The travel dial is pointing towards joy – at a price

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE: £1 FOR 3 MONTHS]( February 10, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( Exactly three years ago today, travel swerved to the miserable end of the mood scale, when the number of confirmed Covid cases in the UK reached double figures. Today, the dial looks to be finally pointing towards joy. Back home: A warm welcome awaits, UK Border Force strikes permitting   [Get inspired...]( Take the high road]( How to hike Scotland’s Hebridean Way [I'm an image]( [The look of love]( The UK's most romantic hotels for Valentine's Day (and beyond) [I'm an image]( Chiang Mai city guide]( Where to stay, eat drink and shop in Thailand’s northern creative hub   Simon’s dispatches Many of us hoped the “Wuhan coronavirus” (as it was known in those far-off days of February 2020) would blow over swiftly and we would carry on as usual. It was still a month before the pandemic was declared, but the omens were there: weekend plans were wrecked by blown over trees blocking railway lines across the land, courtesy of Storm Ciara. Three years on, the industry of human happiness is cheerful once more. Millions of families will celebrate the start of half term later today, and many will make for Kent this evening. Few, I imagine, will pause fully to appreciate the delights of Dover and Folkestone and instead sail or tunnel their way to Calais en route to the Alps, Disneyland Paris or the Côte d’Azur. The travel gods are smiling once again: [the main French Channel port was closed on Thursday due to the nationwide strike]( against raising the pension age by two years to 64. But this morning Calais seems to be flowing freely. The Home Office [warns that the UK Border Force strike next weekend may cause hold-ups]( on the return from France. Members of the PCS union will walk out on 17, 18 and 19 February, but I predict minimal delays. For once, no rail strikes are on the horizon. The RMT union and the train drivers’ union, Aslef, are quietly engaged in talks: much more promising than the bellicose sloganeering that has characterised the [long and bitter tangle of disputes](. Agreed, Network Rail is blaming strikes for the need to [cut Scotland off from London next weekend due to overdue engineering works](: both the East Coast and West Coast main lines will be interrupted, with journeys from Edinburgh to Glasgow extended by at least a couple of hours. The silver lining: transport studies show that disruption can sometimes lead travellers to make positive changes to their usual routines. [I have prepared a guide to Anglo-Scottish journeys]( to dodge the closures, which includes everything from bargain buses to a prescription on hitchhiking south from Edinburgh and Glasgow to London. So far this dispatch is unsullied by the word “airport”: the least appealing part of any journey, I believe. As with prisons and hospitals, you simply want the airport experience to be as painless as possible and to get out as soon as you can. Yet even if you are flying in or out of the big four (Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester or Stansted), the crowds may not materialise. The latest data from Cirium shows half-term flights from UK airports are 19 per cent down on the corresponding figure for 2019. The converse of this statistic is that passengers are paying much more than they did four years ago. An easyJet flight on the benchmark Gatwick-Geneva route, out tomorrow for a week with civilised departure times, costs an implausible £1,336 return (baggage not included) – which is why so many families will be driving, not flying, to their ski resorts. For those unconstrained by school terms, though, exactly a month you can fly there and back again for just £104. Sense and sensation are returning to the travel industry. Time to explore. [Best last-minute holiday deals for February half-term](     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: The Wintjiri Wiṟu Experience Three months from today, a new “drone and laser light show” premieres at [Uluru in Central Australia](. Wintjiri Wiṟu, which means “beautiful view out to the horizon”, is the latest experience from Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia. It celebrates the world’s oldest continuous living culture. More than 1,000 drones will be deployed. [Ten days on the road to Australia's heart](   Deal of the week: Unlimited travel in Wales The [Explore Wales Pass]( allows four days' travel within an eight-day stretch by train and on many bus operators anywhere in the nation. The adult rate is £99, with half-price for children and one-third off for many railcard users. You can use it in England as far as Chester, Crewe, Shrewsbury and Gloucester. No need to book in advance, either. Some time restrictions apply in and around cities for weekday mornings [The best hotels in Cardiff](   Question of the week: All-inclusive indulgence, right now? Q I need a week’s solo break to a four- or five-star all-inclusive, leaving in the next few days, with massages and also good hiking nearby. Where? A The solution is likely to be found in the Atlantic islands (Canaries plus Madeira and Porto Santo), the Mediterranean or Morocco’s Atlantic coast, with [Jet2 Holidays]( or [Tui](. Among the best deals: Tui to Paphos in Cyprus for a week at the four-star Atlantica Oasis hotel just east of Limassol, leaving on 14 February, £894. Check out recommendations from your local travel agent too. [Best hotels in Cyprus]( STAT OF THE WEEK 48% The maximum savings when [ScotRail scraps peak fares](for a six-month experiment within the next year. What you might have missed... - Bite size: [The Greek restaurant charging €800 for crab legs]( - Code red: [Passenger aiming for Sydney ends up in Sidney, Montana]( - Fee free: [Biden vows to outlaw resort fees]( 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]( [8 best travel pillows that give support while snoozing on the go]( Travelling over February half-term? Don't forget to add a [travel pillow]( to your packing list - and a [blanket hoodie]( for the kids on long journeys. 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