Many of us have already begun planning our 2022 holidays.

With international travel paused for the better part of two years, planning ahead for a long-awaited getaway is the little bit of escapism we need. 

But now with the Omicron variant and another lockdown looming, is it wise to book a holiday for 2022?

We’ve put together all of the active travel advice, at the time of writing, so you know whether it’ll be beaches in Barbados or staycations in Scotland for another year.

Can I go abroad in 2022?

The government website has 4 steps that you should follow when booking a holiday abroad from England.

Check foreign advice for any country you hope to visit

First and foremost, you must check that the country you hope to visit will actually let you in! Many countries are refusing entry from the UK for holiday purposes. From December 17, visitors to France must give a "compelling reason" to enter the country.

This has similarly been adopted by Germany.

If you’ve checked and the country is open for visitors, great! Now you must also check what requirements are needed to enter, as this varies from each country.

Some will require you to show proof of vaccination status or proof of a negative COVID-19 test and you will need to quarantine on arrival.

You can check which countries allow UK holidaymakers to travel to and what is needed to enter on the government website here.

Arrange any Covid-19 tests needed for countries you will enter

If tests are needed to enter the country, ensuring you have them sorted is key for travelling abroad. For this, you must use a private test provider. NHS tests are not accepted.

You can find a travel test provider here.

Use of NHS Covid Pass abroad

Some countries will require proof of vaccination before you can travel. You can show this through your NHS Covid pass.

You should ensure you have your pass sorted before you travel.

Your Covid Pass can be downloaded online, onto the NHS app and can be printed on paper.

For further information on the Covid Pass, visit the gov.uk website here.

READ MORE: Covid pass: How to use the NHS app

Check what you need to do to return to England

Making sure you know exactly what info you need to provide when returning home is essential.

To qualify under the fully vaccinated rules for travel to England, you must have proof of full vaccination with a full course of an approved vaccine.

If you are fully vaccinated you must:

  • take a COVID-19 test – to be taken in the 2 days before you travel to England
  • book and pay for a COVID-19 PCR test – to be taken after you arrive in England
  • complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England.

If your test result is negative, you can end your quarantine.

If your test result is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day of the test is day 0.

If your test result is unclear, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the test is day 0. You must quarantine until you receive a negative test result.

If you are not fully vaccinated you must:

  • take a COVID-19 test – to be taken in the 2 days before you travel to England
  • book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 PCR tests – to be taken after arrival in England
  • complete a passenger locator form – to be completed in the 48 hours before you arrive in England

When you arrive home, you must quarantine for 10 days. You must take the first test on or before day 2 and the second test on or after day 8. The day you arrive is day 0.

If your day 2 test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the test is day 0.

You do not need to take the day 8 test if your day 2 test is positive. If your day 2 test is negative, you must take your day 8 test.

If your day 8 test is positive, you must self-isolate for 10 full days. The day you took the day 8 test is day 0.

If your day 2 test is negative, you must still isolate. If your day 8 test is negative, you can stop quarantine on whichever is later:

  • day 10 – day 0 is the day you arrived in England
  • when you receive the day 8 test result

For full information on travel abroad, visit the gov.uk website to keep up to date with all travel restrictions.

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