Karla McCulloch

Travel Light System

Finally, the world of travel and adventure is reopening up with amendment of the travel light system last month. Travellers are returning from destinations such as Mexico, South Africa and Maldives to name a few of those tropical destinations we have all been missing. However, we still need to be extra vigilant as there are still some travel rules that can catch you out. Making the need for a trusted travel advisor and expert now more important than ever before so I thought I would highlight some of the ones that I have been made aware of and need to advise my clients about now we are moving forward with new bookings. Not only do we have Covid regulations in place for departing and returning to the UK, we also have the countries we are travelling to and their regulations in place, not to mention new Brexit rules in place. We also need to be especially aware of the rules that apply to unvaccinated children as that is a whole new minefield of travel related admin. Some countries demand children over the age of one to have received a negative PCR test result, while other countries are not even allowing unvaccinated over 12’s completely. France has introduced a travel health pass, like many countries in Europe. This pass is not only required for travel but also for access to restaurants and museums, etc. This shows full information in relation to the full vaccination, any results form recent tests which are negative or evidence of recovery from Covid. Since the majority of 12-17 years olds are unvaccinated, they will need to have evidence of the negative test taken within 72 hours when wishing to enter some of the tourist hotspots in France. This test must also be taken in France for entry to venues, in addition to the per departure test required for entering France. So, this can lead to multiple tests being taken every 3 days or so. These tests are no longer free in France either so additional unforeseen costs unless you are well advised and planned in advance. The next thing to consider is regarding the vaccine certificate the majority of us now have to travel with. Some countries are now advising that certificates that issued to those who were second jabbed more than 270 days earlier (nine months) will not be accepted. Therefore, the booster jabs which are now being rolled

out across the UK are a necessity for travel onwards after January next year. Obviously these are now being rolled out to the over 50’s so this rule is ore for the younger travellers such as myself and my family. Brexit rules mean that now when travelling within Europe you must have at least six months of validity on your passports rather than just being valid for the duration of your stay previously. Some UK passports have an additional 9 months in addition to the normal validity, but the EU now ignores these additional nine months so please make sure you have double checked all passport validity on the below link for any travel within the EU:

https://www.gov.uk/ check-a-passport-travel-europe

The Maldives has been one of the most booked destinations since the easing of travel restrictions for so many of us wanting to quench the wanderlust that has been building for a while now. They are however of the countries that do require a negative PCR test result within 96 hours of arrival for all children aged over one year old. These rules are liable to change at any given time so always need to be checked.

Also, there are still many other countries that have restrictions that could impact that long awaited holiday. Some countries have rules in relation to night curfews, a lot of the Caribbean islands have these in place such as no movement at weekends. Some places have restrictions in relation to quarantine upon arrival for 48 hours until you have your result of the arrival test and then you have to wear colour coded bands to show these results. Some countries have ‘sandbox schemes’ so travel to lots of destinations in Asia are much easier. This means that depending again on rules which change all the time certain parts of you your dream holiday is open for you to be able to access.

I can say finally that we are now most definitely seeing travel open back up with much more ease than before thankfully for us all. With the USA now being the second most booked destination for next year after the Biden administration lifted its ban. The theme parks, national parks and all the wonders of the US are beginning to draw the UK tourists back in their droves. The surge for last minute holidays I have received for Dubai and The Maldives has been amazing and I am now so thankful to be back at what I love doing which is helping peoples dreams come true again!.

KARLA MCCULLOCH TRAVEL COUNSELLOR

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