You only go on holiday to one place at a time

In a normal year there are 195 countries on earth and you can pick almost any of them for a trip. Right now, we all know that choice of countries is a bit more limited. You can visit the amber list if you don't mind isolating for a few days when you come back - but if you want to come and go as easily as ever, there's a green list destination for every holiday. So the hassle of the traffic light system shouldn't stop you going away, because plenty of places are open hassle-free. And even in a normal year you only go on holiday to one country at a time.

Italy being (effectively) closed doesn't stop you visiting Greece. America shutting its borders shouldn't affect your trip to Malta (except perhaps there being fewer American tourists there). Sure, there are fewer options this year than a couple of years ago. But how many countries were you really planning to visit on your next holiday anyway?

Change to a new destination, and try somewhere new

So think positive! Lots of places are open for hassle-free overseas trips, and we can help you change your plans to somewhere that's open and hassle-free. If only one beach was open - if it's a good beach with sunshine and warm seas, that's enough beaches for a week at the beach. One city is enough for a memorable weekend citybreak. One theme park is enough to keep the kids busy at half-term, and one mountain is enough to ski on. Whatever you were planning - we can help you pick an alternative that's just as good, and maybe sometimes even better.

If you had a trip in mind but now you need an alternative thaty doesn't require you to quarantine for two weeks when you get back, perhaps these suggestions will help. For everyone who needs some alternative suggestions because their trip got disrupted - this guide is for you.

If you usually head to the Canaries...

...try the Portuguese island Madeira

Open to UK visitors who complete a negative Covid test

Travelling to the Portuguese islands

While visiting mainland Portugal currently means extra tests and a few days' isolation when you get home, Portugal's island Madeira is on the green list. It'snear the Canaries and offer almost the same year-round sun - so if you normally visit Tenerife, Gran Canaria or the other Canary Islands, try one of Portugal's very nearby neighbours.

...try The Channel Islands

Open to most UK visitors who complete a negative Covid test

Travelling to the Channel Islands

The Common Travel Area, an arrangement that predates not just Brexit but the EU, allows British visitors to travel freely to and from the Channel Islands, Ireland and the Isle of Man. During the Covid emergency local rules still applied and closed borders meant no visitors, but both Jersey and Guernsey have now opened up to visitors from the UK.

Guernsey simply admits British visitors with both doses of the vaccine. Jersey has a slightly more complicated system, rating different areas of the UK green, red or orange according to its own assessment of local Covid risks, and visitors from green and orange should generally find a trip straightforward.

The weather on the islands is not, of course, the North African heat you'd expect from the Canaries - but the islands here are sunny, friendly, relaxed holiday destinations with great beaches, food and accommodation. If you're looking to get away but reluctant to go too far or risk our government's rules changing against you, the "super-green" Common Travel Area is a much safer bet and means you should be safe to come and go to the islands this summer.

If you normally enjoy a European mainland beach...

...try the Balearics

Open to UK visitors who complete a negative Covid test

Travelling to the Balearics

While Spain remains one of the easiest and best places to head for a holiday right now, both mainland Spain and the Canaries are still on the UK's amber list. No so the Balearics - Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera - which are on the UK's green list so much easier to visit for a holiday.

...try Malta

Open to vaccinated UK visitors

The most puzzling omission from the UK's first cut of the green list back in May, Malta has Covid so firmly under control that most days now it reports no new infections, probably because pretty much the entire population is vaccinated.

Boasting Europe's second-southernmost capital and a rich history, Malta is great for either a beach holiday or a citybreak.

If you wanted an exotic long-haul holiday...

...try Barbados

Open to UK visitors who complete a negative Covid test

Travelling to Barbados

Nine hours non-stop with BA and you're in the Caribbean. Lots of Caribbean islands are on the UK's green list, but Barbdos is the simplest to get in and get on with your holiday. Fully-vaxxed British visitors will need to take a test., stay in their hotel until the results arrive (normally within 24 hours), and can then move about as they please, obeying local restrictions.

Barbados is a great getaway for British tourists. An English-speaking Commonwealth country but with Caribbean weather and beaches, you'll be able to get a cup of tea and even drive on the left before heading off to scuba or relax on the white sands. Most visitors are either British, American or Canadian so it's an almost completely Anglophone paradise in a tropical blue-green sea.

...try Iceland

Open to vaccinated UK visitors

Travelling to Iceland

Just four hours from London and mind-blowingly exotic, Iceland isn't your standard beach holiday - it's a whole other world to explore. From a landscape so alien it's been used to train astronauts to a cuisine featuring ptarmigan, puffin, reindeer in blueberries and dung-smoked lamb, Iceland is a proper adventure. Head to Reykjavik and the golden circle for a long weekend or a citybreak, or drive the ring-road around the coast and take in some of the most breath-taking scenery on earth.

Fully-vaccinated Brits are welcome in Iceland without quarantine, and once you're in the country outside Reykjavik is largely empty. So if you're still nervous of crowds after a year and a half indoors, Iceland's wide-open spaces and virtually uninhabited countryside might be just the break you need!