I have recently returned from Portugal after a week’s long holiday in the resort of Vilamoura in October. Travelling during the pandemic was a lot more straight forward than I originally thought, and I would not hesitate to do it again or recommend it to my clients.
I flew from Birmingham to Faro on a Jet2Holidays package. My airport experience was seamless and very nearly normal. The only differences we found were the documentation requirements and having to wear a mask throughout. We also had to wear our masks for the duration of the flight unless eating or drinking.
For entry to Portugal, we needed proof of vaccination as well as a completed passenger locator form. We had these printed as we found it was easier than showing copies on our phones, although we had these too. The form we needed could be completed up to four days prior to arrival in Portugal. The journey through passport control, the arrivals area of Faro airport and our transfer to the hotel was very easy and did not take long at all.
During our holiday, we felt like everything was completely normal. The attitude towards Covid was incredibly relaxed, yet we felt very safe. The hotel was very clean, as were a lot of the local bars and restaurants we visited. Staff continued to wear face coverings although it was not required for the public. We also had beautiful weather, making the holiday perfect.
For our return to the UK, we completed our passenger locator forms on our phones and saved them into our notes for easy access in the airport. To get our boarding passes for our return flight, Jet2 needed proof of a completed UK passenger locator form. When the form is complete, you are given a reference number which Jet2 then verify to give you your boarding pass. This can be done online but we chose to do it at the check in desk, which was very straight forward.
Upon arrival back into Birmingham, everyone from out flight had their passenger locator forms spot checked by a member of staff prior to going through passport control. You do need to expect this process will take longer than usual due to the extra checks.
We did not need to test prior to flying home, and we completed our day 2 tests once we were back. At the time was a lateral flow that was required, although this has now reverted to a PCR. We were both were negative, and we uploaded our results to the company’s website to generate a certificate. We booked these before we travelled as we knew we would need the reference number for our UK PLF.
Overall, we had a lovely holiday and have rebooked to go back in June 2022 to visit our friends again, and the new procedures relating to the pandemic were easier than expected. There is a lot more that is involved with travelling now than what there was before, but I would recommend travelling to anyone who wishes to do so, providing the travel requirements of the country allow you to do so.
