Your international travel questions answered by Simon Calder

Best “green” destinations and travel companies, US Covid rules and the complexities of trans-European journeys

Hail traveller: A statue in Turin, northern Italy (Simon Calder)

On the eve of Shakespeare’s birthday, the travel correspondent of The Independent paused before his annual pilgrimage to “unpathed waters, undreamed shores” by way of Stratford-upon-Avon to answer your urgent travel questions.

Green shoots

Q: I live in south Devon. Which are the best websites for self-planning options or “green travel” companies that will take me to Europe by boat and/or train? Also, which lesser-known European destinations are your personal favourites which can be reached without too much complication without flying?

Pam S

A: For independent planning, I suggest you consult the international rail site Seat61.com, which contains a wealth of expertise on trains around Europe and the world – as well as details of connecting ferries.

Regarding green travel companies: my excellent colleague, Helen Coffey, who is a flight-free specialist, recommends Byway Travel (“Joyful journeys by train and boat”) and the No-Fly Travel Club (“Sustainable rail trips for adventurous souls”).

Helen’s top personal pick is “beautiful Slovenia, very accessible by rail via Paris and Munich”.

I popped this question on Twitter, too, and the answers included:

• Brittany Ferries from Plymouth or Portsmouth to France – “The best ferries we’ve been on,” according to Phil Watson.
• Fehmarn Burg – “Direct trains from Hamburg and very nice pancake house,” says Shawn Collier.
• Heidelberg, Interlaken or Stresa, recommended by Stephen Mason.
• Harz Mountains, said another Stephen, whose Twitter handle is @MostlyByTrain. “Eurostar to Amsterdam, train to Hannover and local train to Wernigerode. An area in a time warp still served by steam trains.”
• Orleans, southwest of Paris. Chris Bates says: “Simple to get to, but in all my visits there (17 so far) I have only once heard another British voice.”
• Turin - “Very under-rated city. Can be done in a day by train crossing Paris with a scenic journey through the Alps,” says Dorset Glassboy.

My personal view on nearby destinations that are less celebrated starts with southern Belgium and Luxembourg; the latter has free public transport. I also love the Charente-Maritime area between La Rochelle and Bordeaux in western France, in particular the small and fascinating city of Rochefort and the lovely coastal region around it.

On the subject of sustainable travel, this corner of France is the only location where I have ever been picked up by a Model T Ford when hitchhiking.

Continental trailways

Q: We are travelling by Eurostar direct from Amsterdam to London St Pancras in June. We will have met the Covid rules for Holland, but do we have to meet the separate rules for Belgium and France if we are in transit?

I asked Eurostar, and after a month I got a form reply that they were unable to offer advice. (Loved your webinar this week, but this is the sort of problem you get, when you try to follow Helen and go green.)

Michael 80

A: As soon as you enter any country you must, of course, comply with its regulations. In Covid terms that may involve pre-departure testing, filling in a passenger locator form, wearing a mask on public transport or a combination of these and other rules.

I can understand Eurostar being non-committal: partly because (as we have seen over the past four years) giving precise advice on a four-nations-in-five-hours journey is fraught with uncertainty – and also because June seems impossibly far ahead.

Anyway, let me see if I be a little more helpful, starting with Belgium – in whose territory you will remain for just over an hour.

According to the Foreign Office, if you are in Belgium for less than 48 hours you need not present evidence of vaccination, nor a recovery or negative test certificate – unless you arrive from a country with a new Variant of Concern (VOC). Let’s hope that the Netherlands is not in that position by June.

Next, France. In theory, as the Eurostar train races at 186mph across the Franco-Belgian border, you should be standing by to produce evidence of full vaccination. I think the chances that you will be asked are vanishingly low.

By June, indeed, if anything I expect that travel within the Schengen Area/EU will be more normalised, with few restrictions between nations of the European Union.

As you say in your last line, though, I must regretfully agree a quick flight from Amsterdam to the UK would involve far less potential hassle than the train journey.

Q: I am travelling to Sweden on a motorbike at the end of May for the Super Rally near Malmo. The journey starts on the tunnel to Calais where we then ride to Belgium and head up through Germany to Sweden where we stay for a few days. We then travel back almost the same route.

I am unvaccinated so can you please advise me what if any restrictions there are and paperwork I need.

Harleydude

A: As my previous reply indicated, trans-European journeys are tricky enough for people who are fully vaccinated (which, for most EU nations, means having had a completing an initial course less than 270 days ago or having had a booster).

Unvaccinated multinational travel is for the brave. So the picture at present is:

• France will admit you with a lateral flow test within 48 hours of departing for France.
• Belgium requires you to have an “essential reason” for travelling, but the general exemption for transit will probably cover you.
• Germany is the big problem. Unvaccinated travellers are not welcome there at present, but according to the official bund.de government website you may be able to roar through in a time defined as “only as long as absolutely necessary to travel directly to the country of destination or another transit country”.

I assume you will also be going through Denmark, which helpfully is free of travel restrictions - as is Sweden.

It is very likely the rules for at least one of the five countries you will be visiting will change over the course of the next month.

American adventures

Q: I am travelling to New York in May with an 11-year-old. I am fully vaccinated but she will only have had one dose. Does she need to quarantine and how do I evidence her vaccination? Under-12s cannot get a Covid pass or letter in the UK, and the hotel and other activities require evidence.

“Galicia Fan”

A: The regrettable mismatch between vaccination/certification policies in the UK and Covid requirements in various parts of the world has caused a lot of grief – particularly for families visiting America.

For the purposes of entering the US, it is sufficient for your daughter to be travelling with you as a vaccinated adult.

Once there, rules for children vary from city to city and state to state. Until last month New York City was one of the most draconian. Under the “Key to NYC” rules, anyone aged five or over had to show proof of vaccination for “indoor activities at restaurants, bars, gyms, cultural venues and entertainment facilities”.

While individual businesses are legally able to require proof of vaccination at their own discretion, this is unlikely to impact your trip.

Q: Do you think direct flights from Manchester to west coast US will start again this year?

“Alison USA”

A: In 2017 I wrote, excitedly: “From its thriving long-haul base in Manchester, Thomas Cook Airlines will be flying to San Francisco twice a week from 14 May.

”The Manchester-Los Angeles link increases from twice to three times weekly.“

Virgin Atlantic joined in the fun, and for a while Manchester was absolutely the place to start for any Brit heading for the US Pacific Coast.

The sad collapse of Thomas Cook ended that US network, and then Covid put paid to other links.

Ever since British Airways introduced (and quickly dropped) a Manchester-LAX link in the 20th century, it’s been very on-off. From the airlines’ perspective, serving an East Coast hub creates a much bigger market. So who knows?

Q: Do you think the US is likely to ditch a pre-arrival negative test as a requirement for entry to the country within the next couple of months?

Bartinbrook

A: I’d love to think so but I fear the reality is that they will pay no heed to the main summer tourist season and drop the requirement in September or October.

Going Dutch

Q: I am travelling to Amsterdam in June. For entry requirements, it says, all travellers are advised to self-test. What does this mean: a lateral flow? Where do we obtain this self-test from and who does it need to be reported to? Do we need a pre-departure test?

Pam

A: Fully vaccinated or recently recovered British visitors are welcome in the Netherlands without testing. The only advice on this subject I can find from the Dutch government relates to unvaccinated arrivals (who will need to meet some challenging conditions to get in at all).

The official advice – and it is no stronger that that – reads: “Travellers without a vaccination certificate or recovery certificate are strongly advised to test on days 2 and 5 after arrival.” A self-test, as previously provided free by the NHS and now available for purchase, will suffice.

For travellers with a certificate of vaccination(or recovery), the only information I can see for self-testing is “urgent advice” to take a self-test before meeting others or going to work or school.

Passport palaver

Q: Is a passport with 5 months 26 days left okay to fly with easyJet to Amsterdam for six days. I’m finding the information on the easyJet website contradicts what the Netherlands government states (three months), in fact it even seem to contradict itself.

Andrew56

A: It is most regrettable that easyJet, along with Ryanair, continues to misrepresent passport rules for UK visitors to the EU. In the post-Brexit world a British passport for travel to the European Union must meet two tests:

• On the day of entry to the EU, was it issued less than 10 years ago?
• On the intended day of leaving the EU, will it have at least three months remaining?

In your case, it all depends on the issue date.

So long as your trip is before mid-July, your passport appears to meet the second condition. Have a look and see if it meets the first. If you are arriving on 1 May, for example, it should have been issued on 2 May 2012 or later.

Q: Can my wife, with UK passport, go through EU border channel, piggybacking me on my EU passport, maybe with marriage certificate? UK to Netherlands and back.

Higgy

A: The crucial part is entering the Netherlands. Since the UK decided to subject itself to third country citizen rules for the European Union, passport control lines have extended alarmingly.

Despite what some pro-Brexit commentators have said, EU countries are not deliberately making us wait: because of leaving the European Union, they have to make many more checks that take much longer. In your position I would probably try to insinuate myself into the EU arrivals queue and hope for the best.

Calling time

Q: How can I get through to BA when they keep saying it’s too busy and then the line goes dead?

Alisam

A: How maddening. I find calling as early as possible on a Sunday morning sometimes gets results.

Boosterism

Q: We are due to fly to Portugal next Thursday. My wife had her second booster on 13 April. Her previous booster was on 23 October. Any problems with this?

Ian E

A: No. As with most European nations, the general rule for being accepted as fully vaccinated is: final dose of initial course no more than 270 days (almost nine months) ago, or a single booster – no time limit. Have a lovely holiday.