In a little over a week, UK test rules will cease for vaccinated travellers, saving around £120 for a family of four. Perhaps this reduction in cost and hassle has tempted you to book your first trip overseas since March 2020. Before you take the plunge, however, it will pay to acquaint yourself with the other costs waiting to catch you out.

Travel insurance

Fast-changing travel rules and the risk of a positive Covid test make securing cover more important than ever when planning a trip overseas. A standard insurance policy may not cover all the potential pitfalls, from an unexpected stint in managed quarantine to new entry requirements making it impossible to travel. To ensure you’re covered for all eventualities, even if you are relatively young and healthy, you may find yourself paying three times the price for a premium policy. 

For older travellers, fees can be particularly high. Turning 70 nearly doubles the cost of travel cover, according to a November 2021 study by Which?

The consumer champion’s research found that septuagenarians not only had fewer quotes to choose from, but the average of their cheapest five quotes was nearly double what they were offered at the age of 65.

The Association of British Insurance, however, emphasises the importance of securing a policy that suits your particular needs. It mentions the case of a traveller who was treated for Covid on holiday in Cyprus and returned to the UK. This cost £70,000 when paid for by an insurer. 

Read our expert guide to the best travel insurance policies with Covid cover.

Tests

You might think that being vaccinated would exempt you from testing requirements, especially as that will be the case for all travellers arriving in the UK from February 11. 

While some other countries are following suit, many still require a negative test result for entry in addition to (or, in some cases, instead of) vaccine proof. Some also require an additional test on arrival. 

A PCR test may be specifically demanded. These are more expensive than rapid antigen (lateral flow) versions. Check before travel though: France will allow UK travellers to use either. 

Charges also vary depending on the turnaround time for results. Your destination may stipulate that the test be taken anywhere between 24 hours to 72 hours before travel. 

Home test kits can be cheaper. Providers such as Eurofins (£44.90) and Randox (from £34.99) offer this service, but you will need to factor in the time of posting it back to a lab. Some clinic or airport providers offer super-fast results (1-4 hours) but this comes with a higher cost. Randox’s 1-3 hour result tests are available for £80 at Liverpool One shopping centre and London Waterloo station, for example. 

Some tour operators subsidise tests and some airlines offer codes for discounts. 

The more straightforward approach when choosing a destination is to narrow down your list to those that require no tests for vaccinated travellers.

Families travelling with teenagers may opt for Switzerland for late-season skiing (test-free for under-16s accompanied by vaccinated parents; one test for unvaccinated 16-18 year-olds). Short-haul sun without tests can be found in Turkey, provided you are immunised. Travellers aged 12 or over can also enter with proof of recovery or a negative PCR result. Children aged 11 or under are exempt from these entry rules. 

Popular European destinations to avoid if you’re travelling with over-12s who are not fully vaccinated include: France (over-12s will need a test for entry and once every 24 hours while in the country for access to venues); Spain (children aged 12 and over cannot enter without proof of vaccination) and Greece (tests are required for all arrivals). 

Read our country-by-country guide to the complex Covid travel rules.

Car hire

The cost of renting a car for your next holiday increased by 125 per cent on average between October 2019 and October 2021, according to research by the consumer association, Which?  

Portugal saw the biggest rise – up 189 per cent on 2019. Tips for cutting down these costs include: booking the car as early as possible – at the same time as a holiday, ideally; not paying on arrival; and not buying extra insurance at the car hire counter.