70% of Britons would be more likely to travel abroad after having a COVID-19 vaccine. 43% feel unsafe about travelling abroad in 2021.
As the world prepares to welcome 2021, specialist travel insurance firm Medical Travel Compared has surveyed 2,000 holidaymakers to reveal how we’re all feeling about vaccinating against COVID-19 in order to holiday abroad in the new year.
Top 3 reasons for not taking the vaccine
| Rank | Measure | % of UK |
| 1 | My travel insurance will cover COVID-19 | 66% |
| 2 | Everyone who travels abroad has to have had a COVID-19 vaccination | 63.50% |
| 3 | Everyone who travels abroad has to test negative for a COVID-19 test beforehand | 55.90% |
The outlook of travel in the new year remains positive across the UK. 70% of respondents indicated they were more likely to start travelling abroad again once they had received the vaccine.
76% said that they would still go on holiday if they were required to take a COVID-19 test on arrival at their destination and 75% said they would be willing to take the test upon departure.
The top 3 safety measures Brits want in order to feel safe about travelling again
Despite the positive sentiments expressed about the vaccine, the survey also revealed 43% still feel unsafe when it comes to travelling abroad. The most pressing issue of concern, shared by 66% of respondents, is whether or not their travel insurance will cover COVID-19 should they contract the virus.
Despite concerns, 36% indicated they intend to book a holiday in the near future, with most people saying they would choose to vacation in Europe. The most popular month to book a holiday in 2021 is May, followed by April 2021 and June 2021 respectively.
| Rank | Measure | % of UK |
| 1 | My travel insurance will cover COVID-19 | 66% |
| 2 | Everyone who travels abroad has to have had a COVID-19 vaccination | 63.50% |
| 3 | Everyone who travels abroad has to test negative for a COVID-19 test beforehand | 55.90% |
Here’s what else Britons had to say regarding their future travel concerns and what would make them feel safer about travelling in 2021:
- “Mandatory testing before travel and repeated tests in resorts.”
- “A health passport system is part of the solution to situations like this.”
- “Vaccination instead of isolation on my return.”
- “All travellers on the plane should have a negative test before flying.”
- “I would feel happier once European countries had rolled out a vaccination programme comprehensively.”
- “I would need to know if I can afford health insurance before I travel.”
- “Cost of holiday insurance once [the UK is] out of the EU is a worry.”
Each UK country’s positive outlook on COVID travel after the vaccine
Wales led the positive poll with 96% of respondents agreeing to a COVID-vaccination for travel, with Scotland coming up tops with 40% of those surveyed confirming they feel safer about travelling abroad in the future.
| Country | % of the population agreeing to COVID vaccination (for travel) | % of the population who feel safe about travelling in the future | Most important COVID-related travel safety measure |
| England | 93% | 38% | My travel insurance will cover COVID-19 |
| Scotland | 94% | 40% | My travel insurance will cover COVID-19 |
| Wales | 96% | 31% | Everyone who travels abroad has to have had a COVID-19 vaccination |
| Northern Ireland | 93% | 52% | Everyone who travels abroad has to test negative for a COVID-19 test beforehand |
Tommy Lloyd, Managing Director at Medical Travel Compared comments: “Over the past 10 months, COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on how the world travels, with many finding their holiday plans derailed as they quite rightly focus on staying safe and healthy in these unprecedented times. It’s encouraging to see that with the rollout of the UK’s vaccine programme, confidence in travelling is set to return in a big way, with the majority of travellers intending to travel again once they have been vaccinated.”
“However, even with the vaccination safeguarding travellers against the virus, many are still worried about their safety whilst travelling, with having travel insurance protection against COVID-19 a key concern.”
“At Medical Travel Compared, we’ll search over 30 specialist travel insurance providers to help our customers find suitable cover, including protecting trips against COVID-19. We know this is especially important for customers who have pre-existing medical conditions and have to be more cautious than most.”
“We’ve made sure that all of the travel insurance providers we work with will protect customers if they catch COVID-19 whilst they are on their trip, providing emergency medical treatment cover, including bringing you home for treatment if required.”
“Some of our providers are also able to offer Enhanced COVID-19 cover, which can offer even more protection, such as if you catch COVID-19 before you are due to go away and need to cancel, or if you are denied boarding by your airline due to having symptoms of COVID-19.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
