Is your journey really necessary?

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Travel] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( Written by Simon Calder | March 26, 2021 Hello, and thank you for signing up to The Independent’s weekly travel newsletter. “The public has been frightened,” I was told on Tuesday by one of the most eminent figures in the UK travel industry: Noel Josephides, chairman of Sunvil. The care minister had just followed the defence secretary in urging people not to book holidays. [Noel told me the government's apparent strategy was working](: “Bookings just stopped completely.” He talked of a “coordinated campaign” to undermine confidence among prospective travellers. Going places: the departure screens at Paris CDG airport Yet by Thursday, Marco Ciomperlik, chief airline officer for Tui, assured me: “People are sitting on their suitcases and waiting to travel.” According to my spy aboard a couple of Air France flights this week, some folk are doing more than that. He is a media figure with an assignment ahead – and has just arrived in Mexico where he has the hardship of spending two weeks there in order to comply with the rules for his ultimate location. With many nations refusing entry to anyone who has been in the UK over the past fortnight, Mexico is increasingly popular for professionals who need to cleanse their record. He told me the connection to Paris CDG was 80 per cent full, mainly with British passengers who, he says, did not immediately fit the profile of people who were on their way to work or study. On the second leg he encountered “a group of four American college students who seemed to have been partying around Europe like it was 2019”. Waiting game: the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula As I write on Thursday evening, the most draconian travel restrictions ever have been approved by parliament by a majority of 484 to 76. I don’t for a moment condone any breaches of the letter or the spirit of a law intended to minimise harm. But humans have proved repeatedly that they will find a way around the tightest regulations. I hope law-abiding travellers will get their turn to go abroad soon. Destination of the week: Seville You may not thank me for commending Semana Santa (Holy Week) in one of Andalucia’s greatest cities at a time when Seville seems a million, rather than the usual thousand, miles away. But perhaps you might plan for 2022. The church in Spain brought in the portrayal of the last week of Christ's life as a piece of theatre in the 16th century, and the tradition is still thriving. Every evening in the week before Easter, gilded images of Christ and the Virgin Mary are carried on huge floats accompanied by figures cloaked in white robes and conical hoods. Spanish public holidays are as generous as the costumes: eight (including Good Friday) are prescribed by the national government, four by the region and two by the municipality, adding up to an annual fortnight of time off. Deals of the week - Forget Indian summers: in 2021, a late, great Greek summer will be the order of the day. Airlines and holiday companies are detecting demand from holidaymakers deep into the autumn. I flew out from Birmingham to Corfu in late October last year, and can confirm the joy of the last days of summer. This year, easyJet has loads of capacity, and is selling Gatwick-Athens seats for a frankly ridiculous £63 return on a wide range of dates in October, such as out on 10 and back on 20 October. - National Express and Megabus are resuming hostilities on 29 March, each with a temporarily much-reduced network. Both offer safe, professional service at fares lower than most train tickets. Between Manchester and Birmingham for a day trip on 3 April, Megabus has the edge at just £18 return – giving 10 hours in the city. Question of the week: Boeing 737 Max plans? Question: Ryanair will be flying the Boeing 737 Max from this summer. I am quite concerned: I have flights booked for October with Ryanair but there is no way I can find out what aircraft it will be. What are my options? Answer: The latest version of the twin jet was grounded for 20 months after two fatal crashes that claimed 346 lives. The 737 Max is flying again in various locations, but the biggest European customer – Ryanair – will not take delivery until April. Even by October only a tiny proportion of its fleet will be Max aircraft. This week Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's chief executive, said passengers who were anxious about the jet could transfer without penalty to an older version of the Boeing 737. How long that offer will last is anyone's guess. Stories you might like [What travel is possible from 29 March?]( [What travel is possible from 29 March?]( [Spain to end ban on British visitors from 30 March]( Spain to end ban on British visitors from 30 March]( Sign up to our free newsletters Subscribe to a wide range of free newsletters for exclusive news and features from our specialist reporters across the world More stories [Coach travel back on in England from Monday]( Coach travel back on in England from Monday]( [Editorial: Britain and the EU must compromise on vaccines to beat coronavirus]( Editorial: Britain and the EU must compromise on vaccines to beat coronavirus]( Other newsletters you might like [Adam Forrest]( Inside Politics Every weekday, 8am (UK time) Written by Adam Forrest [Join now >]( [Joe Sommerlad]( Daily News Briefing Every weekday, 8am (UK time) Written by Joe Sommerlad [Join now >]( Let me know your thoughts on Twitter [@SimonCalder](. 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