Your holiday departure date has finally arrived, you’re all packed and ready to go and you couldn’t be any more excited. We all know that things are a little different these days, so making sure you’re fully prepared for getting to your chosen destination is now as essential as packing your sun cream and bathing suit. To help ensure your journey goes as smoothly as possible and prevent any unexpected hurdles along the way, we’ve pulled together some helpful advice to keep you safe and to make sure you’re fully prepared - every step of the way.

Before you leave

Getting to the airport

Plan your journey ahead of time and ensure you check the latest advice about your route with your transport operator.

Whether you’re travelling by train, bus, tram or private taxi it is now the law in most UK countries to wear a face mask for the duration of your journey. There are exemptions for face coverings for some people, so check the government advice pages for more information around if this applies to you.

Maintain a 2-metre distance at all times and avoid sitting facing or next to other passengers. Always follow the instructions from the transport staff – they are there to help you.

If booking a private taxi, be mindful that the front seat is now out of bounds for any passenger within most services. This means the vehicle capacity will be reduced by one person - so ensure you book enough taxis to fit your whole travelling party.

Always leave enough time to get to the airport to account for any unexpected delays. If travelling on public transport there may be reduced services or lower capacity for individuals within a carriage due to social distancing rules, so you may need to give yourself extra journey time to get there. Allow more time if your journey involves changes on the way and try to use a direct route when possible.

Before entering any transportation, you should sanitise your hands and do it again if you touch your face throughout the journey.

Pay for public transport using contactless whenever possible and try to avoid using cash if you can.

Whilst in the airport

There are lots of additional precautions now in place to ensure your safety within the airport. Whilst this is great from a protection point of view, this also means it could take a little longer than usual to get through the airport. Ensure you give yourself extra time to get through check-in and going through the baggage and security checks.

Try to avoid using printed versions of boarding passes. Most airlines have apps that you can download your boarding passes to your phone. Check with your chosen airline for details on how you download their app.

Listen to the guidance from the staff within the airport from the moment you arrive. There will be specific rules and guidance in place every step of the way to ensure the safety of you and others around you. New things that airport staff may guide you around may include:

- Where you can and cannot sit.

- The safe way to queue during check-in, going through baggage security or when boarding and disembarking the aircraft.

- Follow any one-way systems when making your way around the airport and take note of any additional information that may be on screens, barriers or the floor.

- Requesting that you move to a less busy area to help spread out the capacity in the airport at that time.

Where possible, check-in online to help reduce any face-to-face contact with the airport staff.

At the check-in desk sanitise your hands as you approach, avoid touching any surfaces and follow the guidance in place by the staff to help assist you.

If you use a self-service check-in, luggage trollies or any other frequently touched surface then always sanitise your hands after use. You may also be required to sanitise the equipment before use, so make sure you look out for stations to help you do this.

Check as much of your luggage into the aircraft hold to reduce the amount of hand baggage on-board the plane. This will help speed up the boarding and disembarking process on the plane and additionally will minimize the risk of transmission.

Please be aware that you may be required to have a temperature check before you fly. This is only in some airports but be mindful that this could be required at any point throughout your journey.

When within the terminal or departures lounge you should try and avoid mixing with other passengers and keep a safe distance as much as you can. There may be new rules in place whilst inside the shops so ensure you adhere to the policies in place and pay by contactless card when possible. There may be additional restrictions on the usage of samples within the duty-free shops and always wear your face covering throughout.

Boarding the aircraft and measures whilst you’re on-board

Always check the specific measures that your airline has in place ahead of travelling. The policies may vary substantially from each provider due to the technical features of your aircraft, specific requirements for the destination you are travelling to and the individual controls around the risk that your specific provider has put in place.

Follow the advice and guidance from the airline staff around boarding the plane and when you’re on the aircraft. Ensure you listen out for specific instructions on the public address systems as there may be a phased approach in place to get passengers on the plane.

Keep your face mask on throughout the journey whilst onboard the aircraft unless you are exempt. You should only remove it to eat or drink, take medication, avoid harm or injury or to communicate to someone that may struggle without lip-reading.

Maintain social distancing throughout the journey and take extra caution when passing others on the aircraft gangway.

Remain seated as much as you possibly can throughout the journey and only get up when completely necessary. Listen to the cabin crew around how to safely get off the plane to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to at all times.

There may be a reduced service of food and drink on the journey so it may be worth eating ahead of getting onto the plane. If you do pay for food and drink try to use contactless where possible.