Travel news: domestic holidays get the go-ahead
Domestic holidays are allowed in England from today
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Your support makes all the difference.It’s getaway day! According to the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, domestic travel to “self-contained accommodation” is permitted from today, 12 April.
It means, after more than three months of lockdown, overnight stays in Airbnbs, campsites and caravan parks and some holiday parks – including Center Parcs – are permitted for one household or social bubble only.
Thousands of holidaymakers are expected to head off on trips today.
Follow as The Independent’s travel desk heads off on domestic adventures...
More people using London transport
Figures from Transport for London show that Tube travel was up 18 per cent week-on-week this morning, while bus travel was up 15 per cent, as England begins slowly opening up.
The figures are from the start of service until 10am on Monday, as compared to the same time frame on 6 April.
The number of passengers using Tube stations near shopping centres such as Oxford Street and Westfield Stratford City between 11am and noon was up 125 per cent, TfL said.
Additional reporting by PA
Some hotels are opening...
While hotels are not allowed to open properly until 17 May, some hotels have cleverly sectioned off parts of the property to fit with the government’s “self-contained accommodation” brief, which are permitted to open from today.
Here, hotels expert Ianthe Butt rounds up the best standalone apartments, cottages and beach huts with hotel-like hospitality in England.
Live from Chessington
Simon Calder spent the morning at Chessington World of Adventures in southwest London, checking out its newest ride: Croc Drop.
Read his report here.
More than 90 per cent of people want to travel abroad
Despite domestic travel opening back up, it’s international travel that many of us are still hankering after, according to new research.
A new study from SchengenVisaInfo found that 95 per cent of respondents would consider travelling as soon as the restrictions are lifted.
Some 87 per cent said they desperately need to take a trip outside their country; three-quarters of the survey participants claimed that the first trip they would take once the borders reopen is to visit family members and friends.
More than half (54 per cent) believe that, despite the spread of the virus and its mutations, it is not very risky to travel abroad right now, while a similar number of people think vaccination should be obligatory for travel.
Live from the Cotswolds
Here’s how my First Big Trip is going so far...
Live from the Cotswolds
Here’s how my First Big Trip is going so far...
Only 3 per cent of self-catering properties left for next weekend
Rest Easy Group, home to a number of UK holiday rental marketplaces including Snaptrip, Big Cottages and Dog Friendly Cottages, has just 3 per cent availability left for next weekend in its most popular destinations.
Matt Fox, CEO, said: “As self-catered staycations get the green light today, we have seen very limited availability for properties in the top UK holiday destinations.
“The top three locations are Devon, Yorkshire and Cornwall with an extremely low number of properties left in these areas for the coming week.
“Only 3 per cent of properties in Devon are now available to book, followed by 5 per cent in Yorkshire and 2 per cent in Cornwall. It’s great to see the nation’s excitement for UK travel is back again this year. With this in mind, we would advise anyone wishing to book a staycation to plan ahead as much as possible, as availability is in short supply!”
Hi from a hotel! Well, sort of...
And hi from the Hoxton Southwark, on the south side of Blackfriars Bridge in London. It’s not Chessington or the Cotswolds, obviously...
I’m sitting outside (of course) at its all-day dining spot Albie. It’s the nearest I can get to the hotel at the moment, which is – in Normal Times – one of the buzziest hotels in London, with urban rooms stuffed with gorgeous design accents such as parquet floors, Crittal-style windows and books you haven’t read but would display on your bookshelf anyway.
Hotels aren’t permitted to open properly to guests until 17 May, but they can open their outdoor spaces from today, which for Hoxton Southwark also includes rooftop restaurant Seabird, as well as standalone accommodation inside.
This is what the general manager, Caroline Groom, has to say: “We’re so happy to finally have guests back in The Hoxton Southwark to stay and for outdoor dining at both Albie and Seabird, our 14th floor rooftop restaurant.
“We’re looking forward to reopening Holborn and Shoreditch, our London hotels on 17 May, and being able to welcome guests back in full swing. We’ve got lots of exciting things in the pipeline – watch this space!”
‘Demand is strong’, says National Express
A spokesperson for the largest inter-city coach operator, National Express, said: “We have added eight new routes to our timetable and increased the frequency of existing services from this week. Demand is strong.”
Around 65 per cent of seats for travel on Monday 12 April were sold as of midnight yesterday (Sunday 11 April) and this trend looks set to continue for the rest of the week and beyond.
Coach stations are also reporting a noticeable increase in footfall and more travellers buying tickets for on the day travel compared to last week.
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