It’s been long enough now that many people have been on holiday since lockdown was lifted and travel opened up again back in May. Many people have been travelling since, and despite some foreign countries being safe enough to travel to, the majority of people have been sticking to staycations as they feel more comfortable staying in their home country.

The 12th of April was a big day for the UK, with the first set of lockdown measures being lifted across the country. This meant that lots of businesses were finally able to reopen – including self-contained holiday accommodation. This was absolutely fantastic news for both travellers and also the people that owned these holiday lets. Since the start of the original UK lockdown in March 2021, it has been an incredibly bumpy ride for owners of holiday homes – being allowed to reopen in the summer of 2020 to a record numbers of holidaymakers, only to be shut down again in the winter months due to coronavirus restrictions being re-tightened.

“Are you crazy” the words said by many people close to me at the talks I had given at me renting my house, leaving a safe secure job and life in England during a global pandemic to go work in Spain, Madrid/ Ibiza, for one year, during Brexit. “No risks no rewards” the phrase I kept telling myself. It was safe to say at the time of moving I needed a change, mentally I had some healing to do and that would only happen away from the place it was caused. Right time, right opportunity, it was time to leave.

2002 now seems like a lifetime ago. Another life when we were all completely different people. This year I feel is more significant in some way, as my sister Caroline lost her life at 19 and we have now had 19 years without her. I asked the question, what have I done with that time? Losing Caroline was by far the worst thing that ever happened in my life and to our family, we still remember her daily and want her to inspire others through Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation. Personally, I feel a responsibility to work hard and make her proud. We push to help other young people better understand the risks and stay safe when travelling.

Jacob Taylor and Sarah Campbell were supposed to get married in the summer of 2020. They were a long distance couple, Jacob lived in England whilst Sarah hailed from Canada, and the wedding was to be in Durham. The pandemic hit, and everything stopped. Sarah and her family could not leave Canada, the wedding was postponed and they waited for restrictions to lift. Many other people found themselves in similar scenarios: spouses and fiancés stuck in different countries and families divided as restrictions changed, sometimes with very little warning.

This week we were joined by Joe, who is currently training to become a commercial pilot. Joe was completing the second year of his training in Dubai when the coronavirus pandemic hit and unfortunately had to return to the UK.

Our story begins with May, a fourth year Marketing Management student at York St John University. In her third year, she flew from the UK to Australia to undertake a work placement in the marketing and PR industry.

This week I boarded a flight, landed in Ibiza and checked in to a hotel with a rooftop pool. Something I did not expect to be doing in 2020. Ibiza is now open to tourists, slowly life returns to something normal. I’ll be honest, positive feelings have been few and far between throughout 2020, but I am trying to fix my focus on something to look forward to.

2015 was the year of change. After years of sunbathing and holidays in the sun, my family decided to try a new type of holiday. A Canadian road trip in an RV. From recommendations of friends who had visited the country, we decided to follow suit and explore British Columbia.

I never really considered myself as a thrill-seeker, but in 2015, that all changed. My family and I decided on an intense celebratory holiday in honor of my Mum’s birthday. A three week Canadian adventure, exploring BC – Vancouver, Whistler, Jasper.

Washington DC. Quite possibly one of the most important and famous cities in America, if not one of the most important and famous in the entire world, is an absolute marvel of a location, with enough history and landmarks to entice anyone to visit. From the Lincoln Memorial, to the Washington Monument and even 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the home of the most powerful man in the world. Any fan of American History, culture or even American Patriotism would get a massive kick out of this.

Getting stuck somewhere far from home can be anxiety-inducing for even the bravest traveller. It’s a scary thought when you’re on a train halfway round the world and it’s mysteriously delayed or cancelled for hours with little or no explanation. It doesn’t happen very often, but public transport can be unpredictable at the best of times and issues can arise. If an issue does come up, just stay calm and you can get through it easily.

On the 17th of May 2021, the international travel from the UK began to reopen, with a three-tiered ‘traffic light’ system being put in place to rate the safety of different countries. As you might be able to guess, the system rates countries based on a green, amber and red basis, with green being the most safe and accessible to visit, and red being the most heavily restricted.

On the 17th of May 2021, international travel to certain destinations became legal again and travellers across the country were allowed to go on holiday again – provided the country they chose to go to was on the green list (see here for more information). This was really exciting news – it was a chance at freedom after being locked up inside for so long. So what’s changed since you last went on holiday? The coronavirus hasn’t gone away, and we’ll talk you through everything you need to know before you board that plane.

Caroline’s Rainbow Foundation has been working to educate travellers on the importance of travel safety for nearly 20 years. We have been asked many times what the main areas you need to consider are when reducing your risk. In response to that, we have developed the K.A.R safety system.

With the global vaccination charge getting underway, it will, hopefully, be soon that we can ask ourselves where should we go on holiday? Which country will be the safest? Germany is currently an economic and political powerhouse of Europe, and as such is on track in vaccinating its people as efficiently as possible. Going into lockdown weeks before the UK did, the general understanding is that Germany has been, for the most part, on top of dealing with coronavirus.

Based off of the responses we got from our recent survey, we wanted to provide you with some of our best advice for areas of travel a lot of people felt unsure about. This guide will cover going through the airport security process, feeling more comfortable flying, who to contact and where to go in an emergency and travelling from the airport to your accommodation.

Regardless of the crime landscape in your area, we all have to travel. We have to go to work. We have to go buy food. And, as the pandemic has so keenly highlighted for everyone, we need to see our friends and family somewhat regularly or we’re going to lose it a little bit. This is just how we all live our lives. It shouldn’t be up to us to try to be the least attackable person walking home at 6pm on a Thursday when you should be deciding what to have for tea but this is the world we live in. A predator is going to attack what appears to be the easiest target so you need to make it hard for them.

Now, given the virus that shall not be named is still about, and it’s still considered quite unsafe to travel abroad, I think its fair to say we all need something to look forward to. However, a week in the sun is not yet on the cards.

2020 left a lot to be desired when it came to travel. The coronavirus situation put a temporary end to many people’s holiday plans, but there is hope that in 2021 we will be able to get back to doing what we love and exploring the world. The travel industry needs all the help it can get to rebuild, and we hope this guide will provide you with the key safety information required so that you can travel safely when destinations open-up again.