Do I need a visa for my Sharm-el-Sheik break?
Q Do I need a visa and any specific vaccinations for a week’s holiday in Sharm-el-Sheik in Egypt?
Ian Murray, via email A No visa is required. British visitors heading to the resorts of Sharm-el-Sheik, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba on the Sinai Peninsular receive a free entry permission stamp on arrival that’s valid for up to 15 days. There is no official requirement to be vaccinated against Covid but travellers are recommended to be up to date with hepatitis A and tetanus jabs. See the Egypt page at travelhealthpro.org.uk.
Q Do you know when the new ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme) passes to travel in the European Union begin? I am a retired aid worker but still help occasionally in conflict zones.
I am worried that I could be disqualified from entry.
Chris Stewart, via email
The European Commission A has yet to announce the start date, though it is expected sometime next year. Previous travel to conflict zones is a grey area, though it should be OK, but when applying you must declare such visits according to the rules stated at travel-europe.europa.eu. The cost of ETIAS visas will be about £6, lasting three years.
Q We will be visiting India and Sri Lanka in November on a 14-day cruise. Do we need to apply for visas if we’re not staying on land in either of these countries?
Mrs A Lee, via email A To enter India you will need a tourist e-visa, even if staying overnight on board your cruise ship rather than on land, says India travel experts Transindus (transindus.com). Also see the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ at indianvisaonline.gov.in. The e-visa cost is from £19.50. For Sri Lanka, apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation, which is free for a single visit of two days – see eta.gov.lk. Call your cruise operator to check how many stops you are making in each country as this can affect visa validity.
Q We are planning a ten-day stay at Hotel Les Jardins de Koutoubia in Marrakech, Morocco. Can you recommend a reasonable B&B package? Mohinder Bedi, Hayes, Middlesex
Ten-night stays cost from A
£1,272pp B&B including Stansted flights (loveholidays. com) or, for slightly less per night, Tui offers a week’s stay from £786pp B&B with flights from Gatwick (tui.co.uk).
Q Can you help my daughter and her husband, who were in Rhodes during the wildfires on a Jet2 Holidays trip and lost their luggage when evacuated from their hotel? My daughter contacted the hotel and was told their bags were still there, but they were never collected and cannot be now. It has been difficult to recover the full value from their travel insurance. Diane Voss, via email
Due to the emergency, safety A
of customers was the priority but Jet2 says it recognises the couple have been through a ‘very difficult experience’ and therefore its team ‘will be in contact to provide a refund for the part of the holiday missed’. The Post Office, their insurer, have reopened the claim and hope to resolve the lost luggage issue.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
If you need advice, the Holiday Guru is here to answer your questions. Email us at holidayplanner@dailymail.co.uk