‘What’s missing out on a holiday for one year compared with losing a loved one?’

IN January this year I booked two holidays for this summer – a week in Italy in June and a week in Ibiza towards the end of August.

I was very chuffed with myself because, for once, I was being terribly organised. We even booked and paid for our flights back then so we could relax and not have to worry about getting seats in Row 30 and having to wait two hours for a drink and a bacon sandwich.

But then came coronavirus and our holidays and flights – along with everyone else’s – went down the Swanee.

We were supposed to be leaving for our Italian holiday to Puglia on June 15 to stay in a hotel we go to every year because we love it so much. But of course that’s now not going to happen.Which is a shame because the staff there feel like family now and every year, we go there it feels more like a reunion than a holiday.We don’t even know if they all survived the virus so it’s a double blow not being able to go to see them.

Our second trip was to Ibiza with a group of journalist pals which we booked on New Year’s Day. Last year we’d all hired a villa in France and we laughed from the minute we got there till the minute we left and we were determined to repeat the experience. Which is why on New Year’s morning we all sat round our dining table (they’d all come for a party the night before) and even with stonking hangovers we found a fabulous villa and booked our flights.

Well, as Spain’s been one of the hardest hit by Covid it’s unlikely it’s going to be fully open for business in August and, even if it is, it might mean we all have to spend two weeks in quarantine on our return which none of us can afford to do.

But take away the initial disappointment of all that and ask yourselves the question – do foreign holidays really matter? Is it worth fretting over the fact that for one year only we just might not get to jump on a plane and jet to the sun? Are we so spoiled, so used to getting what we want, when we want that we can’t cope with missing a holiday abroad?

Of course we can. We’ve just coped with a bloody pandemic for God’s sake – and still are. So missing a holiday is no big hardship.

And would holidaying in Britain really be so bad? OK, the weather’s unpredictable but this country is one of the most beautiful on the planet and a pretty good place to be stranded in. I won’t pretend not going away isn’t a disappointment – it is because it’s the one time The Husband gets off his laptop for a few hours and relaxes.

And there IS something about foreign climes that DOES make you relax. I keep reading “hopeful” newspaper stories about how holidays could still be on if we build “air bridges” between the countries where the incidence of the virus is low but I’m not sure we should get our hopes up.

And anyway, ask anyone who has lost someone in this pandemic and they’ll say foreign holidays don’t matter a toss. It’s people who matter and if you love them, where you go with them is irrelevant. In fact if all of us are allowed to be around family and friends by June/July this year THAT in itself will feel like a holiday – sitting outside drinking coffee with pals, BBQs in the garden, eating outside in restaurants. All of those things seem like such a luxury right now and when we get them back life will seem very much more than bearable.

The companies I’ve booked our holidays with say we can reschedule for the same time next year. Ditto the airlines. So the worst that can happen is I end up sitting on a beach in Dorset this summer drinking prosecco.

As for those friends we booked to go to Ibiza with – we’re currently looking at the possibility of renting a house near the coast here for when restrictions are lifted.

So while we might not be lying in the sun at least we’ll be together – laughing.

And that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?

IT IS so important when staying at home to keep moving for the benefit of your physical and mental health.

Now we are able to go outside for exercise, award-winning fitness coach Julie Bartlett has taken her next set of exercises to her local park.

If you have been following Julie’s routines, you will have noticed that you have been working on your strength, aerobic fitness, flexibility and stiffness. Now it is time to put all those elements together and get outside to enjoy a change of environment. Please watch video at express.co.uk/ videos/6157705006001/ Workout-in-the-parkSeries-of-exercises-todo-outside

If you have any medical conditions or restrictions, please check with your doctor before participating.

Julie says: “Exercising outside gives me a real lift.The sunshine, the sound of the birds, the flowers and plants, it all adds up to a positive experience.

“We are living in strange, challenging times and getting out everyday is needed for our mental health.

“So why not use this time to fit in your daily exercise? Exercises can even be done on your dog walk.You don’t need fancy kit, just a pair of tights or a resistance band. Put it in your pocket and off you go.”