DO YOU EVER GET BORED OF FLYING ALL OVER THE WORLD?

Q I hope you don’t mind me asking a more personal question than you usually tackle. It’s simply: does going away all the time get boring?

Liz B

A No. Travel becomes ever-more exciting. There is a good reason: the older I get, the higher my tolerance for risk. People aged 20 should be extremely risk-averse, because they have a lifetime of travelling ahead of them and it would be tragedy to lose those opportunities. Conversely, were I to fall off a mountain or a bike, or inadvertently stray into a conflict resulting in a sub-optimal outcome, I will have enjoyed a lifetime of travel.

On my latest trip, I have been lucky enough to visit Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Moldova and Lebanon. The last of these carries a host of Foreign Office no-go warnings, which invalidates the average travel insurance policy. I do not ignore FCDO advice lightly, but the research I did suggested that the current Foreign Office bulletin – dating back four months – seemed to bear an overabundance of caution.

With a professional tour guide and driver, I revelled in the glorious antiquity of Baalbek, and the coastal cities of Tyre and Tripoli. All are subject to the most extreme FCDO category of warning: “Advise against all travel.” As you might conclude: Lebanon was far from boring. And even though I have visited the other countries multiple times, there are always new paths to discover in a familiar location.

The mechanics of travel, of course, include some tedious elements. Many of these are getting easier. For example buying train tickets online has eliminated the need to wait in line for a paper ticket, whether you are in Ilkley or India. Queues for airport security searches remain a pain. The brave decision to leave the European Union means the red tape for UK passport holders like me going to Europe is becoming ever-more tangled. But thanks to this being the 21st century: while wearily awaiting the fingerprint check, I can use my smartphone to identify the next airport bus departure; find out about local festivals; or see how Crawley Town FC are faring. What a wonderful world.

Q Hurricane Melissa was very well publicised as one of the worst storms to hit Jamaica in modern history. Why were the holiday companies still sending people there, and why did the UK government let them?

Guy B

A Those are good questions. As I write, the giant tour operator Tui is sending aircraft empty of passengers to the Caribbean. They will land in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and wait until the airport at Montego Bay in Jamaica reopens. The thinking is that as soon as there is clearance to land, they can fly in and pick up around 1,400 people who have had their flights home to the UK cancelled since last Sunday. Quite apart from that being an expensive business for Tui, the company definitely does not wish its customers to have to shelter in hotels while a terrible storm rages.

So, should they have stopped taking passengers out earlier? The last Tui departure to Jamaica was on Saturday, 25 October. At the time, the trajectory and intensity of Hurricane Melissa was not entirely clear. In hindsight, no doubt Tui and other companies would ideally have got everyone home before the story hit. But their customers also have some responsibility.

All the holidaymakers affected had booked trips to the Caribbean during the hurricane season. Certainly, they were unlucky to be in a location when a particularly powerful storm swept in. In the past I have taken a chance on trips to Cuba and Barbados in November. In Cuba, I got away with excellent value and benign weather; in Barbados, my exploration of the island was constrained by all the flooding. You take your chances …

The role of the Foreign Office, I contend, is only to warn travellers of potential risks. Before Hurricane Melissa, the FCDO travel advice read: “Hurricane season is normally from June to November. We are seeing more uncharacteristic weather in Jamaica and the region is increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts.”

I think it is not the business of the government to dictate who goes where, when, but to provide information so that an individual can decide whether to travel.

Q I have a question about the EU entry-exit system, please. I am a UK citizen and frequently travel to Spain. I don’t usually book a return flight because I shop around for a good deal – within my “Schengen allowance” of 90 days in 180 days. Now the entry-exit system is being rolled out: if I am asked whether I have a return ticket and say “No”, what will the repercussions be?

David C

A The entry-exit system (EES) is being slowly introduced at the frontiers of the Schengen area – comprising the European Union minus Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. It is due to be in place at every border by April 2026.

The Schengen requirement for “third-country nationals” such as the British to have an onward or return ticket, or the means to acquire one, has not changed – and neither has the Spanish demand that arrivals at its frontiers should have access to funds of €113.40 per day with a minimum of €1,020.60.

What has changed is that some of the kiosks for registration of the necessary biometrics may pose a question about the individual’s resources and travel plans. I asked Dr Nick Brown – data sleuth, expert on EES and resident of Spain – about the theoretical requirement.

He told me: “Well, they almost certainly won’t ask or check. All of these rules are aimed at people who need visas. They notionally apply to visa-waiver Brits too, but it’s meaningless. For example, were you planning to overstay you could just book a ‘throwaway’ return ticket for £20 or so.”

On the question of funds, he adds: “The requirement to have money can be satisfied by showing them a credit or debit card. They aren’t going to ask you to wait while they interrogate your bank balance. I sympathise with David because I also try to obey all of the rules, and people like us sometimes have a hard time accepting that the rules are ridiculous and nobody actually applies them.”

Certainly, when I flew out to Mallorca earlier this week, there was not the slightest official interest in my plans or available funds at passport control.

Q How do you cope with jet lag?

Sally J

A In a word: badly. I believe most other travellers are the same. But I hope I can provide some useful advice about limiting the effects of flying across multiple time zones.

Extending a trip over several days rather than a single 10- or 12-hour flight can work wonders. For example, consider a trip from the UK to the Pacific coast of North America. London to Halifax, Nova Scotia, involves only a four-hour difference. After a fairly quick flight of under six hours, you can explore maritime Canada for a day or two before flying onwards to Toronto – two more hours’ flying, two more hours of time shift.

Personally, I rejoice in 48 hours in Canada’s biggest city, but even a night will make you feel a lot better. Then pick your West Coast destination: Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco or Los Angeles? A good travel agent will string the flights together for you.

Going east, it works even better because you have so many more options. The ideal trip to Australia starts in Istanbul, then somewhere in the Gulf – Bahrain or Abu Dhabi is my preference. Next, Sri Lanka gets my vote due to Indian visas being such hard work to obtain. Colombo has direct links in four hours or less to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Heading for Perth? It’s only five hours or so. Eastern Australia? Add another stop in Bali.

For many people, though, pressure of time and/or money means that nonstops are necessary. I follow the medical advice to some extent: exercising regularly (get an aisle seat), drinking copious amounts of water and avoiding caffeine. But I do enjoy a glass of beer or wine, or even one of each, at 40,000 feet.

Finally, when your body tells you it’s lunchtime even though the clock shows it’s 4am, don’t fight it. Go online, listen to podcasts or, in a great and safe city like Hong Kong, head out for a walk.

Email your question to [email protected] or tweet @SimonCalder

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2025-11-01T06:08:19Z