Bad news for summer holidays: UK DROPS ‘air bridges’ plan for Brits to holiday in low-risk countries

Families’ hopes of a summer getaway were dealt a blow last night as Downing Street played down the idea of opening ‘air bridges’ to some foreign resorts. The prospect of quarantine-free travel between the UK and countries with low coronavirus rates had been raised by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. But with ministers expected to unveil … Read more

Tough new quarantine regime for travellers arriving in the UK ruins hopes of ‘air bridges’

Families’ hopes of a summer getaway were dealt a blow last night as Downing Street played down the idea of opening ‘air bridges’ to some foreign resorts. The prospect of quarantine-free travel between the UK and countries with low coronavirus rates had been raised by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. But with ministers expected to unveil … Read more

Greece offers to waive 14-day quarantine for UK tourists

Greece has offered to waive its 14-day coronavirus quarantine for British tourists and holiday firms are planning to restart flights from mid June in what could be a welcome boost for beleaguered lockdown Britain. With the Mediterranean nation’s under-pressure economy heavily dependent on holidaymakers it has been making plans to refill deserted beaches and hotels. … Read more

Summer holiday hope as Greece offers to waive 14-day quarantine for UK tourists

Greece has offered to waive its 14-day coronavirus quarantine for British tourists and holiday firms are planning to restart flights from mid June in what could be a welcome boost for beleaguered lockdown Britain. With the Mediterranean nation’s under-pressure economy heavily dependent on holidaymakers it has been making plans to refill deserted beaches and hotels. … Read more

Princess Theodora of Greece reveals she’s putting wedding on hold due to coronavirus 

Princess Beatrice and her fiancé Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were forced to postpone their nuptials due to COVID-19, and now Princess Theodora of Greece has revealed she’s also put her wedding on hold. The London-born actress, 36, who plays secretary Alison Montgomery in The Bold and the Beautiful, was set to wed LA-based lawyer Matthew Kumar, … Read more

Greece, Italy and France reopen beaches as coronavirus lockdown eases

Beaches in Greece, France and Italy were open Saturday for the first weekend since the easing of coronavirus lockdowns. Scores of people flocked to the beaches, to make up for time spent indoors and to capitalise on the timely arrival of one of the first heatwaves of the year.  More than 500 beaches reopened across … Read more

Travel insurance for summer travel could be tricky – here’s how Saga and Aviva are reacting 

The mention of ‘travel bubbles’ across Europe, and countries such as Greece hoping to reopen to holidaymakers later this summer, keeps hopes of a sunshine break alive. But there’s a big sticking point — travel insurance. Whatever your age, it is impossible to renew or take out a travel insurance policy which will cover you … Read more

A little Italy… in Greece: The undiscovered island of Syros is an Italianate masterpiece

Ermoupoli is possibly the most extraordinary town in Greece. There’s no maze of alleys, no whitewashed houses and no heaps of tangled fishing nets in the harbour. What you get instead is a busy city, whose broad squares, grandly domed churches and pastel-coloured mansions look more Italian than Greek. Ermoupoli is the capital of Syros, … Read more

Greece prepares to open up its beaches tomorrow as the country eases lockdown

Greece is preparing to reopen its beaches to eager locals tomorrow ahead of the country’s hugely-popular tourist season this summer. Greece – a destination favoured British holidaymakers – was put on a six-week lockdown in March in a bid to slow the spread of deadly coronavirus.  Businesses were shut as soon as the country recorded … Read more

Schools around the world reopen while Britain struggles to get children back to class

School is back in for thousands of children around the world as they return to classrooms after months in lockdowns – where their first lesson has been in social distancing amid the lingering threat of coronavirus. Pupils in Finland, who returned on Thursday, were pictured giving each-other air hugs as a greeting while students in … Read more