, with countries graded red, amber or green. Classification will depend on infection and vaccination rates in each country, the prevalence of variants of concern, and the country’s genomic sequencing capacity (or access to genomic sequencing).
A colour rating won’t be assigned until nearer the restart date but it is possible to assess the destinations most likely to be given the early green light because of their success in suppressing the virus and inoculating the population.
This week travel companies reported a rise in interest in countries where the vaccine rollout is going fastest, a clear indicator in the level of pent-up demand for foreign breaks.
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“We know that many people are ready to book long-awaited trips as soon as details of the new traffic light system are available,” said Martin Nolan, a consumer rights expert at Skyscanner. “Our most recent data shows strong interest in many potential green list countries and we hope for additional clarity to help travellers plan appropriately for the summer.”
While there are no guarantees about travel dates, the packages below are financially protected, come with flexible terms and conditions and depart after July 1.
Portugal
Cases are low and the vaccination programme is picking up pace. The country has been removed from the UK’s red list and its tourism minister, Rita Marques, has said that Portugal will welcome Britons as soon as outbound travel restrictions are lifted by Westminster.
“British holidaymakers can present to the Portuguese authorities a certificate that advises they are vaccinated or have immunisation to the virus, or that they have a negative test,” she said last month. If cases stay low and the Brazilian variant is kept at bay, the prospects for it being classed green by the UK look promising.
Explore the north of the country on a new self-guided walking tour that spans the Peneda-Geres National Park. It’s a wild, mountainous landscape with cascading rivers, wild horses and cachena cattle. The week-long adventure takes in some of the park’s most striking scenery and includes stays in a village house, a 12th-century monastery and a spa hotel. Seven nights’ B&B costs from £895pp, including four dinners, five lunches and luggage transfers (inntravel.co.uk). Fly to Porto.
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Alternatively, kick back on the Algarve at Anantara Vilamoura, which overlooks the renowned Victoria golf course and offers morning yoga, Pilates and t’ai chi classes. For the perfect post-lockdown retreat, combine lazy afternoons by the pool with a round on the Arnold Palmer-designed golf course and time in the spa. It’s not bang on the beach but a free shuttle means guests can easily take the 15-minute hop to the sands and the resort’s swish beach club. Seven nights’ B&B in July costs from £899pp, including flights and transfers (tropicalsky.co.uk).
Malta
Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2018 has shrugged off its stuffy image in recent years. Valletta, the island’s capital, has some seriously cool architecture thanks to Renzo Piano, the man behind the Shard in London. In 2019 2.7 million tourists visited, 650,000 of them British. A clutch of new hotels have opened but there are still only 32,747 hotel beds on the island, so you will need to act fast if the green light flicks on. More than 35 per cent of the population are vaccinated and officials have said that they are ready to open to fully vaccinated Britons from June 1.
Discover Maltese history on a four-day small-group trip that includes a walking tour of Valletta, a short boat ride to the historic town of Vittoriosa, visits to the Hagar Qim temple complex and the “silent city” of Mdina. Four nights’ B&B at the seafront Preluna Hotel in Sliema costs from £945pp, including flights from Gatwick and a guide, departing on September 16 (vjv.com). Or unwind at the Dolmen Hotel that sits on the seafront between Qawra and Bugibba. The rocky beach makes the four outdoor pools, flanked by loungers, the more appealing spot to sit with a book. There’s also a spa, two indoor pools and, if you can be bothered to move, a water sports school at the beach club. Seven nights’ B&B costs from £330pp, including flights from Manchester or Luton (maltadirect.com).
Iceland
Just a three-hour flight from the UK, Iceland and its otherworldly volcanic landscapes became a bucket-list destination after the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull ash cloud had settled, with annual visitor numbers soaring to 2.3 million by 2018, a 314 per cent increase on 2011. Now it’s one of the first countries to reopen borders to fully vaccinated travellers from anywhere in the world. The combination of an escalating domestic vaccination programme, a low Covid incidence rate and a death toll of 29, means it’s a strong contender for an early green light.
Expect geography 101 on Intrepid’s Golden Circle Retreat that combines stops at the Gullfoss Waterfall, Strokkur Geyser and Thingvellir National Park with overnight stays at a rural farmstay. There’s also quad biking, a walking tour of Reykjavik and time at a “secret lagoon” to rest weary limbs. Three nights’ B&B costs from £915pp, including the services of a guide, starting on July 9. Flights to Reykjavik cost extra (intrepidtravel.com).
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For a longer adventure, hire a car and head north. The Arctic Coast Way is an 800km signposted route that connects 21 villages and makes for an epic road trip. Along the way take in hulking glaciers, thermal springs and epic waterfalls while also making time for horse riding, seal watching and white-water rafting. Seven nights’ B&B costs from £3,710pp, including flights, car hire and some activities (originaltravel.co.uk).
Gibraltar
The tiny British overseas territory rarely tops league tables for anything. Until now. It has completed its vaccination drive — codename Operation Freedom — by inoculating its adult population. “I am delighted to be able to say that Gibraltar became the first nation in the world to complete its entire adult vaccination programme,” Matt Hancock, the health secretary said last week. The rip-roaring success has propelled the rocky outcrop at Spain’s southern tip into the headlines and it looks like being a dead cert for making the green list when rules are eased.
Check in at the Rock Hotel, known to locals as “Little Raffles”. Its gleaming white art deco façade is offset by the botanic gardens below and it has hosted everyone from Winston Churchill to Errol Flynn. Rise early and test your mettle on the Top of the Rock run, an institution attempted by generations of ships’ companies on arrival in the territory, before retreating to base and kicking back by the outdoor pool, the largest on Gibraltar. Three nights’ B&B costs from £724, including flights (mygibraltar.co.uk).
For a taste of luxury board the Sunborn Gibraltar, a five-star superyacht hotel permanently moored in Gibraltar’s marina. There’s a fine-dining restaurant, cocktail bars and a pool and sundeck, as well as a spa and gym. Not that you have to stay holed up on board. Step ashore for a trip to the nearby Alameda Botanic Gardens or for a drink in one of the marina bars. Four nights’ B&B costs from £466pp, including flights from Heathrow, departing on July 17 (ba.com).
Barbados
Successful vaccination programmes in the Caribbean mean that the region has been tipped as one of the first to open to British travellers once international travel resumes. Holiday resorts on balmy Barbados are raring to go, with tourists only needing to present a negative test taken no more than three days earlier. A rapid antigen test will also be performed on landing. Protocols for vaccinated arrivals are yet to be decided.
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Stay at the Sugar Bay resort in the Hastings area, which stretches over five acres and has 138 rooms and five restaurants plus a spa. Village-style cottages are done out in light, bright colours and there are plenty of family rooms on offer. It’s all-inclusive but that doesn’t mean cheap and cheerful. Seven nights costs from £1,499pp including flights and transfers, departing on July 7 (sovereign.com).
Or head for Sandals Barbados in the vibrant St Lawrence Gap area. It spills into the neighbouring Sandals Royal Barbados, allowing you access to 17 restaurants, 12 bars and five pools. Seven nights’ all-inclusive costs from £1,945pp, including flights and transfers, departing on August 17 (sandals.co.uk).
