International travel: the preserve of the bold and the desperate

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Travel] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( Written by Simon Calder | May 07, 2021 Hello, and thank you for signing up to The Independent’s weekly travel newsletter. Three weeks from today I shall study the weather forecast for Gibraltar a little nervously. If you have had the pleasure of flying to the British Overseas Territory at the foot of the Iberian Peninsula, you will know that its airport has one of the most spectacular locations in the world, with a runway that slices between the Rock and the Spanish frontier. Equally excitingly, it is the only international airport I know where, 10 minutes after your plane has landed, you can be strolling across the middle of the runway. The main road from the border into town bisects the landing strip, with barriers and traffic lights controlling vehicles and pedestrians while aircraft are landing and taking off. But the unique location of RAF Gibraltar, as it is also known, makes the airport more than usually subject to the elements. As the [Aerodrome Manual]( states: “Adverse weather such as strong winds, waterspouts, and thunderstorms can be expected at reasonably frequent intervals. They have the potential to disrupt airport operations.” Cross purposes: an official controls traffic across the main road from the airport into Gibraltar When winds or waterspouts close the airport, aircraft usually divert to Malaga. The coach operators of Andalucia earn some useful business ferrying travellers between Gibraltar and the main Costa del Sol airport. In normal times the extra couple of hours is annoying. But during the coronavirus pandemic, the potential downside is 10 days in self-isolation. I have booked a holiday on the Rock later this month, on the basis that Gibraltar is surely guaranteed to be a founder member of the “green list” – countries and territories from which quarantine is not required on arrival in the UK. Equally certain: mainland Spain will be rated “amber”. Anyone who has been on Spanish territory in the past 10 days before travel to Britain is regarded as potentially contaminated and must self-isolate for 10 days. Amber alert: looking across from Gibraltar to the Andalucian town of La Linea Yes: even if your sole interaction with Spain is to pass through passport control and board a bus with all the passengers on the plane, plus a driver, you are deemed to pose a risk to public health once back in the UK. Anticipation of a trip often comes with some mild apprehension attached, but only in these extraordinary times could a routine weather diversion trigger effective house arrest on the return home. Right now, international travel is the preserve of the bold and the desperate. Destination of the week: Iceland Red alert: screen grab from the webcam watching Geldingadalir volcano (livefromiceland.is) After Gibraltar, the location most likely to be green-listed is Iceland. The sub-Arctic nation is currently welcoming only fully vaccinated travellers, but at least those who have an NHS card certifying the jabs can expect to be let in. That is thanks to Clive Stacey. He founded the Iceland specialist tour operator, Discover the World, in 1983. Last week, he asked the prime minister, Katrín Jakobsdottir, if the admittedly flimsy supporting evidence from British visitors would suffice. She and her team agreed. Vaccinated travellers will need to undergo one test upon arrival and wait for the result of the test in their hotel before going off to explore. At present the main live attraction is the Geldingadalir volcano, erupting on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula close to the capital, Reykjavik. Unlike Eyjafjallajokull, the volcano that brought havoc to the skies of Europe in April 2010 due to the ash cloud it created, this eruption is all show and no ash. Flights are operating normally. Deals of the week - In the spirit of the predicted “green list” I am focusing on the two most mainstream holiday destinations which could be rated low risk: Malta and Portugal. - The first date that Jet2 is operating to Malta – or anywhere else – is 24 June. On that day, a flight from Glasgow to the island, and a week at the brand-new Mayflower Hotel in Bugibba in the north of the island, costs £399 per person – including luggage, transfers and breakfast, based on two sharing. I haven’t been able to check out the hotel personally but the pictures make the infinity pool look terrific. - Albufeira, at the heart of the Algarve coast in southern Portugal, is an excellent base for exploration as well as a cheerful beach resort. Tui has a week at the family-run Casa Mitchell Apartments, a 10-minute walk from the old town. The price of £365 per person, departing from Gatwick to Faro on 20 May, includes transfers and a self-catering studio apartment. Question of the week: Should I worry about the test I need to travel back from abroad? Question: On returning to England, I know I have to take a test in advance before being allowed on the plane. But what if my negative PCR test is 74 hours old, not 72 hours? Is there any leeway? Will I be refused boarding? Answer: I think you can relax. Compared with other countries, the requirements for England (and the other UK nations) are flexible and not strictly 72 hours. “You must take the test in the three days before the service which you will arrive in England departs,” says the government. It gives the example of departing for England on Friday and says the test can be taken as early as Tuesday. Suppose you have a test at 8am on Tuesday for a flight that arrives at 8pm on Friday: that’s 84 hours. Were your flight were delayed, though, and touched down at 1am on Saturday, in theory you could be in trouble – but I think it most unlikely you would face any trouble. 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