Dear Reader,

ANYONE with an interest in travel is asking the same question: when?

True, over the past few months some of us have had a stab at coming up with an answer to that question — and then have had to revise our predictions. Again. And again.

At Escape we’ve sipped from the glass half-full and tried to make merry — but reality has often gate-crashed the party.

That reality has changed dramatically with the arrival of vaccines, but even with all the topspin in the world, the next two months are going to be a slog.

The tier system won’t be dismantled any day soon; prospects for winter sun are cloudy; more travel firms and tour operators will be permanently grounded.

Yet there is oodles of pent-up demand — and this, traditionally, is the time of year when we start planning our holidays.

There’s no reason not to book as normal, especially if it’s a package holiday with an ATOL-registered company and you’ve made sure your travel insurance is in order.

But, again, the question is: book for when? Frankly, I can’t see hotels, B&Bs, campsites and major attractions in the UK opening much before the beginning of March — but that should put a premium on staycations over the Easter break, starting on April 2.

Mystic Mark expects holidays in Europe to be in hot demand from May onwards, culminating in a summer bonanza on the continent.

Just remember that, with fewer flights than normal and villa specialists pairing down their offerings, there might not be much availability if you leave things to the last minute.

Long haul? We won’t see a significant revival until autumn, although the U.S. (New York, pictured) should open up long before then. After all, presidentelect Joe Biden was always keen on encouraging tourism, both inbound and outbound, while serving as vice-president during the Obama years.

Don’t hold me to any of this crystal ball gazing — but do start planning, and hang your hopes on 2021.