The travel desk of The Independent is London-based this week, keeping eyes on the unfolding horrors in Ukraine and the implications – as well as the wider picture for travellers with countries steadily reopening.
Travel correspondent Simon Calder took an hour to answer questions from readers.
African skies
Q: I’m thinking of going to Tunisia in early April, do you think the weather will be OK then? And what are the must-sees, please? .
Julsey
A: Tunisia is an excellent choice of destination before Easter: you can expect bright, sunny days (though the Mediterranean will still be rather chilly) and cool evenings. With plenty of daylight but none of the intense heat of summer, April is an excellent month in which to explore this fascinating North African nation.
Tunis, the capital, is a great place to start: a combination of Arabic intensity and French style. The Bardo museum, west of the city centre, is a magnificent location for a superb collection of classical creations.
Nearby, Carthage is the leading archaeological sites and well worth a day – though the city-state that once dominated the western Mediterranean does get bizarrely tangled with suburbia. A brief history lesson: the people of Carthage became known by the Romans as the Punici, and the two great empires fought the Punic Wars. The Carthaginian general Hannibal led an army spearheaded by war elephants over both the Pyrenees and the Alps to defeat the Romans. But the tide turned, and Carthage was eventually levelled – with Roman infrastructure taking root among the ruins.
Almost next door, Sidi Bou Said is the cliff-top village that distils most succinctly the character of Tunisia – with blue-and-white painted cottages clustered around cobbled lanes.
Bizerte, Tunisia’s northernmost citadel, is a relaxed, friendly and profoundly picturesque port – populated by fishing boats in primary colours and presided over by an atmospheric kasbah.
Most travellers, though, will be aiming for the string of resorts south along the east-facing shore from Hammamet. As it happens, Hammamet is my east coast location of choice, with a fascinating Old Town as well as lots of touristy facilities.
Inland, there are plenty of tours into the desert. If you can, visit the Great Mosque of Kairouan, one of the holiest shrines in the Islamic world. This magnificent structure stands in vivid contrast to the mesmeric, monochromatic dusty wilderness beyond.
Testing times
Q: What do you think are the chances of Poland scrapping the need for a lateral flow test to enter the country? It all seems a bit pointless when you consider the poor souls fleeing Ukraine.
Robsey
A: “All travellers arriving from non-Schengen countries, which includes the UK, who are aged five years and older must present evidence of a negative pre-departure test (PCR or antigen/lateral flow) taken within 24 hours before arrival.”
As you say, the hundreds of thousands of people escaping Russian bombardment in Ukraine are not going to be able to comply with this rule.
Poland was one of my favourite destinations during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic – I visited in October 2020, when travel restrictions were almost non-existent.
As far as I can tell, the current requirement took effect in July 2021. It is certainly ripe for removal. But as Poland is not (yet) a mainstream holiday destination, I think it may remain in place for a while longer.
Italian connection
Q: We’re taking our children, aged seven and 10, on a three-night break to Venice in early April. I’m confused about the testing requirements we will need to follow. I see that their restrictions have been significantly eased for those who are vaccinated (like myself and my husband) and I believe all we now need is our NHS Covid pass.
But the children are too young to be vaccinated and whilst I understand they will need to test prior to departure, I’m struggling to find clear information on what we need to do once we’re there.
Am I right in thinking they may need to keep doing repeated tests in order to enter a hotel or restaurant or public place?
Rachel B
A: The current rules for Italy remain fairly onerous. “Children aged six and over must follow the rules for adult travellers,” the Foreign Office says. As you indicate, this means your seven- and 10-year-old must get a test before arrival.
Once in Italy, a whole new raft of rules takes effect when visitors actually want to do anything, from boarding a vaporetto on one of the Venetian canals to dining out at a trattoria.
As anyone who has visited Italy in recent months, the Super Green Pass, requiring proof of vaccination (with time limits), recent recovery or a very recent negative test result to access many public venues, is a necessary adjunct. Your children’s ages are ideal, though, because under-12s are exempt from having to provide this proof at every turn.
I would be more concerned about status for adults if you have not yet had a booster: to get into Italy your initial vaccinations are regarded as expired after 270 days, and once in the country the validity shrinks to 180 days. If you have been boosted, though, there is no time limit.
We are still a month away from your trip, and in that time I confidently predict that more restrictions will fall away. Other southern European locations are reducing their obstructions to family holidays, and Italy’s traders do not want to be left behind.
Finally, I hope you will make the most of the excellent ferry service around the Venice Lagoon, which was a particularly happy aspect of my most recent family trip.
On form
Q: Grant Shapps has generously (ahem) removed the requirement for Ukrainians arriving in the UK to complete a passenger locator form. Isn’t it about time he removed the requirement, for at least UK citizens arriving home?
All Covid restrictions were supposedly lifted last week in England, but I still view the pointless and burdensome form a restriction on travel freedoms. Do you see any sign of it being removed anytime soon?
SmartMart59
A: “You do not need to complete a passenger locator form if you started your journey to the UK in Ukraine,” the government now says. Removing the requirement for people escaping Russian bombardment in Ukraine to complete this complex and incoherent form before boarding a plane, train or ship to Britain strikes me as a good decision (though I question whether it merits a self-congratulatory tweet from the transport secretary, Grant Shapps).
As you say, the decision raises the profile of this document, which every other traveller to the UK must fill in. I am unconvinced it has any meaningful purpose – rather, I think it is one of those annoying pieces of red tape that lingers well beyond the point at which it ceases to have any value.
Huw Merriman, Conservative chair of the Transport Select Committee, agrees, saying: “It’s a drain on international travel, the sector arguably most impacted by the pandemic.”
But ministers insist that the passenger locator form remains an essential element of Covid-19 precautions. While some leaks to friendly media suggest it will be removed before Easter, the very fact that this week the government chose to increase the time in which you can complete the form from 48 to 72 hours suggests it is not about to be removed. Otherwise, why would they have bothered?
American adventures
Q: Do you know if the USA is planning to remove the requirement for a pre-departure test anytime soon? We’ve noticed the company we used at the end of last year has now discontinued the offer of LFTs.
Ellie May
A: As with UK travel requirements, so with the US: rules are quick to be introduced and slow to be relaxed.
It’s now almost four months since America opened its borders, and all that has changed in that time is that the window for taking the pre-departure test (which, as I am sure you know, can be a quick and cheap lateral flow) has shrunk to from four days to two – either the day of departure, or the day before. Let me make a wild stab and say I think it will be dropped in May.
Q: I am due to got to the USA next month and I’m befuddled by what paperwork apart from vaccination proof is required. One of the forms I looked at was not electronic and needed a signature. Can you advise please?
Bern 13
A: I know the one you mean: the “Passenger Attestation Form” (PDF) that you can find at the CDC website. It is seven pages long and not at all clear about where you sign.
I take it with me to the US, but have never been asked for it. So I suggest you print it out, put it in a file with your other pieces of paper, and only fish it out if someone asks – which I think is highly unlikely.
Brexit dividend
Q: I find the 90/180 day rule so confusing. I love to spend time in Portugal from October to before Xmas and then after the New Year until May. Are there any tips you can offer to maximise time away within the rules?
I am also wanting to visit Greece during the summer for a couple of weeks.
Stephen
A: The full impact for travellers of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, and the Brexit deal negotiated by the government, has been camouflaged by the coronavirus pandemic. Now that people are travelling more extensively, the realities of travel to the EU are becoming clear.
One of the most significant outcomes was the decision by the UK to become a “third country”, rather than to have a closer relationship with Europe. As such, the rules that the UK helped devise for third countries are now affecting us.
For the Schengen Area (almost all EU countries, plus associated countries such as Switzerland and Norway) you are now limited to spending more than 90 days in any 180 in the zone.
It follows that you cannot have a stay in the European Union above 90 days, and that if you go for the maximum all in one go, you must then leave the EU for a further 90 days.
Your plan for spending seven almost-continuous months in Portugal will be scuppered by this rule. While lots of people ask whether Portugal (or Spain, or Greece …) will ease the rule, they are bound by the long-established rules of the Schengen Area.
You can consider applying for a visa for Portugal that would allow you to stay longer; it is intended for people living on their own funds, primarily if retired. If you get one (price €75/£62), then your stay in Portugal will not apply for the purposes of the 90/180 rule – so your summer trip to Greece will be fine.
If you are planning regularly to spend seven months of the year in Portugal, you could also consider the “Passive Income Visa” – also known as a D7 visa – which is designed for people who can show they are in receipt of a pension worth at least the same as the national minimum wage.
BA PDQ?
Q: Do you have any advice on how to get British Airways to respond to a complaint? I was in correspondence with them and they made me an offer which I asked them to reconsider but they are now ignoring me completely. I have not been rude or difficult. I have sent reminders that I would like to hear from them.
I just wonder if this is happening to other people too.
Patty W
A: In general I find that British Airways is fairly good at responding to customer issues, but evidently you have hit a problem.
If this is a case in which you feel you are owed compensation, but BA has fallen short of your expectation, then if your case is strong you can write a “Letter Before Action” to the company. This is a formal warning that, if an acceptable response is not made within (say) two weeks, you will begin legal proceedings – most straightforwardly through Money Claim Online.
Do note, though, that if part or all of your claim is for intangibles such as time lost or stress incurred, you may not get a favourable outcome.
