THE DETAILS

Due to Covid, the seven-day Local Living

Coastal Tuscany tour

offered by G Adventures (gadventures.

com) is currently unavailable. Following the same format is Local Living Italy Tuscany San Gimignano,

which costs from £764 per person, including

accommodation, most meals, a guide and a few excursions. Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling, British Airways and

Brussels Airlines all offer

regular London-Rome departures from £60

return.

Wait it out a bit and you will find much better value in the Mediterranean – and France – this summer than in the UK

This week Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, repeated his advice that it was still too early to book an overseas holiday for this summer. His concern was that there were too many uncertainties around when we would be able to travel again. But I would put forward an additional argument – you don’t actually need to book yet. In fact, even if you wait for a little more certainty over the pandemic, you will probably get a surprisingly good deal on a foreign holiday this summer, and much better value than those who have opted to stay in Britain.

Any British cottage agent will tell you that there is very little accommodation left between June and the end of September. All the best places were taken long ago and prices are sky high for the rest. Other types of accommodation are also heavily booked. Fancy a stay at Center Parcs? There are still a few options, but it would cost a family of four £2,000 for a week in the school summer holidays.

But what happens when you look at the Mediterranean instead? There was a lot of talk about a recent surge in bookings after Greece confirmed that it wanted to re-open to tourism from mid-May. But if you look at the airfares being offered, you can see that there is plenty of availability out there.

Airfares are the key because no one expects there to be a shortage of accommodation this summer. There are bound to be fewer people travelling than in a usual year, and that will put downward pressure on the cost of hotel rooms and apartments.

A few checks on the comparison site skyscanner.net show that, even on the peak date of Saturday July 24, the first day of the school summer holidays, there are lots of return fares to Malaga for about £130. Fly on June 19 and returns start at only £53. Meanwhile, you can get to Faro in Portugal on the same dates for £166 and £48 respectively. It’s true that Greece is looking more expensive. Flights to Heraklion on that July Saturday start at £200, while in June the fare is £111. But even those fares are remarkably low compared with a normal summer.

That £2,000 you might spend on Center Parcs would buy you a week in a Tuscan villa with a private pool. I found an appealing place near Cortona – Cà di Cicala – with Vintage Travel (vintagetravel.co.uk) at £1,914 from July 24.

The comparison is even more stark when you consider France. Cottages in Normandy, Brittany or the Loire typically cost as little as half what you would have to pay for something similar in the UK. When I searched the Brittany Ferries website (brittany-ferries.co.uk) for a two-bed cottage for a week from July 24, I found a selection of nearly 100 available for under £1,000, with some at less than £600. And these prices include the return fare on the car ferry.

It’s true that there are some types of holiday where availability is tighter. But as long as you are flexible about your destination – you don’t mind too much whether it’s Greece or Turkey, Spain or Italy, Croatia or Portugal – and you keep an eye on airfares, my guess is that you will be able to find much better value in the Med – and in France – this summer than in the UK.

So, while you might be tempted to grab a bargain fare, you don’t have to rush. If demand rises, airlines are certain to add flights. I would certainly keep an eye on fares, but wait until the Government makes its next big announcement on April 12 before committing. The pandemic may have some twists and turns in it yet, but by then our path to travel freedom should be a lot clearer.

If you have had a problem with your holiday or travel arrangements, contact our troubleshooter, Gill Charlton, or our consumer expert,

Nick Trend, at the email address below.

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iRenting a cottage in Normandy, below, costs half what you would pay for something similar in the UK