How Covid-19 Is Still Affecting People Travelling For Holiday

Unfortunately, Covid-19 has had an effect on our lives.  This includes in the workplace, going abroad (or not) and even mental health.  The amount of change that people have had to make in the past 18 months is unbelievable. Although things seem to be getting back to a level of normality, there is still some way to go.  We have seen the airline industry collapse and many companies go bust as a result.  Those that have been able to start up travel again have had to limit where they go and spend a lot of money on safety precautions.  Some flights that were previously leaving full of passengers are now only leaving half full (or less!).  Below are some of the things to be aware of. 

Travel Lists 

People leaving the UK and going abroad for holiday has been somewhat limited, however, with the government coding system in place then the rules around where you can travel and what the rules are.   Although this is for the UK as a whole, each of the nations within the UK could have their own spin on this as they manage travel rules as an entity.   There is green, amber, amber plus and red lists in circulation.   

In terms of red lists – these are out of bounds and places you cannot go to unless critical travel (and with this there will be a lot of testing and quarantine restrictions connected to it).  For amber plus these are countries that are on the “watch list”.  What this effectively means is that there is a high risk that this country could indeed move into the red list soon as their rates are either increasing or there could be spread of a more contagious variant within the country.  Amber countries are ones that you can still travel on holiday to but there may be limited restrictions in terms of testing.   Green countries are the safest where the rates are extremely low (however there may still be a level of testing required therefore good to check this out in advance). 

Travel Uncertainty  

The level of uncertainty around travelling for a holiday is what is the most alarming for people. If people are not able to plan, then they need to protect themselves. An example of this could be by using the holiday insurance from Staysure where people could purchase bespoke single trip travel insurance which could account for a number of factors.    

With these types of travel insurance policies, people are able to down select exactly what types of cover they need.  This can include cover on covid related things (including flight issues) but also health and legal cover.  In addition to this, the amount of excess you want can be amended to suit but will change the overall price.  These types of bespoke polices are far better than purchasing insurance with a package holiday where the changes may be slightly restricted and come as part of the overall deal.   If a country is on the Amber plus list, then it may be wise to wait for this to be downgraded before making the booking.  Be sure to read the full terms and conditions of the travel insurance policy in advance to make sure that these are fully understood. 

Summary 

Do not think that because there is a relaxation on some travel that things are fine and dandy.  If there is a new contagious variant that is resistant to the vaccines, then this could reverse it all.  This is not something that is beyond the imagination so be sure to prepare for holidays effectively but also take out the right level of cover.