Getting Back to Travel: Purple Parking's Guide to Travel Recovery this Year

What's the latest news?

On October 4 the traffic light list was scrapped completely. No more green, amber and red - there's just a red list, with everywhere else listed as "rest of the world" (see details below). Pre-departure tests have also been scrapped for the fully-vaxxed, and later in October (date TBC) PCR tests will be replaced with cheaper antigen tests for (fully-vaxxed) travellers returning to the UK.

The latest travel announcements

Update: September 7th. Canada reopened today to fully-vaxxed visitors. On the UK's green list, and with great citybreaks, skiing and adventures, Canada could be a great pick for a winter break.

Update: August 30th. added the Azores, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Switzerland to the green list, while moving Thailand and Montenegro to the red. Italy has also droped its requirement for UK visitors to isolate for 5 days on arrival, provided they take a test 48 hours before arriving and can prove they're fully-vaccinated.

Update: August 5th. As of August 8th France is no longer in amber plus and moves back to amber status, so the apparently temporary "amber plus" system no longer exists. Green list additions are - Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Latvia, Romania and Norway. Amber list additions are - India, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE. Red list additions are - Georgia, La Reunion, Mayotte and Mexico.

What's happened to the traffic light system?

From October 4, there are only two lists, red, and the rest of the world. And the red list has been winnowed down to a bare handful of countries.

Coming back from the red list is much the same - 10 days' quarantine at a government-mandated hotel at a cost of around £2k per person.

From the rest of the world, fully-vaxxed travellers will need to take a day 2 PCR test until some time in October, after which they can take a cheaper antigen test instead. Travellers without both vaccinations however will see the old amber rules applied to the whole rest of the world list, so coming back from anywhere (except red) will mean 10 days' self-isoaltion at home and PCR tests on days 2 and 8.

Best way of ensuring a hassle-free holiday

Countries on the rest of the world list will provide you with the simplest and least complicated travel path. At Purple Parking we understand that booking a hassle-free experience is very important, so please bear in mind the three following steps to create an experience that really is less about the hassle and all about the holiday. Let's well and truly help park your concerns in the best parking space available!

• Firstly, find a destination that requires no quarantine on return - that's the rest of the world list, or anywhere not flagged as red
• Secondly, check the destination welcomes UK holidaymakers - Bear in mind that being on the UK's list doesn't tell us whether those countries will let us in for a holiday at the other end. So you need to check if it's open at the destination end too, for truly hassle-free travel (without long-term quarantine on arrival or movement restrictions). The great news is lots of countries are either open to visitors already, or have announced plans to open to UK holidaymakers, with precautions in place, as soon as we're able to fly again.
• Thirdly, ensure flights are available - Some countries have closed off flights from the UK, or can only be reached via a connecting flight. If the connecting airports are on the red or amber lists, or closed to visitors, you won't be able to get to or from your destination easily and without quarantining on your return home.

Covid testing for travel

Many countries that we can visit will require either a PCR test or proof of vaccination, or sometimes both.

The procedure for testing will vary depending on which private supplier you use. Generally this involves taking a swab of the nose and the back of the throat, which you can either do yourself or you could get someone to help you. You can order a private test online, usually selecting whether you will drop the test off at a nearby site or return via prepaid courier. You will receive your test results via email and usually with a certificate to fly.

Vaccine passports for overseas holidays

Almost every holiday destination requires either a vaccine passport, a negative test or both to visit, so if you've had both jabs familiarise yourself with the NHS app, the downloaded vaccine certificate and how it's used to prove your vaccination status.

Travel information hub

For full guidance on the tests you will need, where you can travel and updates on the latest travel news, please visit our Travel Recovery Information Hub. This information center is a comprehensive one-stop-shop of everything you need to make your next getaway a seamless experience, when international travel resumes.

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