The road is rocky – but we may yet get away this summer

We must hold our nerve in the light of rule changes and be patient when it comes to holiday bookings, says Nick Trend

Last week, trying to be positive in the face of weeks of bad news, I set out a “blueprint” for what needed to be done to kickstart travel again. If the vaccination programme is successful, I mused, we could dare to start dreaming about the realities of travel once more.

What has happened since? A further intensification of the restrictions. Our borders are effectively closed to outbound travel. We can’t even leave the country without an “essential” reason and a declaration of what it is. Holidays have been banned, and a succession of government ministers has warned us that it is too early to think about booking foreign trips this summer.

Even more stringent restrictions have been announced for those returning from abroad. Arrivals from Portugal, South America and parts of Africa will have to quarantine in a hotel room for 10 days at their own expense. (This is aimed at preventing the spread of new variants from those countries, but I fear that the disruption and expense might motivate people to find a way of travelling via a third country.)

Am I disappointed by this turn of events? A little. Am I despondent? No. When assessing the situation, it is important to remember the history of this government’s response to the pandemic. It has constantly been wrong-footed by its own over-optimism.

This was Boris Johnson last March, a few days after visiting a hospital and shaking hands with everyone he met: “We can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks and I’m absolutely confident that we can send coronavirus packing in this country.” Then, at the easing of the first lockdown in May: “Drive as far as you like to reach an outdoor space.” In July, a few days before the travel corridor with Spain was slammed shut at the peak of the holiday season: “I hope for a return to normality by Christmas.” And the most recent screeching U-turn in December – it would be “inhuman to ban Christmas”, he said of plans for the

family bubble arrangements. We all know what happened next.

Now it seems that the Government has finally realised that bumptious overconfidence and the constant heralding of success before having to reset expectations does nothing to enhance its credibility. Neither does its habit of leaving the stable door open until it is too late. A cautious approach is much easier to sustain.

I don’t want to lay myself open to a similar charge of raising false hopes. But I do think that it is important to see the current official mood music in this context. We need to be patient. And given such explicit warnings, it seems wise to hold off from booking overseas trips. It’s worth waiting just for a few more weeks until the effect of the vaccination programme has been confirmed.

But we should certainly not abandon our hopes for the summer, or even the spring. There is every chance that we will pull through. The new variants are

a concern, of course, and the road is rocky. There will be setbacks, twists and turns. But, as travellers, we are used to that. Let’s keep our eyes on the horizon – I still think I can see the first signs of light.

There was some good news for consumers this week – the Civil Aviation Authority announced that Atol protection would be extended for new refund credit notes issued up to March 31 2021. RCNs may be offered to customers whose holiday is cancelled by a tour operator because of the pandemic. The protection means that if you accept the credit note and the operator fails, you will get your money back. For full details, see packpeaceofmind.co.uk

What do the new border restrictions mean for your summer holiday? Read the latest advice at telegraph.co.uk/ tt-border-restrictions

Tighter travel restrictions reflect the Government’s more cautious approach of late