Where to go if your plans are thwarted

With the likes of China and Lombardy off the tourist map for now, Chris Leadbeater proposes alternatives

Increasingly alarming reports about the spread of coronavirus may make you think it’s time to put away your passport and find a safe space. That is far from being the case. However, if you were planning a break in a country or region affected by Covid-19, it might be worth selecting an alternative. China and parts of Italy have been in the headlines, and it might be that, for now, the likes of Beijing, Shanghai and Milan need to remain hopeful ambitions. So where should you go? South America and Scandinavia have their charms – and much-publicised coronavirus cases in Lombardy and Tenerife don’t mean you can’t enjoy a relaxing holiday in southern Italy, or elsewhere in the Canary Islands.

INSTEAD OF CHINA INDIA

The city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, is the coronavirus point of origin. Many airlines have put flights to China on hold, including British Airways which has cancelled all services to Beijing and Shanghai until April 17.

The alternative: If you are looking for another vast country filled with enticing cities and a sense of mystery, India is hard to beat, and has reported relatively few cases of Covid-19. It has no Great Wall but the sites of the Jaipur-Delhi-Agra Golden Triangle (not least the Taj Mahal) should more than compensate. Cox & Kings (020 3773 4503; coxandkings.co.uk) offers an eight-night trip, combining these cities with potential tiger sightings in Ranthambore National Park, from £1,845pp including flights. Transindus (020 8566 3739; transindus.co.uk) offers a 15-day Royal Rajputana tour that dissects the state of Rajasthan from £3,850pp including flights.

INSTEAD OF IRAN TURKEY

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises British citizens against all but essential travel to Iran, one of the centres of the outbreak.

The alternative: If you want a Middle Eastern country with a historical and cultural back story, try Turkey. Martin Randall Travel (020 8742 3355; martin randall.com) still has space on a 10-day Classical Turkey group tour taking in the Greek and Roman heritage of Anatolia from March 30 to April 8 from £4,070pp with flights. Exodus Travels (020 3553 5290; exodus.co.uk) has an eight-day Walking in Cappadocia trip, departing May 23, from £1,005pp.

INSTEAD OF NORTHERN ITALY SOUTHERN ITALY

In the European country worst hit by the virus, the FCO is warning against all but essential travel to 10 towns in Lombardy and one in Veneto. The latest medical advice is to self-isolate if you have returned from northern Italy (“north of Pisa”) since Feb 19 and are experiencing coronavirus symptoms. The alternative: Italy is wonderful but, to be on the safe side, go south and swap Milan and Venice (the capitals of Lombardy and Veneto) for substitutes in Puglia or Sicily. Kirker Holidays (020 7593 1899; kirker holidays.com) covers the former, offering three-night escapes to the four-star Hotel La Fiermontina in Lecce from £849pp including flights. Citalia (01293 832416; citalia.com) will take you to Sicily on its eight-day Syracuse and Taormina package, dividing time between those two idyllic east coast towns, from £1,699pp including flights.

Thailand’s health minister recently announced that travellers from 11 affected nations (not including the UK) must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. This has since been rescinded, but other restrictions are likely to emerge. That said, this is a great time to travel in Thailand: there are no crowds and, if sensible precautions are taken, travel is

no riskier than in Britain.

INSTEAD OF TENERIFE LA PALMA

There is no formal reason to avoid the largest Canary Island, but if you are worried about the widely publicised ongoing case of coronavirus at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace Hotel, on the south-west coast (where guests have been in quarantine), there are options elsewhere in the archipelago and the wider Atlantic.

The alternative: In the west, La Palma offers calm and quiet. A seven-night stay at the Hotel Hacienda de Abajo (a former sugar-plantation house on the west coast at Tazacorte), flying from Gatwick on March 14, costs from £1,258pp with Prestige Holidays (01425 480400; prestigeholidays. co.uk). Or go further afield to Portugal’s Atlantic archipelago, the Azores. A week-long break at the four-star Marina Atlantico Hotel, in Ponta Delgada on the main island of Sao Miguel, costs from £714pp with flights via Sunvil

(020 8758 4722; sunvil.co.uk).

INSTEAD OF VIETNAM OR CAMBODIA COLOMBIA

The Government is advising you to “stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people” if you have returned to the UK from either Vietnam or Cambodia (or their regional colleagues, Laos and Myanmar) since Feb 19, and are now exhibiting symptoms of coronavirus. The alternative: The Far East is likely to remain a tricky area for travel in the coming weeks – there are also cases of coronavirus in Malaysia, Japan and

Thailand. So, for now, look west to South America which provides a similar mix of epic coast and thrilling journeys, with far fewer coronavirus cases reported. Colombia, with its swathes of jungle and exotic cities galore, might be a stand-in for Vietnam. Last Frontiers (01296 653000; lastfrontiers.com) offers a 14-day Cultural Colombia tour that includes Cartagena, Bogota and the pre-Spanish-conquest tombs of San Agustin from £4,995pp including flights. Journey Latin America (020 3811 7378; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) includes Medellin in its wide-ranging 18-day Undiscovered Colombia break from £5,641pp excluding flights.

INSTEAD OF JAPAN SWEDEN

The FCO is not currently advising against travel to Japan, but the country is taking the coronavirus outbreak very seriously. A state of emergency has been declared on the northern island of Hokkaido, due to run until March 19, and residents have been asked to refrain from going out (not least at weekends) during this period. The alternative: If you want something closely resembling Japan’s fabled mix of clean living and rustic beauty, you can find the combination much closer to home, in Sweden. Discover The World (01737 888172; discover-the-world.com) is offering a one-week fly-drive tour of the west of the country – taking in Gothenburg and the genteel Koster Islands near the border with Norway – from £851pp including flights and car hire.

If you’re looking for Japan’s fabled mix of clean living and rustic beauty, consider Sweden