The view from Paris on travel in 2022

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( [Travel] Simon Calder’s Travel Week [Simon Calder]( Written by Simon Calder | January 14, 2022 London’s reputation as a party city diminished this week, with the revelation that an outdoor event in Westminster on 20 May 2020 was not a bring-a-bottle bash to “make the most of the lovely weather” as promised in the invite, but actually a “[work event](”. So in a bid to escape such a profound Anglo-Saxon sense of duty, I made for France as fast as bureaucracy would allow me. Which wasn’t very fast at all. It is now 22 hours since [the tourism minister, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, revealed in a tweet]( that France will reopen to British visitors at some time today. In the careless manner of ministers here, who seem detached from the notion that their announcements on opening up (or closing down) travel should tell prospective visitors all they need to know, M Lemoyne simply said the ban will end today – covering a 24-hour range from midnight to midnight and affecting a lot of prospective travellers. So I took a chance – and a lateral-flow test – and left London for Newhaven, in the hope of a night boat to Normandy. Normandy landing: Côte d"Albâtre, which sails between Newhaven and Dieppe While the train trundled south to the Sussex shore, I contemplated the futile French farce that has blocked British visitors for the past four weeks – and the implications for travel in 2022. In quick succession late last year, the governments in London and Paris demonstrated their willingness to close frontiers at the drop of a chapeau. In response to concern about the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the UK banned flights from South Africa and imposed hotel quarantine on arrivals from 11 African nations. Then France closed its frontiers to almost all arrivals from across the Channel. On both sides of la Manche, ministers have shown no urgency in removing restrictions when it is clear to everyone that they are pointless. Welcome back: coffee this morning in Paris Evidently they let me in, with no Novak Djokovic-style second thoughts, which is why I am now enjoying a café crème just outside St-Lazare station in Paris. In my virtual wallet, a freshly ordered ticket for 11am at the Pinault Collection, which opened in the former Bourse du Commerce while you and I were away. Yet how precarious these pleasures feel. Instant travel surrenders all the joy of anticipation, but planning ahead bestows an unwelcome burden of uncertainty. A long Valentine’s weekend in Paris? March in a lofty resort in the French Alps? An Easter trip to the Côte d’Azur? The tourism minister gives no guarantee the French government won’t trash those trips just as hastily as it wrecked hundreds of thousands of Christmas and New Year plans. On the other side of the Channel, the slow-motion implosion of Boris Johnson’s government destroys hope that ministers will focus on the crucial business of working with other nations and the industry to restore confidence in travel. They are too busy jostling for space on the political lifeboats. So my advice, reluctantly given, is to commit to travel only at the very last minute. Destination of the week: Thessaloniki Summer gaze: Thessaloniki in northern Greece Travellers to the fine northern Greek city of Thessaloniki are set to benefit from the flight restrictions in force at London City airport in London's Docklands. The current curfew forbids take-offs and landings between 1pm on Saturday and 12.30pm on Sunday, to give local residents respite. As a result, British Airways CityFlyer, the leading operator at the airport, has to find something to do with its aircraft at weekends. The cunning plan this summer: fly a plane 1,329 miles out to Thessaloniki on a Saturday afternoon, and bring it back on a Sunday morning. Don’t miss my daily travel podcast [Green List Travel]( For all the latest travel tips, advice and news analysis, listen to ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available from Monday to Friday for free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. Deal of the week: Sunshine, soon - To continue the late-booking theme: if you can fly from Birmingham this Sunday, 16 January, to Faro in the Algarve, Jet2 Holidays will provide you with flights (including baggage), transfers and self-catering accommodation at the Vilamoura Golf Apartments for just £192 per person. - A week today, flying from London Stansted to Tenerife, Tui has a deal for just £230 per person with the same deal, staying at Tamaimo Tropical in Puerto de Santiago Travel voucher of the week [Voucher]( [Claim an extra £100 off when you spend £750 on First Choice holidays in January & February]( Travel question of the week: Can I truthfully sign a "sworn declaration"? Q I’ve read that many countries are requiring sworn statements saying they have been in contact with anyone who has Covid. Do you think this requirement will be dropped seeing as Omicron spreads so fast? A Plenty of nations require you to declare whether you have been in contact with someone infected with coronavirus. France, for example, asks you to certify: “I hereby declare on my honour that I have no knowledge of having been in contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 during the last 14 days prior to departure.” That is a tricky declaration to make, with a truthful answer demanding the sort of semantics that keeps lawyers in business. Spain warns you must not travel “If you have had close contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 within the last two weeks”. Again, a tricky one, because it depends how you define “close contact”. On a typical day I travel by bus, Tube or train, visit a shop and possibly a pub. (Yes, life in the travel fast lane.) Statistically, there is a high likelihood I was in reasonably close contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19. But I infer that the definition concurs with the principle that you have spent prolonged time with someone in your home or workplace who turns out to have been infectious. The underlying principle, of course, is that you should not travel anywhere if you believe you may be carrying coronavirus. I recommend testing with a lateral flow device before any substantial journey. Stories you might like [Government suspends smart motorway rollout amid safety concerns]( [Government suspends smart motorway rollout amid safety concerns]( [Travel expert Simon Calder to answer your latest questions live at 4pm]( Travel expert Simon Calder to answer your latest questions live at 4pm]( More stories [Cabinet ministers circle the wagons to defend Boris Johnson]( Cabinet ministers circle the wagons to defend Boris Johnson]( [Maersk cuts decarbonisation target by decade due to rising demand for clean transport]( Maersk cuts decarbonisation target by decade due to rising demand for clean transport]( Other newsletters you might like [Brexit and Beyond] Brexit and Beyond Every Thurday, 7am (UK time) Written by Adam Forrest [Join now >]( [Voices Dispatches] Voices Dispatches Every Saturday, 7am (UK time) Written by Victoria Richards [Join now >]( Let me know your thoughts on Twitter [@SimonCalder](. If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email. You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Travel email. Add us to your safe list of senders . If you do not want to receive The Independent's Travel email, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Travel_Newsletter_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This email was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.