When can we go on holiday again? The question everybody wants the answer to

When can we go on holiday again? That’s the question everybody wants the answer to, but nobody has.

Rumours have been flying around over the past few days in the run-up to Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” announcement on Monday: that hotels could open their doors as soon as next month; that holidays could be back on the cards for Easter.

What we do know for certain is that… it’s still too early to tell. But there are early signs of hope.

A few weeks ago, we pitched in our predictions along with a handful of travel experts. Answers ranged from Easter (early April) to June, with The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder the most optimistic. He believes hotel quarantine will be quietly forgotten by the end of March, when the current unprecedented tough restrictions will be eased. Then the main question will be: who will let us in, and what vaccination status will be demanded?

Some more concrete signs of optimism include the comments today from the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, who said he wants to open up self-catering holidays for Easter. Meanwhile, the Greek tourism minister said this week that they’re in discussions with the UK government around the issue of welcoming vaccinated travellers to Greece this summer, which raises another thorny issue entirely – of the ethics of vaccine passports.

What’s clear is that the travel industry is ready to get on with it. This week, a collection of top UK airline executives including easyJet’s Johan Lundgren said they were eyeing huge demand this summer, as British travellers cloistered in their homes for months suddenly make for the nearest beach.

That said, nobody’s going anywhere soon, given the onerous quarantine rules in the UK (whether in a hotel, or at home, for 10 days).

Me? I’m hopeful to go abroad perhaps in May, but only when it’s safe to do so.

Yours,

Cathy Adams

Head of travel