WALL'S WORDS by Roger Wheeler

On the Road to Nowhere

It’s almost Christmas so are we all feeling festive and thinking about holidays? We all need a break but in these very confusing times can we or should we? The answer is, quite simply, yes. Despite government warnings about foreign travel, you can go virtually anywhere, as long as you realise that on returning home you may have to isolate and if you can accept that there’s no problem. There will be medical checks before you travel and occasionally when you arrive.

The LGBTQ+ travel industry is estimated to be worth £1trillion a year, so it’s not surprising there are many companies specialising in holidays for us. They are all making ‘special offers’, just quite how ‘special’ is debateable.

Out of Office (www.outofoffice. com) is one of the biggest UK-based LGBTQ+ companies with some very good offers. Frenchbased Gay Sejour (www.gaysejour.com) has some great deals, mainly in France. Cinq&Sept (www.cinqetsept.com), French again, looks extremely good. Of course the US has quite a few gay travel companies including Gay Travel (www.gaytravel.com), an Oregon-based outfit, which is one of the better ones. If sailing is your thing, with or without clothes, you should look at Everything to Sea (www.everythingtosea.com, not safe for work), which is US-based but specialises in the islands of the Far East, very exotic. Dutch company Gay Sail (www.gaysail.com, not safe for work) operates small boating trips mainly in the Adriatic, also offering totally naked trips. Canadian-based Out Adventures (www.outadventures.com) specialise in gay tours of Australia and New Zealand. Closer to home, Further Afield (www.furtherafield. com) is an LGBTQ+-owned agency that specialises in LGBTQ+-owned or LGBTQ+-friendly boutiquestyle self-catering cottages and apartments in the UK and across most of Europe, I have used them and they are extremely good. One of the best LGBTQ+-owned gîte-type restored monasteries is the Domaine de Monteils in southern France, near Montpelier, which has the wow factor. There are some incredible deals on the Maldives, most of the Greek Islands and the Canaries. You can check which country is on or off by visiting www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

All the usual large companies, such as Booking.com, Expedia, Secret Escapes, are working overtime to get you to part with some money. Basically the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office is advising against all unnecessary travel, you must check your insurance. Staying in the UK is a good plan, and there are some fantastic deals. Never accept the rates you see on websites, always ring the hotel and ask what their best price is, you may be surprised.

Gatwick South Terminal is closed until next summer; the railway station is undergoing massive reconstruction. British Airways has moved to Heathrow but easyJet is still there. You shouldn’t be too concerned about your health on board an aircraft as most have installed new air filters and operate all the usual hygiene systems, so you can fly happy and safely.

Have a Happy Christmas wherever you are.