Travel: Simon Calder says Portugal is ‘looking good’

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Simon had a somewhat gloomy outlook for holidays. He told presenters rates of COVID-19 were shooting up across the continent.

He said, “in most parts of Europe it’s looking pretty bleak”.

However, he did point out that it was six weeks until overseas travel restrictions were penciled in to lift by the Government.

He advised things could change in that time, as they have very quickly across the world during the pandemic.

The expert discussed whether holidays abroad would be cancelled entirely this summer.

He said: “Eight weeks from now I’m very confident I will be going somewhere. Frankly, anywhere that will have me.”

Presenter Phillip Schofield asked: “Where will you go?”

Simon said: “Well, it all depends, if you look at the numbers now – and I spend my whole life looking at them – if you look at some of our summer holiday favourites, Turkey looking quite tricky at the moment.

“Croatia has had a terrible weekend. Portugal and Spain though, particularly Portugal, are looking really, really, really good.

“But the Government is concerned with those variants.”

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He went on to detail some more likely options for the summer holidays.

Simon went on: “If you look at somewhere like Iceland, where it’s almost eradicated, or Gibraltar, where the entire adult population has been vaccinated, they look a pretty good bet.”

However, no one will be clear on the options until the Government confirms its next steps.

“Hopefully we will be told on April the 12th when the Global Travel Taskforce reports, not perhaps where we will be able to go but the criteria that will apply,” Simon said.

Earlier this month Simon predicted flights would go ahead from March, albeit domestic flights within the UK.

Simon said: “You will be able to go from England to Northern Ireland.

The expert went on: “You will be able to travel across to Northern Ireland if they do what I expect them to do which is open up to the UK.

“You will be able to fly domestically within England definitely from March 29. It is possible the date will move.

“But you will not necessarily be able to fly to Scotland or Northern Ireland, despite what I just said.

“There are no domestic flights between England and Wales at the moment.

“There are from Scotland but then that relies on the rules in Scotland and in Wales.”

Other experts have been making predictions throughout the pandemic. Recently, speaking BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Dr Tildesley said: “I think that international travel this summer is, for the average holidaymaker, sadly I think, extremely unlikely.”

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