Last Updated on January 12, 2021 by Darrif William
The second phase of lockdown has finally come to an end and with it came the new guidelines for how travel is going to look in the near future.
The Lockdown Tiers
Though the rules are a little more lenient, restrictions across the UK are by no means completely lifted. After the national lockdown was lifted, the government implemented a three-tier system which came into effect on 2 December 2020, placing different areas in the UK in either Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 ranking from medium risk to high and maximum risk.
Tier 1 – Medium Risk
+ The rule of 6 will apply indoors and outdoors
+ Spectator sports can resume with a crowd of 50% of capacity or 4,000 spectactors (whichever is smaller)
Tier 2 – High Risk
+ You cannot mix with anybody you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble indoors
+ The rule of 6 applies in outdoor spaces such as parks, beaches or countryside
+ Pubs and bars can only open if they serve substantial meals – alcohol can be served with that meal
+ Pubs and restaurants must shut at 23:00
+ Shops, gyms and personal care services can re-open
+ Hospitality venues must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway services
+ Spectacor sports must not resume
+ Non-essential foreign travel allowed, subject to quarantine rules
+ People advised not to travel to and from Tier 3 areas
Tier 3 – Maximum Risk
+ You cannot mix with anybody you do not live with or who is not in your support bubble indoors or in private or pub gardens
+ The rule of 6 applies in outdoor spaces such as parks, beaches or countryside
+ Shops, gyms and personal care services can re-open
+ Hospitality venues must stay closed, except for delivery and takeaway services
+ Spectacor sports must not resume
+ People advised not to travel to and from Tier 3 areas
Places You Can Travel To
After the national lockdown, the all-domestic and international flying ban was lifted allowing non-essential foreign travel to be permitted following quarantine rules.
The government has released a list of destinations that will not require you to self-isolate upon arrival from or return to the UK. However, you do need to have spent a minimum of 14 days in your desired destination or in the UK alone before travel.
If you are planning a last-minute holiday in 2020, this list outlines the destinations that are safe for guests to visit without self-isolation:
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Australia
- The Azores
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba
- British Antarctic Territory
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- the Canary Islands
- Cayman Islands
- the Channel Islands
- Chile
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- Finland
- Gibraltar
- Greek islands: Corfu, Crete, Kos, Rhodes, Zakynthos
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Hong Kong
- Iceland
- Ireland
- the Isle of Man
- Israel and Jerusalem
- Japan
- Laos
- Macao (Macau)
- Madeira
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mauritius
- Mongolia
- Montserrat
- Namibia
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Norway
- Pacific Islands (Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu)
- Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands
- Qatar
- Rwanda
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- South Korea
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- Sri Lanka
- St Barthélemy
- St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Pierre and Miquelon
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- United Arab Emirates
- Uruguay
- US Virgin Islands
- Vietnam
If you’re looking to book a winter sun escape to one of these destinations, call our dedicated team of travel experts to receive the latest flight deals available.