There’s no place like home

Happy new year everyone and welcome to 2019! I hope you brought in the new year in style and are looking forward to the next 12 months.

Saying 2019 out loud makes me feel futuristic - that we should be flying around on hoverboards instead of still being stuck using poor rail services and non-existent buses. It’s no wonder that the prospect of returning to work on public transport - as well as the cold, windy weather - makes us all want to start planning what holidays to take in warmer climes.

You may though be worried about the impact of Brexit on travelling this year, and the honest answer is that right now we don’t really know how leaving the EU will affect us when we holiday in Europe. We will certainly be carrying on our campaign to make sure that our four Brexit consumer tests are met. But remember the Department of Transport has warned that without an agreement in place by the end of March, then licensed airlines will lose automatic rights to operate services between the UK and Europe.

So I stress again, that it’s vital you check the small print in your holiday booking contract very carefully and know what refund clauses exist and that every part of your holiday qualifies for money back should the trip be cancelled.

You could though holiday in the UK this year. Which? Travel readers have just rated the UK cities they visited in 2018 and there are plenty of potential holiday destinations out there - some even reasonably cheap.

Edinburgh received the highest overall score when it came to large cities - with London coming in tenth place . But five other cities were voted better value for money than the Scottish capital, so if you fancy an affordable city break with culture, history, and great food on offer then why not head to Liverpool or Glasgow, Newcastle, Hull or Sheffield?

Or perhaps you prefer a city which is not quite so sprawling. Oxford and its dreaming spires topped our list of medium sized UK cities and towns, and on our list of small towns, it was the compact but perfectly formed gem that is Wells which came first.

So if you do need a break, perhaps look closer to home until we all know for sure what will happen after Brexit.

Remember to send me your consumer questions to askalex@which.co.uk.