Travel with Katie Butler: Spain finally drops all Covid travel restrictions

Katie Butler writes: Finally Spain have dropped all their Covid entry requirements.

The next travel review was expected November 15, however, in a surprise U-turn the country announced it would drop all the restrictions on October 21.

It goes to show just how quickly and without warning things can change.

Spain have been one of the last major holiday destinations to impose strict Covid entry rules for foreign travellers, and so last minute or not we were delighted to see the removal of testing and vaccine requirements for the very popular holiday destination.

This is just in time for the winter season where the Canary Islands are our top selling place to go to enjoy some winter sunshine.

In addition to Spain removing restrictions, last week the final restriction on travel to New Zealand was removed.

Passengers travelling to New Zealand will no longer be required to complete a declaration form disclosing their Covid-19 vaccine status and travel history.

In addition, travellers no longer need to test for Covid on arrival, prove their vaccination status or provide information for contact tracing to enter the country.

New Zealand enforced some of the toughest restrictions worldwide and were one of the last destinations to open their borders.

Finally, we are able to re-unite family and friends without hassle and complex form filling and so yes another much welcomed relaxing of the rules.

Do I still need Covid cover included in my holiday travel insurance?

Absolutely! Although countries continue to drop restrictions, Covid is very much still with us and is expected to be around for the long-term if not forever.

While we are all trying to live with the virus in our everyday lives, we still run the risk of becoming ill with Covid before we travel or even while we are overseas.

Should you contract Covid before travel then you of course should not go ahead with your holiday and will need to cancel your holiday, this is where you need to ensure your travel insurance covers you to claim for the cost of cancellation.

While you are overseas if you become ill with Covid you may need medical treatment and so again you must ensure you have travel insurance in place to cover the costs of any necessary treatment you may require.

At the start of the pandemic many insurance providers refused to cover anything relating to the virus but you will now find that most, if not all, insurance companies include cover for Covid-19 as standard.

Despite the half-term school holidays, we remain busier than usual for the time of year. As mentioned previously this is due to the early launch of Jet2holidays and also last week the launch of P&O Cruises covering right up to spring 2025.

I wish I was organised enough to book so early in advance, it is a great way to guarantee exactly what you are looking for, get the best deals and of course spread the payments.