Tag Archives: holidaymakers

Zdravko Krivokapić, who was elected to office in December last year, spoke to the Sunday Express ahead of a meeting with Boris Johnson last week.

Professor Krivokapić was in London to discuss security issues with his country being one of the newest members of Nato.

However, the Montenegro Prime Minister said he would also ask for his country to be green listed to end quarantine restrictions for visitors from the UK after dramatically bringing down the infection rate in his country to just four in every 100,000 and vaccinating a third of his country.

Montenegro had previously been ravished by the disease seeing around 107,000 out of a population of around 620,000 die from the virus.

He said: “When this government entered into power we had the highest number of people infected by the virus and zero vaccines.

“Back then nobody believed that [our targets] would be possible but taking into account the facts we have at our disposal we can say we managed to accomplish our goal.”

Tourism accounts for a quarter of the country’s economy and he set a goal of restoring it to 65 per cent of 2019 levels but managed to exceed that with 70 per cent last month.

He said British visitors would now be welcome as long as they have been vaccinated or can show a negative result from an internationally recognised test.

Professor Krivokapić said the shops, hotels and bars are now all open with an offer of free treatment for any visitor who becomes infected with coronavirus.

Around 10 percent of hotel space has been dedicated for care of people sick with the disease.

He said: “The only thing that remains is that people come to Montenegro, they visit us and they will be encountered with great hospitality in our country and they will be safe.”

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This post originally posted here Daily Express

Travel

Europe holiday boost: Angela Merkel backs down on vaccinated UK holidaymakers

July 6, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Germany has downgraded the UK from its highest level of “virus variant area” to the second-highest “high-incidence area”. It comes just weeks after German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for quarantine restrictions to be imposed on all UK travellers throughout the European Union (EU).

However, following her meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Chequers, Ms Merkel appeared to back down on her former statement.

In fact, the chancellor showed promise that vaccinated Britons could soon be welcomed back to Germany without restriction.

Speaking at a press conference alongside the Prime Minister at Chequers, Ms Merkel said: “We are continuously reviewing our travel restrictions.

“In the foreseeable future, those who have received double jabs will be able to travel again without having to go into quarantine.”

At the time, the German chancellor said: “In our country, if you come from Great Britain, you have to go into quarantine – and that’s not the case in every European country, and that is what I would like to see.”

Following this, Spain introduced new rules for Britons, demanding all unvaccinated travellers shown evidence of a negative PCR test upon arrival.

Those who could not show this evidence are required to quarantine.

Green list Malta also made the decision to implement 14 days of mandatory quarantine for Britons who have not taken up both doses of the vaccine.

Similarly, Portugal and its archipelago Madeira imposed 14-day isolation for British tourists who could not prove they were fully vaccinated.

However, Merkel’s comments may suggest a bloc-wide approach to allowing vaccinated Britons to travel without quarantine could be on the cards.

Already, the EU’s Covid green pass for travel is up and running across the bloc, allowing vaccinated citizens to holiday freely.

The NHS app is also expected to be streamlined with the EU pass in the coming months.

Last week, many travellers found themselves at a loose end when Malta announced it would not accept the NHS app as evidence of vaccination.

Instead, tourists were expected to carry a paper version of the NHS Covid Pass letter which had to be requested at least a week ahead of departure.

Luckily, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed the decision had been reversed, with the app now being accepted.

In a tweet, he said: “Pleased to say that #Malta now recognise our NHS Covid app (or NHS letter), to allow our fully vaccinated UK citizens access to their beautiful islands without the need to isolate.”

Author: Aimee Robinson
Read more here >>> Daily Express

Travel

Camping and caravan holidaymakers could be slapped with jail time if new bill is passed

July 2, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Many Britons are beginning to look for new ways to explore the UK on a budget. However, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill could soon see some forms of travel slapped with severe consequences.

According to experts, the new bill said to be focus primarily on protestors, could also have major implications for “tens of thousands of unpolitical British citizens who ‘wild camp’ in campervans, motorhomes, caravans, or similar vehicles.”

The impact of this bill could affect camper van and caravaners who choose to wild camp, people embarking on the “van life” movement who do not pitch up in official holiday parks and “Staycationers” who choose to travel in their own vehicles or rented campervans and motorhomes.

The new bill could also impact traditional nomadic communities, such as Irish Travellers and “New Age travellers”.

Wild camping in England and Wales is already illegal, although it is legal in Scotland as long as visitors follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

What do you think? Join the debate in the comments section here

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In a bid to see the bill overturned or rewritten, a collective of van life and wild camping enthusiasts have come together to launch a petition.

Currently, in Wales and England campers must ask the permission of a landowner before pitching up.

Those found to be in breach of the rule will be found of committing trespass.

However, this is a civil offence and therefore cannot result in arrest.

The only way wild campers will currently be arrested is if they refuse to move on when asked to do so.

If the new bill is passed in its present form, anyone caught flouting wild camping or van restrictions could be slapped with a fine, up to three months in prison and the confiscation of their vehicle and possessions.

For those choosing to live, either permanently or temporarily, from their motorhome, this would mean the loss of their home.

Of course, Britons booked onto official campsites or pitching up in designated areas will not be affected by the law.

Nick Rosen, author of How to Live Off-Grid and documentary filmmaker, said: “We urgently need 10,000 signatures to the petition as the government is then forced to respond during the bill’s passage through parliament, giving us a good chance of forcing an amendment.

“There are upwards of 60,000 people living off-grid in mobile homes of various sorts in the UK.

“Some are taking a break from their normal life, while others live this way permanently.

“Many people don’t realise that the van-dwelling way of life is under direct threat from the bill, at a time when it has never been more popular and necessary.

“Action is needed urgently to raise awareness and stop this unintended consequence of the crackdown on protesters.”

Author: Aimee Robinson
Read more here >>> Daily Express

Travel

Malta and Balearic Islands 'to be added to green list' today: Boost for Brit holidaymakers

June 24, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Good news for British holidaymakers is expected this week as more countries could be added to England’s travel green list. It is likely that Malta and the Balearic Islands will be put on the list.

A handful of African countries are expected to be put on the red list.

Travel is currently banned from these nations for all except British residents and nationals.

Malta was tipped to be added to the green list three weeks ago, during the Government’s last travel traffic system announcement.

However, its status on the amber list remained unchanged.

However, Britons returning from amber countries must quarantine for 10 days at home, and for 10 days in a hotel if coming from red countries.

This is regardless of travellers’ vaccination status, but this could change for double jabbed holidaymakers returning from amber nations in August.

Data analysed by the PC Agency from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and Our World in Data suggests that, according to the UK’s own criteria, multiple countries should be added to the green list today.

These include the US, Croatia, Canada, Italy, Germany, the Balearic Islands, Mexico, Jamaica, Finland, Poland, Morocco, Malta, Barbados, and Grenada.

The potential updates to the travel traffic light lists will be announced this afternoon.

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

Travel

Portugal travel fury: Holidaymakers rage at testing farce -‘making my life misery'

June 7, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Portugal’s main airport Faro has been a scene of chaos and crowding in recent days and Britons desperately try to obtain testing and flights to get home before Tuesday’s quarantine rule comes into force. However, the stress has become so much for some travellers they have slammed the Government for making their lives “a misery”.

Though the Government had said it would try and give some warning for passengers if a nation was to go onto the “green watch list”, the Prime Minister added that he would “not hesitate” to make sudden changes if necessary.

Alan Richards, currently on holiday in Portugal with his family, slammed this rapid change from green to amber.

“Thanks very much for making my life a misery and making what should have been a holiday for the family and a long-awaited one,” he told BBC News.

“Yes, we do accept that things change, but you need to give people time to get home.

“This four or five days or whatever it was has not been enough time for tens of thousands of people who, by the way, followed his guidance and went to a green listed country.”

Similarly, Craig Stanley, who had jetted off on a re-arranged holiday with his wife, said the nation’s green list status meant they were unable to rebook their travel plans for a later date.

“We’re very frustrated obviously because this already was a holiday we had planned last year but we rearranged for this year,” he said.

“Because Portugal was on the green list we had to go, we couldn’t rearrange it.

“So we thought we were good to go. The Government promised to give notification of seven days.

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“We were only coming for a week so we thought everything would be fine. Then on the second day we were here they moved the goalposts and suddenly there is a mass panic trying to find a flight and get tests and all the other things.

“We have just run out of time and flights and everything so we are very frustrated.“

In the race to return home, some travellers have reported being turned away from flights, despite having acquired all of the UK’s requested paperwork and having provided evidence of negative COVID-19 tests.

Mick Hurley from Manchester said: “We arrived to board our flight from Porto to Manchester.

“We had our tickets checked a couple of times and our information, our documents that we were required to bring along with us.

“When we were just about to board our flight, our final check the Ryanair staff said we did not have the right test information for our Covid status.

“They disembarked us and popped us out the other side of the airport and left us to it. We’ve spent the rest of the day with this queue behind us queuing for another type of Covid test.”

Holidaymakers have spoken out about overcrowding at airports, with more than 100,000 Britons expected to be in Portugal currently.

According to data from mobility research business Huq Industries, between May 17 – when Portugal became a green list country -until May 31, a total of 221,064 Britons travelled out to the country.

As of May 31, the number of Brits who had travelled back from Portugal stood at 108,887. That leaves the 112,177 currently stuck there.

Anastasia Odegov, who had been on a family holiday with her parents and younger brother, explained: “My brother has school as we managed to put him on a flight earlier but it was also quite stressful. My mum gets quite stressed because of her travelling by herself with my brother.

“She sent us a photo and there was such a huge line all until the entrance of the airport.

“Instead of the two hours that you usually go, it would be three and a half or four hours. Instead of a family holiday is now just me and my dad here.”

Upon the latest traffic light announcement, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps defended the swift move as a “safety first” decision.

Mr Shapps told BBC News: “I want to be straight with people, it’s actually a difficult decision to make, but in the end, we’ve seen two things really which have caused concern.

“One is that the positivity rate has nearly doubled since the last review in Portugal, and the other is that there’s a Nepal mutation of the so-called Indian variants which has been detected.”

He continued: “We just don’t know the potential for that to be a vaccine defeating mutation and simply don’t want to take the risk, as we come up to June 21.”

In a statement, he added: “The public has always known travel will be different this year and we must continue to take a cautious approach to reopening international travel in a way that protects public health and the vaccine rollout.”

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

Travel

Hand luggage: 'Rolling' technique could end up costing holidaymakers – 'common mistake'

May 28, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Airlines around the world have their own specific requirements for hand and cabin bag luggage, with many issuing an additional cost to check-in bags over a certain size or weight. As a result, holidaymakers can find themselves desperately trying to imagine new ways of packing that sidesteps these restrictive rules.

With holidays on the horizon for many Britons thanks to the Government’s “traffic light” system, baggage woes once again rearing their heads.

However, it turns out some of the techniques travellers think will save space and ultimately money might actually result in them taking up more room.

Nicole Street is the Co-Founder of Duchy, a luxury, sustainable handbag and travel luggage brand, and knows a thing or two about how to pack efficiently.

“When it comes to packing, we all too enthusiastically roll our clothes and accessories in an effort to save space,” she told Express.co.uk.

“In reality, it leaves your belts taking up more room.

“Instead, lay your flat belts along the edges of your suitcase or the bottom of your bag.”

According to Ms Street, there is another item that holidaymakers often finds pushing them battling with the baggage allowance.

“Shoes are bulky and whether we like it or not, they take up a lot of room,” she said.

“Often, we pack our shoes in pairs and simply accept that they’re engulfing our luggage – fortunately, this needn’t be the case.

“Avoid packing your shoes in pairs and to save extra room, place them around the edges of your case or bag with their soles facing outwards.

“Meanwhile, place small items like socks and jewellery inside your shoes. That’s right, they can be storage too.”

There are also some items Ms Street recommends avoiding putting into your suitcase and instead suggests you wear them.

“Sometimes the most traditional tips are the most effective and definitely shouldn’t be forgotten,” she pointed out.

“For example, the suggestion that you should layer up and wear any heavy, bulky items you’d like to pack whilst travelling makes a lot of sense.

“Why squeeze them into your suitcase when you can make vital room for even more light pieces?

“Plus, if you’re hopping on a plane – which are known to be freezing – this will keep you warmer.”

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

Travel

Greece holidays: FCDO carries out 'full review' of paperwork for UK holidaymakers

May 28, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Currently, Greece is on the amber list, meaning holidaymakers will be required to self-isolate on their return back to the UK.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has “reviewed” its travel advice “in full” for Greece, and has issued new updates regarding “passenger locator forms, restrictions on entry by land borders, and COVID-19 restrictions”.

“UK nationals are permitted to enter Greece if they are a permanent resident in the UK, Greece, another EU/EFTA state, or in one of the following countries; Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Russian Federation, United States, Serbia, Israel, North Macedonia, Canada, Belarus, Bahrain, Qatar, China, Kuwait, Ukraine or Saudi Arabia,” explains the FCDO.

“Anyone travelling to Greece must comply with the Greek authorities’ requirements, including completion of a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) before you travel (both into and out of Greece).”

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

Travel

Martin Lewis confirms '10 main mobile networks' will not charge holidaymakers in the EU

May 18, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Before Brexit all mobile phone companies were legally bound to offer “roam like at home” fees, meaning Britons could use their phones when in a European Union (EU) country for no extra charge. However, after Brexit EU laws no longer apply to UK mobile phone networks.

Luckily, according to money saving expert Martin Lewis, many of these providers have said they are not ramping up costs.

Speaking on his ITV programme The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live, the financial expert said he had been in touch with “10 main mobile networks” who are planning to continue abiding by this regulation.

“So ‘roam like at home’ was an EU law that you had to be charged the same in the European Union for calling Britain as you would be in Britain,” he explained.

“That is now gone, that’s the bad news.

“Check what package you are on. You should be able to do this fine.”

Furthermore, the rule will only apply to people who are holidaying in an EU country.

“If you are going outside of the European Union then it can be expensive.”

Martin did not specify which providers he had been in touch with, but Britons are encouraged to contact their provider to find out the terms and conditions of their contract or plan.

In the programme, Martin also discussed another change for holidays in the wake of Brexit.

The previous European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will no longer be renewed for Britons, and instead, they will be given a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC).

Much like the EHIC, the GHIC allows Britons to access the same health care as the citizens of the country they are visiting.

He advised Britons to make sure their EHIC is in date as they are currently being used interchangeably with the new GHIC until they expire.

According to Martin, 6.4 million cards are out of date, meaning Britons are missing out on vital coverage.

People can also apply for new cards if their card is out of date, and will be issued with a new GHIC.

However, he warned Britons not to get caught out by scams.

“These cards are always free,” he said.

“If you pay, if someone is trying to charge you do not pay ever for these cards.”

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

Travel

'Flight £20 -Covid test £100' Simon Calder outlines full travel costs facing holidaymakers

May 18, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

Speaking from Portugal, travel expert Simon Calder warned Britons coronavirus testing could be more expensive than flights out of the UK. He said his flight to the Azores “cost £25” but the test “cost £100”. His comments come as he gave travel advice to those desperate to get away from the UK into the sun this summer. But he warned of the mounting paperwork involved with travelling during Covid, even in countries being listed on the ‘green list’ which means you do not have to quarantine on arrival or return.

Calder told the show: “We had this silly situation where Friday afternoon the Portuguese said ok Brits you can come in but by the way if you are booked on Monday’s fight you better get your act together because we are going to need a negative PCR test.

“So I was running around at the weekend down at Heathrow because they guaranteed that they would get the results back to me.”

The travel journalist added: “And the flight cost £25, the test cost £100.

“There is something gone wrong there.”

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Mr Calder also warned Brits that the paperwork for holidays must not be underestimated.

He said: “The only cloud on the horizon is that for going back, I have got to start getting all the forms in place.

“Tests before departure, book a test before arrival, fill in a passenger locator form.

“I’ve been to the Soviet Union and honestly it was a lot easier than just coming back into my own country after this!”

Portugal has been listed as a ‘green list’ destination for Brits meaning you do not need to quarantine on arrival or return from holiday – which makes it a desirable option for British holidaymakers who want to escape the UK for a break.

But the country has some of the strictest Covid restrictions, similar to Spain and Italy.

Masks and face coverings are mandatory indoors and outdoors, on public transport and UK holidaymakers are subject to the local rules.

Punters must also wear a mask when entering or leaving the beach in Portugal – if they don’t follow these rules they face a massive €1,000 fine.

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Other green list countries include Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.

Foreign travel reopened on May 17 along with other restrictions being lifted in the UK, such as indoor hospitality and an end to the overnight stay ban.

And a huge 20 flights from the UK landed in Faro, Portugal on Monday morning bringing sun chasing Britons into the country for a much-needed holiday.

Countries labelled as ‘amber’ and ‘red’ on the UK Government’s traffic light system’ remain virtually off-limits for Britons as they are countries with high covid rates.

Travellers to red list countries have to quarantine in government-provided hotels at a cost of around £1,750 per head – covering food, accommodation, transport, and testing.

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

Travel

British Airways warns holidaymakers it is STILL illegal to travel from May 17

May 11, 2021 Newslanes Media Leave a comment

The airline sent a message to passengers booked on Heathrow to Faro flights on May 17 saying: “You can only travel internationally from England for legally permitted reasons. This does not include holidays. You may be required to show [a Declaration to Travel] form at the port of departure.

“It is an offence to enter a port of departure or embarkation point without a properly completed form if you are travelling internationally. Some job-related exemptions apply.

“You may be issued with a fixed penalty notice and directed to return home if you do not have a valid reason for travel.”

Simon Calder writes in the Independent that passengers are told they must complete a Declaration to Travel form, even though the forms will be abolished after Sunday.

Mr Calder wrote on Twitter: “International travel from 17 May is tricky enough. Now BA adds to the confusion by warning passengers flying to ‘green list’ nations that day:

“1. It’s illegal to go on holiday

“2. They must fill in a Declaration to Travel

“Awaiting a response from the airline.”

Portugal is one of the few countries on the UK’s green list from which no quarantine is required by returning travellers.

Other countries on the green list are Israel, South Georgia, the Faroe Islands and the Falklands.

People are advised against travelling to countries on the amber and red list, but this warning has no legal force.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have yet to set out their new rules on international travel.

Experts have voiced their concern over the risks of new variants spreading through returning holidaymakers.

Members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) think the traffic light system amounts to “window dressing”, and believe it is not based on evidence showing the risks from new Covid variants.

Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, announced the ‘traffic light’ system on Friday.

Speaking at a Downing Street briefing, Mr Shapps said the changes were a “tentative” first step to opening.

The secretary said the UK’s approach to travel was “necessarily cautious” and added the “success in combating Covid” in the UK was “not yet replicated in many places abroad”.

He then said: “We must make sure the countries we reconnect with are safe.”

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: Travel Feed

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