When should I book my autumn holiday to Israel?

Q I am sure you are fed up with people asking, but I am planning a trip to Israel in October. Book now or wait?

@shmoocrew, via Twitter

A Not at all fed up! Millions of us are extremely keen to know what travel possibilities we may have for the remainder of 2021, and I am happy to share the fruits of my nigh-obsessive reading of the international travel tea leaves.

On Easter Monday the prime minister will give us some indications about what is likely to be possible this summer. Whatever Boris Johnson says, I can guarantee that six months from now the world will look very different. And I predict with some confidence that people from well-jabbed nations such as the UK and Israel will be enjoying a fair amount of travel freedom.

Unless there is a very serious turn for the worse on the pandemic front, I expect that you and I will be welcome to step on board a plane to Israel without undue red tape in either direction by autumn. (That assumes that we have had both vaccinations by then.)

Yet unless you plan to travel during the half-term week in England and Wales (25-29 October in almost all schools), I see no sense in booking now. I believe you will have more choice, and quite possibly lower fares and holiday prices, if you wait to see what opportunities the airlines and holiday companies seize as the world, or at least our corner of it, opens up.

In particular, there may be many more flights to both Tel Aviv and the shiny new Ramon international airport near Eilat. Just before the coronavirus pandemic I flew to the latter, using a combination of British Airways and Wizz Air via Warsaw for a ridiculously low fare. You might want to consider a similar trip. Or wait to see if a big tour operator such as Jet2 or Tui moves in to capitalise on the increased popularity of Israel and offers good-value packages to the country.

open image in gallery

Q Under the new traffic light system for foreign trips, will holiday companies still put on trips to “amber” countries if quarantine on return is required for some? If they do, but customers cannot afford to accept self-isolation on their return, can people cancel and get their money back? We are locked into a twice-changed wedding holiday in Mexico.

Mark B

A Holidays beyond the UK are currently illegal, but on Easter Monday the prime minister is expected to announce the conditions under which foreign travel will be allowed from 17 May.

The government has widely leaked that the general prohibition on foreign trips will be lifted, with travel back into the UK dependent on a traffic light system. Each colour will have different requirements. The current talk is that travellers arriving from green countries will get a light touch approach, possibly having to have a test before boarding a flight to the UK. At the other extreme, the red list will continue much as it does currently – with a mandatory 11 nights in a hotel at considerable expense.

Most countries are expected to be in the amber category, from which there could be a general obligation to self-isolate at home for 10 days, as happens at the moment, but with that requirement lifted from people who have had two vaccinations and waited for two weeks.

For the early and middle of summer, that will largely divide the nation into two camps based on age. Older travellers will be able to return without problem, because they have had both jabs, while younger holidaymakers could be required to self-isolate.

This presents a really awkward situation for the holiday companies. They of course want to provide trips for as many people as possible but they also recognise that for many customers quarantining for 10 days is simply not a feasible option.

I expect to see a fair amount of flexibility, which could include an opportunity to change or cancel a planned holiday if you have not been vaccinated. Don’t be surprised, though, if you are refused a cash refund. My reading of the Package Travel Regulations suggests that a holiday company is within its rights to enforce a contract even if quarantine awaits on your arrival home. The rules are all about whether the travel firm can provide the holiday as booked; subsequent problems for its customers are not legally the business’s problems.

If it is any consolation, there is some chance that Mexico could be one of the first green-list countries to open up for UK holidaymakers – so I hope there is room for some optimism.

open image in gallery

Q I am booked to fly with my family to Spain in late July. It’s a holiday we postponed from last year. After the prime minister’s announcement that it’s too early to say when going abroad will be allowed, we are wondering whether we should just cancel now and plan a UK trip?

Sharon V

A After the government had spent most of the Easter weekend briefing friendly media about what Boris Johnson would say about foreign holidays in yesterday’s announcement, I was shocked to hear so little detail – but right now I urge you not to take any precipitous action.

As a reminder: it is now three months since an international travel ban began in the UK. Under the law governing the “third lockdown,” the stay at home rule put paid to going abroad except for essential purposes. When that law was lifted for England, on 29 March, another rule came in to make leisure travel overseas illegal – with a £5,000 fixed penalty for transgressors.

The travel industry, and the many people like you with holidays booked, were expecting confirmation on Monday that going abroad would open up on 17 May.

Instead, we got a warning from the government: “We are not yet in a position to confirm that non-essential international travel can resume.”

The ”roadmap review“ also urged people who have not yet booked a holiday abroad not to do so “until the picture is clearer”.

All of which is extremely concerning for people in your position. Just when you might have hoped to be able to look forward to a much-needed escape with some confidence, instead you have just been told to continue to live with the uncertainty of not knowing where you will be in late July.

At present all you can do is assume that the trip will be going ahead as planned. While travel firms assess their options, the contract you have remains in force.

For you to cancel the trip now would be foolhardy – you would certainly be charged a hefty fee. Only if and when the company announces a cancellation itself are you entitled to a full refund.

I know that is frustrating, especially since options in the UK are being snapped up by other holidaymakers. But I still believe there is a good chance you will be able to travel as planned to Spain in late July without too many conditions attached.