Escape from discontented winter if you possibly can

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS]( January 06, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Liberating: that is how it felt to board an easyJet flight on Tuesday with a one-way ticket to Egypt, a guidebook, $25 in dollar bills for the visa, a credit card and nothing else arranged. Bright start: 2023 message at the marina in Hurghada, Egypt Despite Tuesday being day one of [the biggest national rail strikes since the 1980s](, I found one of the few trains running to Gatwick airport. [North Terminal security took seconds thanks to their shiny new scanner]( (“no need to finish that water, leave your liquids and laptop in your bag”). On board the Airbus A321 I settled down into a random empty window seat. For the next five hours I ticked off nations great and small from the window of seat 31A: Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania and Greece. And I counted my blessings at being able to escape a discontented nation where travel becomes more complex by the week. Exactly seven days ago, [I reported the government had “no plans to re-introduce Covid-19 testing]( or additional requirements for arrivals into the UK”. That policy survived for about three more hours before ministers U-turned and introduced “[precautionary and temporary measures](” for travellers from mainland China to England. UK Covid travel restrictions were lifted 42 weeks ago with a promise to bring them back only in extreme circumstances. Now, with its new demand for pre-departure tests at Chinese airports, the government has lost none of its flair for bringing in regulations riddled with inconsistencies and loopholes. The classic testing rules are back, however inappropriate. People taking a Covid test before flying from China to England can submit the result in Spanish or French – a touching homage to the chaotic “traffic light” summer of 2021 – but not in Mandarin. Should a passenger who is booked to fly from, say, Guangzhou via Doha to Manchester fail to produce a test certificate, they could simply be re-routed from Doha to Edinburgh: the pre-departure rule applies to indirect flights from China to England but not to Scotland. Does it matter? Well, plenty of medical experts have cast doubt on the value of pre-flight checks, saying PCR tests on arrival are more effective at tracking any variants of concern. [The government is bringing in random arrival testing, but only for passengers who happen to touch down at Heathrow](. Unlike many other countries, a post-arrival test in England is optional. Anyone who choose to takes one and turns out to be Covid positive is merely advised to try to keep away from other people. While Morocco has suddenly banned anyone who has been in China over the past week, no Covid regulations currently prevail on the other side of north Africa, in Hurghada. Touching down in a strange city after dark is never ideal. Yet I walked from the airport for 15 minutes to the edge of town, where Ahmed the taxi driver and I found each other. It is not always wise to ask a local cabbie to recommend a hotel, but he was a decent chap and duly delivered me to the excellent Royal Hotel next to the marina. Here, the equivalent of £10 buys a clean and pleasant room with WiFi strong enough to keep in touch with life back in wintry Britain – and to allow me to wish you a happy new year that I hope will bring you travel joy. [These are the top 2023 tips from the travel team at The Independent](   [Get inspired...]( [Update your wishlist]( The best destinations to visit in 2023, as picked by our travel team [I'm an image]( [Trend setters]( From ferries and sleep pods to virtual reality hotels: here's what's going to loom large on the travel landscape this year [I'm an image]( [January blues?]( Escape the bleak midwinter with one of these last-minute escapes   Enjoying this newsletter? Unlock unlimited, ad-free reading on the website and in The Independent app when you subscribe – plus, benefit from our [welcome offer when you join today](.   Tip of the week: Croatia goes ‘full European’ This week [Croatia joined the Schengen Area and euro currency zone](, making life simpler for traders and millions of foreign visitors to Croatia from within the EU. But for some British travellers it spells problems: the post-Brexit 90/180-day Schengen Area limit now counts stays in Croatia, reducing options for extended stays abroad. Also, if you have Croatian currency left over, try to get it changed for euros at a bank or post office in the country this year. [Our ultimate Croatia travel guide is here]( PICK OF THE WEEK: NORTHERN TERRITORY [For a trip like no other, head to Australia’s Northern Territory, where you can immerse yourself in otherworldly landscapes, incredible wildlife, and rich Aboriginal culture.]( Deal of the week: Madrid-Barcelona by train Now the high-speed rail line between Madrid-Barcelona has four competing companies, plenty of €9 one-way tickets are available if you book three months ahead. The competitors are [Renfe]( (the main Spanish rail operator); its budget offshoot [Avlo](; [Ouigo](, the low-cost brand of French Railways; and a new firm, [Iryo](, part-owned by Italian Railways. I found the lowest fares at the latter two. Even at short notice you can pay as little as €35 for the 314-mile, 2h30m journey. [Madrid city guide: Where to eat, drink and stay in the Spanish capital](   Question of the week: Breaking a Rome-Paris rail journey? Q I have a week to get from Rome to Paris by train. Where’s the best place to break the journey? A What an opportunity: the problem will be what to leave out. Take the slow old train from [Rome]( that winds towards France beside the western coast, which is a joyful journey in its own right. After four hours watching the shoreline and venturing briefly inland to Pisa, you arrive in La Spezia. This hilly harbour city is an excellent base for day trips out to Parma, exquisite Portovenere, the little-visited but fascinating town of Sarzana and the Cinque Terra (“five lands”). These pretty waterside villages – Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manorola and Riomaggiore – range along nine miles of the spectacular shore of Liguria. Before you leave Italy, allow time to explore first [Genoa]( and then [Turin]( – from where a high-speed train takes under six hours to speed through the Alps to Paris. [My hike through the captivating Cinque Terra]( STAT OF THE WEEK 100+ The number of [new air routes from and within the UK due to be launched between now and the summer]( What you might have missed... - Midnight train: [New sleeper service to make London-Berlin possible in 16 hours](ew%20sleeper%20train%20will%20get%20you%20from%20London%20to%20Berlin%20in%2016%20hours - Safer skies: [Fatal air accident rate in 2022 below 10-year average]( - Good trip? [Best and worst package holiday companies revealed]( 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. 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