How have people returned from Brazil during a ‘ban’?

Q Can I ask how is it people have managed to return from Brazil in the past month while carrying the new variant? And how two people from my area returned from Dubai without being stopped by authorities? I thought the government had stopped those flights?

“Cheeky Chav”

A Both Brazil and the UAE (including Dubai) are on the UK government’s “red list,” along with Portugal, South Africa and 29 other countries.

They are subject to what the government describes as a “travel ban”, but which is nothing of the sort. Anyone with the right of residence in the UK is entitled to travel here from any of these nations.

Neither is it a flight ban: there are plenty of planes coming into the UK from the UAE every day, both to bring in freight and to pick up passengers to fly back. The ban is simply on carrying passengers inbound on those aircraft.

So those people who returned from Brazil with the new “Manaus variant” of coronavirus did so perfectly legally – though they put at risk people with whom they came into contact on their convoluted journeys home.

The government says the fact that the strain was identified by genome sequencing of tests carried out in the UK shows the system is working.

Regarding the people who you say came in from Dubai: if they were in the UAE in the 10 days before arrival in the UK but failed to declare the fact, then they have clearly broken the law. The new rules that took effect on 15 February require them to self-identify, book 11 nights in hotels quarantine (at a cost of £1,750 for a solo traveller) and take Covid tests on days two and eight of their stays.

But the government has made life deliberately difficult for UK Border Force staff to identify arrivals from the UAE by imposing the “no-passenger” stipulation on the arriving Emirates flights. If travellers were able to travel on these planes, then they could easily be identified because, by definition, everyone on those aircraft (as well as Etihad arrivals from Abu Dhabi) is liable for hotel quarantine and could be separated from other passengers at the gate.

Instead, travellers from the UAE to the UK are routing themselves via hubs such as Istanbul, Zurich and Dublin, increasing the risks of cross-infection to themselves and the people they encounter, and making it easier to conceal their point of origin. I have pointed out the counter-productivity of the rules but the government has not changed them.

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Q We’re enthusiastic cruise fans and try to take a couple of European voyages ever year, but it seems our options for 2021 are being reduced by the day. We are now looking at a couple of one-week voyages, both departing on 2 September. In terms of places to see, how would you compare the P&O Azura cruise from Malta with the Marella Explorer 2 from Dubrovnik?

Jane W

A In a normal year, there would be no contest: the Adriatic voyage with Marella.

The P&O cruise begins on the beautiful island of Malta, at Valletta: with arguably the most beautiful harbour in the Mediterranean. Azura then spends the following day sailing east to Piraeus, the port for Athens, with another all-day voyage to return from Gythion in the Greek Peloponnese. Both of these ports of call are well worthwhile (in Piraeus, I always recommend the excellent Metro link into central Athens rather than taking an organised tour). The P&O ship will also call at two very different islands: Mykonos, where the waterside quarter resembles a particularly delicious corner of Venice; and Heraklion, the capital of Crete, with the ruins of Knossos a short way south. But making a 1,000-mile round trip across the Mediterranean between Malta and Greece looks a waste to me.

Marella’s adults-only cruise also has a “sea day” after sailing from Dubrovnik, around 600 miles to Valletta, but from then on the itinerary is rich: Messina in Sicily, which is a superb destination in its own right as well as offering an easy train connection to the hill town of Taormina; Taranto in the far south of mainland Italy, a quiet gem of a destination; and Corfu Town, rich in antiquity and indulgence. The scenic highlight, though, will be Kotor in Montenegro – approached along the spectacular Gulf of Kotor, an Adriatic fjord. The old town is gorgeous, and you can also hike up the ancient walls.

The caveat: during the second coronavirus summer, it is possible that some of the tangle of international travel restrictions will remain in place, or that further red tape will be introduced a short notice. The more countries that are included in a cruise itinerary, the higher the risk that the voyage will be disrupted.

P&O has just two nations on its itinerary, Marella four. So I suggest you wait and survey the situation early in August; September is sufficiently off-peak for flights and cabins are usually available at reasonable prices a month before departure.

Whichever you choose, I urge you to make the most of the port of departure – subject to flight schedules. Both Valletta and Dubrovnik are enriching.

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Q What do you know about Buyagift? I have a voucher given as a present. I am finding it hard to get a hotel to take it.

Harry S

A “We want to deliver happiness and amaze people” – that is the view of Buyagift’s chief executive, Dan Mountain. The company is part of the Smartbox Group, based in Hertfordshire, which also includes Red Letter Days. Its business model is to supply well-packaged gift vouchers that provide the recipient with an experience at some point in the future.

But in my opinion Buyagift comes with too many strings attached and does not represent good value. Take the “Two Night European Break Experience Box” that is currently being sold at £200. It does not include travel – just two nights’ bed and breakfast for two at one of a fairly small range of European hotels.

I checked at random the four-star Eurostars hotel in Portugal’s second city, Porto. Looking ahead to August, likely to be a month of high demand: it is cheaper booking direct with the hotel. Furthermore, while any hotel will welcome direct bookings for cash, they may make only a limited amount of rooms available for voucher redemption. Of that £200 voucher, I speculate that barely half goes to the hotel. If a property expects to be able to sell its rooms at a significantly higher price, it makes sense not to make them available to voucher holders.

Buyagift itself says: “Availability will be limited, and some may ask for surcharges to accommodate bookings during these difficult times, particularly within the hospitality sector which has been so badly affected by recent events.”

My advice to you: ask the donor when they bought it. (I realise it could be a bit awkward, so do say I suggested it.) The company impressively says: “We’re happy to make refunds on unused vouchers bought directly from Buyagift within 60 days of purchase.”

Meanwhile, I advise anyone considering buying a Mother’s Day gift to provide a “promise” of a great travel experience – which will give the recipient complete freedom to choose something, without limitations, they will really enjoy.

This is an unhappy time all round for voucher holders. Many disappointed holidaymakers have vouchers from travels they were unable to enjoy because of the coronavirus pandemic. I do not recommend adding to the oversupply.

Email your questions to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder