With news breaking out that Spain is now allowing Brits to travel quarantine-free or without proof of vaccination, British travellers will also be allowed to visit 18 European countries on the amber list without the need to quarantine upon arrival.
Discover our latest podcast
The 18 European countries
But don't get too excited just yet; as these rules are only applicable for when you first get to your destination. Meaning that, on your return back home you still have to self-isolate at home for 10 full days as well take a PCR test on days two and eight. In addition, a lateral flow test before the return flight is scheduled is also mandatory.
But if finding yourself trapped in your home for 10 days following your holiday vacation doesn't scare you then here is the roundup of the 18 countries you can visit on the UK's amber list:
- Albania
- Armenia
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Greece
- Italy
- Malta
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Ukraine
Estonia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, San Marino and Spain are also part of the list but these 5 countries do not even require the need for a PCR (or any test for that matter!) to be presented upon arrival.
Apprehension from experts
However, although an influx of tourists has been observed in Spain since its social distancing measures were dramatically loosened, including the end of curfew in touristic hotspots since 9 May, medical experts in the UK are still adamantly advising against traveling there. This is largely due to the presence of the Indian variant having been detected in Spain for some time now.
What's more, other countries are taking a completely different approach and are instead imposing tighter controls on visitors from the UK over fears of the mutated South Asian strain.
In France, for instance, the French Foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed his growing concerns of allowing frivolous travelling from countries deemed at risk in fear of backtracking from the progress made by their vaccine rollout program.