Where Can Scots Travel Abroad?

The UK government regularly updates its advice on all international travel, with the The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) publishing a list of countries and territories exempted from the 'all but essential' international travel list.

At the same time, on the way back home, the Scottish government maintains a list of countries and territories from which anybody coming from has to observe a 14 days quarantine upon return into Scotland. Only the countries and territories are listed below are exempted from such restrictions.

What are the latest Scottish government updates against all but essential travel?

The Scottish Government publishes the list of countries where Scottish citizens may go or not during the covid-19 pandemic period. If you are planning a trip abroad, you should consult this list, which will be updated following the pandemic situation developments.

Which countries are exempt from the 'all but essential' Scottish government list?

After COVID-19 summer holidays, which destination to opt for?

The Scottish Government has updated its list of countries exempted from the ‘all but essential’ international travel restriction for travelers from the UK. With the pandemics still virulent in Africa, Central Asia and America, there are still many countries unaccessible for the Scots:

• The great majority of European countries are now out of the 'all but essential' destinations listed by the Scottish Government. However, travelling to Portugal mainland, some countries of South East Europe, and now Spain, Belgium and Andorra is still discouraged by the authorities.
• As for the Americas, travelling to South America, Canada or in the United States is strongly discouraged by the Scottish government.
• With Central Asia being at the heart of the pandemic, you will have to consider South East Asia if you wish to travel that far. Vietnam or Hong Kong are now considered safe by the Scottish government, as well as South Korea and Japan. New Zealand, New Caledonia or Australia are also exempt from the list.
• The access to the entire African continent is discouraged by the Scottish Government - except the Reunion or Mauritius Islands.

Why getting a travel insurance is so important this summer?

Getting a travel insurance has never been so important. Indeed, with Covid-19 lockdown and travel ban, people have lost thousands of pounds seeing their annual holiday plan cancelled with no chance to get refund without any travel insurance purchased.

However, you should definitely pick the right travel insurance cover. While the worldwide situation remaining unstable, we would definitely advise you to pick between one of the two travel insurance options:

• "Any cancellation reason" travel insurance: it usually comes at a certain prices (between 10 to 12% of your stay), but you will get total refund in case something comes up, including a worldwide pandemic.
• "Named perils", being sure that "pandemic" is named as a potential peril (usually 7 to 9% of your stay budget).

Which travel insurers cover pandemic crisis?

First of all, one must be aware that the world currently goes through a fast-changing period regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and its evolution in time. This may impact the travel insurance policies proposed by the companies, so you should always carefully check your cover before going.

• On the first hand, some travel insurers propose a cancellation cover, in case your journey would be impossible due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With the uncertainty about the possibility of a "second wave" to happen, such guarantees can be desirable.
• On the second hand, most of the travel insurance companies are now proposing medical and repatriation cover, in case you get contaminated by the Covid-19 during your holidays abroad. Of course, this will naturally increase the price you will have to pay, but that is undoubtedly an important security regarding the cost that can represent a stay in an hospital and a repatriation by plane.
• "Leading ABI travel insurance members will look to extend cover for emergency medical treatment for up to a minimum of 60 days for customers stuck overseas and trying to return home", said the ABI on a recent release.

Insurers like insurefor.com or Allclear now offer specific medical and cancellation cover including any reason related to COVID-19. Compare all travel insurances including COVID-19 cover (or not) in one clic on our comparison tool.

How much is travel insurance covering COVID-19 travel disruption?

Our methodology

Please note that the above-mentioned information is accurate at the date it is published. For getting the most up to date information, you shall consult the FCO website before planning your journey abroad and purchasing your travel insurance. All our studies are based on reliable information sourced from public and privates organizations. For further information on our editorial guidelines please click here.

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