Restriction-free Spain in time for half-term

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [The Independent]( October 21, 2022 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Events move quickly sometimes, as holidaymakers heading to Spain for half-term this weekend will discover. At one minute past midnight this morning, Madrid time, Spain scrapped all Covid restrictions. Shore thing: Get away from it all in Cadiz in southern Spain Up until only a month ago, UK visitors to Spain had to complete a tedious form in which border officials latterly took zero interest. Now, [the “jab or test” demand that has been in place for well over a year has been removed](. Today is the first day in 30 months, I calculate, that travel to Spain has been restriction-free in either direction. During those two-and-a-half-years, we have seen the UK impose, remove, impose, partially remove, impose and finally remove quarantine restrictions in a complex series of U-turn pirouettes. In retaliation, [Spain has deployed some exquisitely complex testing rules]( – some of which depended on the precise type of Canary Island accommodation you planned to occupy. Today, I imagine families who have paid for Covid tests ahead of Spanish holidays will be urgently seeking refunds for those now-unnecessary lateral flows. Covid restrictions can still play havoc with travel plans, though. [The US continues to bar unvaccinated visitors](, and strict quarantine rules can thwart a voyage of discovery – as the unfortunate cruise passengers aboard the Fridtjof Nansen have discovered this week. [The flagship of the Hurtigruten fleet is currently on a 15-day Inca History cruise](. But calls at all three ports in Peru were scrapped because the expected easing of rules did not take place. Passengers who spent four frustrating days sailing the length of the Peruvian coast, unable to dock, have been offered a 50 per cent refund by the Norwegian company. Events can run away with you. Just imagine you have been in an important, demanding job that unexpectedly ends abruptly in a chaotic mess after only a few weeks. Where could you most rewardingly escape? Perhaps you are sitting in the Slug & Lettuce pub in London SW1 right now, contemplating that very question as you leaf through the atlas. As the UK slumps from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time, the timing for an escape could not be better for anyone who wants to spend a little less time with their colleagues. The deepening gloom from Westminster to Wester Ross signals an excellent time to venture beyond the reach of 24-hour news channels. The choice is wide: Kos is one obvious option, with Jet2 offering a one-way flight next Saturday from London Stansted to an island of plentiful salads for just £59. Romania (pronounced Rumania, not Romaine-ia), too, is always a joy. But Iceberg Alley, the extraordinary procession of frozen fragments of the Arctic floating south along the Canadian coast, is not at its best until spring. And who knows what events we might have seen by then? [Through the icebergs in a foul mood: Simon Calder's worst-ever holiday](   [Get inspired...]( [Move over Naples]( Why pizza-lovers should visit its under-the-radar Italian neighbour, Caiazzo [I'm an image]( [Cornish retreats]( The best Cornwall hotels for cosy, coastal stays [I'm an image]( [Arty Antwerp]( There’s plenty of culture to soak up on a Belgian city break Tip of the week: London’s Bond Street station opens on Monday Trains on the Elizabeth Line beneath central London will start calling at the missing station of Bond Street on Monday 24 October. The Queen opened the much-delayed section of the line east from Paddington to Abbey Wood in May, but trains have so far been unable to stop at the station serving the West End as work was incomplete. Through trains from Abbey Wood via central London to Heathrow airport and Reading are due to start on 6 November, with a full service from May 2023. [Listen to my podcast on the Elizabeth Line](   Deal of the week: A day on the Isle of Wight Ferries to and from the Isle of Wight are some of the most expensive in the world: summer fares for a car can exceed £300 return for a voyage of 45 minutes or less. For fares about as low as they ever go, book by midnight tonight to take advantage of a [Wightlink flash sale](: a day trip return for £39 between now and 30 October. The price covers a vehicle and up to seven people on either Portsmouth to Fishbourne or Lymington to Yarmouth. It is valid for outbound travel 7.45am-11am and return travel 2pm-midnight. [Isle of Wight: location for 20th-century miracles](   Question of the week: Late November sunshine? Q Where do you suggest for a four-night break with some sunshine in late November? A The second half of November is the lowest of seasons, with low air fares and no crowds – yet, in southern Europe, a good chance of clear skies, warm days and cheerful evenings. Top of my list is Malaga, for which Ryanair has a £61 return fare from Manchester, flying out on Wednesday 16 November and back on Sunday 20 November. Alicante provides a fascinating mix of antiquity and elegance; an easyJet/Ryanair combo from Bristol is just £53 return on those same dates. To be even closer to the equator, though, Faro on Portugal’s Algarve coast is outstanding value: the Ryanair return fare from London Stansted is just £33. [Our most recent city guide to Malaga]( STAT OF THE WEEK 8% Maximum surcharge that a holiday company can demand from travellers who have already paid in full for a package holiday – so long as the firm can justify the extra payment and provide a calculation of how costs have changed. Any more than 8 per cent and the customer may cancel for a full refund – which explains why many surcharge demands are for 8 per cent exactly. [Read our complete guide to holiday surcharges]( What you might have missed... - Rail revolution: [More than half of London-Edinburgh travellers now go by train instead of plane]( - London icon: [Why reopened Battersea Power Station is set to be capital’s hottest attraction]( - Lucky dip: [Couple goes viral with game to pick their next holiday destination]( SIMON'S DIARY       Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](.         Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](.         I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder](         I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My direct messages are open and I read all DMs, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder](         Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder](         Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 5.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder](         Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](         Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](   INDYBEST / [TRAVEL BEST BUY]( [10 best sleeping bags for camping, festivals and trekking adventures]( From kids’ options to cocoons for two, these will ensure the happiest of campers. 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