Holiday... celebrate!

Everybody spread the word: we can travel again – and let’s face it, we’ve got some catching up to do. Nick Trend seeks out great deals and unique experiences for the rest of the year

So, finally, we can hit the road again. The unexpectedly broad – if inconsistent – removal of quarantine and Foreign Office restrictions for more than 70 destinations (including most of Europe and as far afield as Australia) last week transformed the world of travel at a stroke.

Exciting though that is, for the foreseeable future, it will of course be a radically different, unfamiliar world of masks and visors, caution and social distancing. Any unfamiliarity will be tempered both by the release and relief of being able to travel again, but also by the lack of crowds and by the sense that we are witnessing a moment in history. It will surely be extraordinary and memorable to see the world as it slowly emerges from lockdown.

But let’s not delude ourselves. Uncertainty remains. We will have to live with the risk of last-minute changes and cancellations caused by the unpredictability of government policy and spikes in infection rates in the UK or abroad. An upsurge of cases in Portugal and Spain, and the local lockdown in Leicester, are clear-cut examples of the sort of complications we may face.

So we will have to prepare for difference and we will have to be flexible – prepared either to travel or cancel at short notice; prepared even to choose our destination at the last minute according to where is looking safest and most secure. But, paradoxically, while it’s a good time to be adaptable and leave things late, we will also have to plan. Gone, temporarily, are the days of spontaneity. To make sure we get a table at a restaurant or a ticket to a museum or sight, we will need to book at least a few days in advance.

Overall though, the news is positive. There will be some amazing deals and unique experiences; we will just need to navigate a little more carefully. And to help you do that, here is our travellers’ guide to the rest of the year, whether you are looking for a family holiday in the Med, a city break or cultural tour in the autumn, or are thinking ahead to the winter.

Prices are per person for seven nights with return flights included, unless stated otherwise.