Coronavirus: What difference will the quarantine hotels make?

Simon Calder answers your questions on the latest travel restrictions and gives advice on holiday insurance

Winging it? Many details remain undecided (Reuters)

Q What do you make of the new hotel quarantine rules and the other restrictions that the government has put in place? Will they have much effect?

Rob L

A I will be better placed to answer your question when the government has actually said exactly what it will be doing – and when – to try to limit the risk from coronavirus imported into the UK. We learnt that airlines, ferry companies and train operators have yet another task to fulfil on pain of a heavy fine. They will need to assess whether British residents leaving the UK are legally entitled to travel abroad, by dint of one of the few exemptions – mainly for work, education, medical treatment and essential family reasons.

We also got confirmation of the much-trailed requirement for passengers from some high-risk countries to enter hotel quarantine. But I was genuinely shocked to so many details remain undecided. There is no sign of when the scheme will start, and the home secretary would not say how many passengers will undergo hotel quarantine; Priti Patel said: “There are logistical and operational discussions right now.”

The UK government has had exactly 10 months to study the Australia travel isolation system and assess how something similar could work here. When the Australian premier announced mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals on 27 March last year, the measures took effect next day. That has helped the nation keep its case numbers and fatalities extremely low by British standards.

The UK policy seems likely to take effect in a week, or two, or possibly even three. That will give plenty of time to get home for anyone on the “red list” of countries who doesn’t fancy the financial burden and discomfort of spending 10 days in a hotel. The disarray at the heart of the UK government on hotel quarantine indicates that these measures are largely political theatre: if the prime minister really thought that they would make a significant difference, he would surely have imposed them immediately. But I am happy to be proved wrong.

Q What are the chances of interrailing in June or July?

Liam W

A The quick and honest answer is: “I don’t know.” But let me give you a longer and hopefully more helpful response. The unlimited travel pass is normally a splendid way to travel. For just under £300, you can buy a pass that is valid for use on seven days in a month for travel within 33 European countries (and get a handy discount on the Eurostar cross-Channel train to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam to begin your trip). Or, for a full-on rail adventure, you can travel for 15 days continuously for under £400 – around £26 per day for as many trains as you like.

But Interrail had a horrible 2020; for most of the year, leisure travel on the railways of most European nations was either inappropriate or downright illegal. Briefly, in late June, it looked as though a coordinated reopening of the European Union, at least, was going to happen. But the grand July restart turned out to be a bit of a shambles. Since then the prospect of a meaningful trans-European journey has shrunk to zero.

That will certainly not be the case throughout 2021, but it is too early to say when the railways – and more particularly the frontiers – will start to open for international business.

Fortunately, just as you can travel at the drop of a hat, you can decide whether to invest in an Interrail pass whenever you like. Certainly, you should start planning now, perhaps with the help of the European Rail Timetable, the excellent guidebook Europe by Rail and the useful pages on Interrail at Seat61.com.

Devise a grand plan which of course you can modify as your mood and events dictate. But I see no benefit to buying an interrail pass right now; the price will not increase if you wait until the day before travel.

Just keep your eyes open for promotions: I am sure that the organisation that coordinates the unlimited travel pass will, like many travel operations, offer some excellent deals when the time is right; follow interrail.eu to keep informed.

Q My son is 17 and is covered by family travel insurance. He wants to book a holiday that will come after he is 18. Can you suggest any companies who have good policies for his age group – or is age not a factor?

Paul W

A This isn’t a topic I have looked at before, and I was glad to investigate on your behalf. I made a series of test bookings with travel insurance firms that showed a minimum age of 18 as a standard condition. Even Endsleigh, a specialist student insurer, says: “At least one traveller aged 18 or over is required.”

The general rule: under-18s are not covered unless they are travelling with an older person. Your son is in an unusual position of turning 18 between when he wants the policy to take effect and when the trip will go ahead. He should not be tempted to buy a policy online and inflate his age to 18; it pays always to be truthful when seeking travel insurance.

I imagine a good insurance broker could happily liaise with an insurer and find a suitable policy. But as that would involve a significant amount of work, you can expect it to be significantly more expensive than a typical policy for an actual 18-year-old.

So your son could simply wait until his 18th birthday and buy a policy then – though this is not ideal, as insurance should be taken out at the same time as a holiday is booked. But I wonder about the wisdom of committing to a holiday right now?

With all the uncertainty that the coronavirus pandemic has brought to the world of travel, your son might comfortably wait a little longer before committing. Unless he is travelling in the peak month of August, I do not think that he will secure much of a price advantage by booking now. But if your son has his heart set on a trip in the summer peak, try to ensure he books a proper package holiday. That way he is sure to get the trip that he booked or a full refund.

Q Is visiting a partner a valid reason to fly? This would not be a holiday for me. I last saw my partner in August. I have been looking into this but to no avail. Would appreciate your expert opinion. Do you know any other countries that accept this reason to fly?

Name supplied

A While some of us grumble about not being able to take holidays due to the stringent rules intended to stem the spread of coronavirus, as you indicate there is a much deeper problem. Many thousands of people have been separated from their loved ones for months. This is causing great upset, anxiety and sadness.

Unfortunately, judging from this week’s announcements from the government, I cannot bring you much good news.

“There are still too many people coming in and out of our country each day,” the home secretary, Priti Patel, announced on Wednesday. She set about spelling out how she intends to ensure that “only the small number of people for whom it is absolutely essential to travel are doing so”.

There is nothing to stop you buying a ticket for a flight, train or ferry to your destination. But, says the government, “The reason for travel will be checked.” Transport operators will be told to assess whether or not you have a valid reason to travel. Airlines, train companies and ferry firms face a fine if they let you on board without proof of your entitlement.

“There will be an increased police presence at ports and airports, fining those in breach of the stay-at-home regulations,” says the Home Office.

“Anyone who does not have a valid reason for travel will be directed to return home and may face a fine.”

All of which sounds rather terrifying. The police – who do not appear to have been consulted before the announcement – are stretched and some sources have said nothing much will change. But of course you should not travel against the law. And at present, being outside your home other than for reasons such as work, education, childcare, exercise or medical treatment is illegal.

Sadly, I cannot see that changing until 8 March, when the easing of restrictions may happen. All I can suggest is that your partner visits you; they would need to self-isolate, but apart from the 33 countries on the “red list” there is no outright ban.

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