We need to talk about vaccinations and travel

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( February 19, 2021 [Simon Calder]( [Twitter]( No jab, no job? That won't happen on UK airlines Lockdown at home has something in common with old age: it's not too bad when you consider the alternative. At the start of this week [I checked in to a Heathrow hotel]( the night before it turned into a centre for "managed quarantine”. The Novotel offers all that you need for a few hours’ rest before an early flight, but spending 11 nights in a hotel on “isolation row” would be harmful emotionally and physically as well as financially – at £159 per night, with no chance of early check-out. [Hotel quarantine]( is one weapon in the fight against coronavirus – though vaccines will, I think, prove rather more effective in reducing harm. The remarkable success of the immunisation project should help to open up travel to and from the UK this spring. Poland has just been added to the growing number of places where recipients of both doses of vaccine need not quarantine. As that list extends, controversy will intensify about the ethics of “[immunotourism](,” and the likelihood that older people who have been vaccinated will get preferential access over younger prospective travellers. Do airline passengers have the right to expect the flight crew to have been vaccinated? A chorus of chief executives answered a definite “no” at an Airlines UK event on Thursday. While they will do all they can to encourage the take-up of the jab among employees, they will not mandate it. Virgin Atlantic’s boss, Shai Weiss, said: “The individual’s right to govern their own body is essential.” He described the “[no jab, no job](” policy espoused by some as “a step too far”. But his counterpart at United Airlines, Scott Kirby, said making vaccines mandatory is “the right thing to do”. Let us see how passenger behaviour may change. Home from home? Room 203 at the Heathrow Novotel The Gallivant, Camber Sands Destination of the week: Camber Sands, East Sussex Even at the most uncertain of times, you can always find somebody in travel with an optimistic outlook: the industry is, after all, focused on future happiness. Some big holiday companies are selling holidays from or within the UK from 8 March. They are in the company of [The Gallivant](, a boutique hotel on the Sussex coast which is taking bookings from the day when some schools will be returning. Camber Sands is between the captivating wilderness of Romney Marsh and the marooned fishing port of Rye, now well inland. If your plan to watch the sun set over the broad sands and then head for the bar for a six o'clock sharpener does not become legally feasible, you can claim a full refund. . Sign up for our free weekly climate email Subscribe to the Independent Climate Newsletter for exclusive news and features from our specialist reporters across the world [Sign up for free]( . Bargain of the week: Istria in May Croatia was one of the first European countries to open up to tourism during the tantalisingly brief summer of 2020, and it may fulfil the same role in this year. On 1 May, Tui hopes to fly you from Doncaster to Pula, then take you to the lovely waterside town of Porec for a week – for the absurdly low price of £229 per person including flights, baggage, transfers and accommodation. Besides the Adriatic serenity, Porec has an intriguing Old Town with the amazingly ornate Euphrasian Basilica – now on the Unesco World Heritage List. The holiday may never happen, in which case you will be due a full refund – or you could postpone until happier times. Question of the week: can airport stops trigger quarantine? The most frequent enquiry right now: airport stopovers in Lisbon or, in this case, the UAE. Chris C wrote: "I am in the Maldives. I am returning to the UK on 21 February. I have a three-hour layover in Dubai before flying to Dublin, then back to the UK. Does this count as not visiting Dubai? It very much counts as visiting Dubai in particular and the UAE as a whole. Even though you will simply be changing planes in the Gulf, the UAE is one of the 33 countries on the UK government’s “red list” because of government concerns about new variants of coronavirus being imported. Even if you merely walk from one gate to another, you are required to declare the fact and book a quarantine hotel for 11 nights. Your travel question welcome: @SimonCalder on Twitter or email s@hols.tv Stories you may have missed [I'm an image]( [Editorial: ‘Vaccine passports’ would rescue businesses, speed economic recovery and save jobs]( [I'm an image]( [10 best daypacks for all of your travel needs]( [I'm an image]( [I stopped spending for a month, and you can too]( News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [Alternate text] [Find out more]( . Let me know your thoughts on Twitter [@SimonCalder](. If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email. You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Travel email. Add us to your safe list of senders . If you do not want to receive The Independent's Travel email, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Travel_Newsletter_CDP). 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