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Where can you still travel to from the UK? We make a list

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With weekly changes to the UK travel quarantine list, it is difficult to keep track of where you can travel to from the UK. Which countries can you visit from UK without having to quarantine on your return?

For the last few weeks we’ve been running a Friday article featuring the latest changes to the list of countries where you can travel without having to quarantine on your return.

Where can you still travel to from the UK?

What is more useful, of course, is a list of countries where you CAN travel freely from the UK without having to quarantine on your return.

Updates since publication:

Iceland – moved to ‘no’ as Foreign Office does not mention that five days quarantine is needed

Grenada – moved to ‘no’ due to requirement to wear a tracker bracelet and restrictions on your movement

Where can you can currently travel to from the UK?

Here is the list countries which are not on the Foreign Office ‘do not visit’ list. If you are reading this article days or weeks after the date of publication, you will find the latest version on gov.uk here.

Of course, there is no guarantee that these countries will allow you in. Australia and New Zealand are on the list, for example, but they aren’t going to welcome you.

To find out whether you qualify to enter any particular country – and what covid test results may be required – click the link under each country name. This takes you to the relevant page on the Foreign Office website.

We have added a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ by each country. This is a one word summary of whether you could enter if you wished WITHOUT compulsory quarantine on arrival. Obviously seek your own advice if you look to book, because one word summaries never tell the full story.

There are other countries which you can enter freely as a UK resident but which would require you to quarantine when you returned to the UK. The UAE, for example, is not on the list below because whilst you can enter Dubai you need to quarantine when you come home.

Countries you can travel to from the UK without quarantine
Is the German coast your best bet?

Key:

‘Yes’ – you can enter the country without compulsory quarantine or restriction on movement, and will not have to quarantine on your return to the UK

‘No’ – UK arrivals are either banned outright or are forced to quarantine or face a restriction on movement for over 24 hours – although if you could enter you would not need to quarantine on your return to the UK

Countries which are NOT on the Foreign Office ‘do not travel’ list:

Europe

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Africa

Antarctica

Comments (146)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Nick_C says:

    Interesting that Greece is perfectly safe to travel to.

    Remember that when you read about the recent TUI flight from Zante to Cardiff, where 7 pax from three different groups were positive. All 193 pax and crew must now self isolate.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-53966897

    Of course, only one in 2000 people is currently infected, so flying is very low risk, right Rob?

    • Andrew says:

      Sounds terrible.

      There’s dangers everywhere. Some random was openly sneezing into the air when I was in a supermarket yesterday. I had my mask on but feel that I’ve got a sore throat coming on this morning.

      It’s time to change the rules. If you can’t or won’t wear a mask, you should be banned from leaving the house, and if a UK resident caught not wearing a mask on a flight to or from the UK banned from holding a passport.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        Unless you were wearing eye protection the mask probably won’t stop you getting it.

      • jamie says:

        Openly sneezing OMG whatever next. Get a grip man.

        • Lady London says:

          a filthy inconsiderate habit even when there’s not Covid about

      • Mike P says:

        Is this a parody comment?

      • Nick_C says:

        I do think masks should be mandatory in public places that the more vulnerable cannot avoid, particularly in shops and on public transport. By allowing exemptions, the Government has simply created an unenforceable law which is being widely flouted.

        • Mike P says:

          But that would then mean that people who are genuinely exempt would effectively be barred from public spaces.

          My own opinion is that we need to get a grip, stop paralysing our society and economy and just get on with it.

          • jamie says:

            Exactly, a pragmatic comment at last. I read to play squash in Scotland you have to each keep to one side of the court. Really..who thinks this stuff up? Sensible precautions sure, wash your hands more regularly and don’t spread any flu like symptoms but let’s get real.

          • The Savage Squirrel says:

            Exemptions are unnecessary given that wearing an ordinary mask does not decrease your ability to exchange oxygen (i.e. breathe … a truth backed up by much hard science). They should just be scrapped. The “effect” on ability to breathe is entirely psychological due to unfamiliarity and disappears as you become used to wearing a mask. Ironic that those that claim exemption due to breathing issues are the ones that benefit the most from themselves and others wearing masks…

          • Lady London says:

            i have had 2 ladies tell me they werent wearing a mask for this reason. Utter cr*p.

            I was really afraid and panicking and probably hyperventilating when I wore a fully enclosing motorcycle helmet the first few times. I told myself everyone else survives that wears one so I will too. Took 3 or 4 wears of increasing time length to stop panicking but I did.

            If someone’d had botched surgery or emphysema or is on oxygen anyway then I can understand no mask. But all around Wembley loads of people, particularly women, not wearing masks on buses.

    • E says:

      16 on that flight now.

      • Rob says:

        1 in 10,000

        1 in 20,000 in London

        So, yes, very low risk.

        • Darren says:

          Jezza’s brother should be fine then!

        • Peter K says:

          As said before. You’re safe…until you’re not. But you don’t know when that might be.

          • Rob says:

            At which point, given my age and medical history, I have a 99.5% chance of being fine.

            On the other hand, being 49, I probably have a 1% chance of developing cancer this year which is likely to go undiagnosed, unchecked and/or untreated should it happen.

          • Lady London says:

            Wondering if there’s something about only 10% of cancers having an infectious element. So these untreated other conditions perhaps would affect fewer people than the exponentially exploding number of people even 1 asymptomatic case of Covid might infect?

            Having said that I thoroughly agree it is time for all of us to go back to work and put back capacity to diagnose and treat other serious ailments.

            I keep reading in the financial press that the UK has lost far more productivity due to Covid than other Western nations. Why should this be?

        • Nick_C says:

          Estimated infection in London is currently 0.05%, so one person in every 2000 is likely to be infected. 200 random people on a plane, a 10% chance of one of them being infected. Although of course in reality cases are not distributed evenly, so a smaller chance of being on a plane with a larger number of infected people.

          https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/coronavirus–covid-19–cases#:~:text=In%20the%20most%20recent%20week,in%20England%20as%20a%20whole.

    • Brian says:

      What’s your point here Nick? Ban all travel?

      • Nick_C says:

        In terms of travel, and shopping, I would say you must wear a surgical mask, to protect vulnerable people who are sharing the space with you.

        Ban all travel? No. But it would be nice to have a clear strategy. No harm in healthy young people going about their lives as before. Just ensure vulnerable people can be protected. I’m quite happy avoiding pubs, clubs, restaurants, and public transport. But I want to feel safe when shopping for groceries and other essentials.

        • Brian says:

          Well I’d say the strategy is fairly clear. Travel corridor mainly based on an understandable threshold anyone can track. Face coverings are already compulsory on public transport and in shops with limited exemptions. Not entirely sure what else you think a government can do here to make you feel safer. You can’t control the behaviour of every single individual person, no government can.

          • Mike P says:

            And all of this for a virus that killed one person in England yesterday and with which a grand total of 64 people are currently on ventilators for. Bonkers.

          • Peter K says:

            The figures are always lower on a Sunday but let’s go with that. The problem with an exponential increase is that it doesn’t take long for it to get much worse. It was doubling every 3 days in March if your remember so starting with 64 on ventilators, in 21 days we could end up with over 8000 on ventilators.
            Ignoring any human cost for the moment, the effect a spike like that would have on the economy would undo the recovery due to increasing confidence we are seeing now.

        • Lady London says:

          +1

    • Phillip says:

      If people can’t act responsibly, then it doesn’t matter where they travel to, they are a liability! And by the sounds of it, TUI is incapable of getting the basics right!

      • Stoneman says:

        Given where the plane was emanating from and the likely clientele on board, I would have guessed that your chances of brushing up to someone with Covid is quite a lot higher than somewhere taking a flight to say Copenhagen. Maybe people should bear that in mind if they are so worried about Covid.

  • Simon Burrows says:

    Nice double/triple negative: “Countries which are NOT on the Foreign Office ‘do not travel’ list” 😉

  • Vit says:

    Rob, this is a very good start and very brave of you to make such list for this type of ever-changing situation. Agreed with other if this list can be probably be kept as “Featured” and updated constantly by HfP and other comments — but I guess that may be a bit too far?

    • Darren says:

      It’ll keep them very busy with the constant changes one way or the other.

  • Mikeact says:

    I guess this works both ways…..many countries where travel to the UK/GB is banned ?

  • Shane says:

    Cambodia doesn’t just require a USD3,000 deposit; it requires testing on arrival, and if anyone from a particular flight tests positive, all passengers from that plane will have to go into quarantine for 14 days. On the one hand that’s going to deter most of those who might have been prepared to lodge a $3,000 deposit; on the other hand, it means the planes will be flying almost empty, so lower chance of anyone testing positive!

    • GillyDee says:

      According to the FCO even if all passengers test negative, everyone has to self isolate at their home/lodging for 14 days………

  • Olly says:

    I booked a list minute holiday to the Greek island thinking it was a safe bet. I didn’t realise it required PLF (passenger location form) but that was no big deal. What I did find out from looking at the Greek government website however, which had I realised beforehand probably wouldn’t have booked, is that if there is one person found positive on our flight out when they do the testing upon arrival then the whole flight gets quarantined in a government facility where you can’t leave your room, meals are left outside your door and you do your own room service for 14 days. The government funds your stay but you can’t get your money back for the trip. Sod’s law is that while away, Greece will require a 14 day quarantine at home as well because it will be taken off the exempt list. I wonder what the point is of wearing masks on the plane if everyone gets quarantined anyway.
    I would think long and hard about booking any holidays, let alone an expensive luxury one because it will be an extensive stay in a small room with average food and no comeback.

    • Lady London says:

      Masks don’t protect you. They DO protect others from you if you cough, sneeze, clear your throat or speak, to a fairly high level. So many people go round failing to observe distancing of 1-2 meters one they’re wearing a mask as they incorrectly think a mask protects them.

      40% of cases are apparently asymptomatic so even if you feel well and protected,, this is really important,

    • Darren says:

      This happened to a couple of friends travelling from Croatia to Greece and the accommodation is pretty much as you describe, they are due to finish the 14 day isolation tomorrow and return to the UK.

  • Joshua says:

    For Antigua, if you are staying in a hotel that is designated a biosecure facility, which essentially means only people arriving on island are allowed to stay, and a nurse is stationed there, you are allowed out and about. If you stay at an Airbnb, or somewhere not on the list, you are expected to self isolate for 14 days.
    I’ve been living and working out here for over 2 years now, and co-workers spouses have all been required to check in with temperatures if staying in a private home, and there is the potential for a nurse to attend the home.

  • Rh says:

    I just got back from a week in Cyprus at the Four Seasons. We all had to do the test to get in, but was the best airport experiences I have had at both ends. Everyone kept their masks on all flight (Ryanair and the staff to their credit took it all very seriously). The only real impact on the holiday once on Cyrpus was having to wear a mask in the breakfast buffet and in taxis and also having to book an hour slot at the gym (5 people allowed to train at once). The waterpark was open and nice and quiet!

    • JP-MCO says:

      There’s a Four Seasons in Cyprus? That one certainly passed me by – I wasn’t aware of that! Thanks for the heads up.

      • Phillip says:

        It’s not a “real” Four Seasons!

        • Goldmember says:

          It’s an independent 5* Hotel called Four Seasons Hotel Limassol which came about before the Canadian Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts chain which assumed their name for their brand and which most people are familiar with. If you went expecting a FS Resorts (chain) experience you’d probably be disappointed but the fact is it’s a most decent independent property.

          • Rh says:

            Agreed – we had a great stay, so good we have booked to go back at half term! And I have stayed at a lot of the Four Seasons proper chain, E.G. Seychelles, Bahamas and this one of the same name was excellent! We normally go to Dubai in October but Cyprus seems a better bet….!

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