It’s going to be a long, arduous road to actually getting away on holiday – and I still can’t wait

It’s certainly no longer a case of packing a bag the night before and showing up at the airport – but I’m still dreaming of waking up in a new place, with the whole day stretching before me, writes Cathy Adams

Last week, the government finally spelled out a slender list of ‘green’ countries, a handful of which are in Europe (Simon Calder)

After 19 long weeks, international travel is finally set to restart on Monday. It’s been a long, hard winter for airlines and the travel industry (and won’t anyone think of the travel editors churning out yet more articles headlined: “Can I go on holiday yet?” No, you can’t.)

I’ve squeaked through a couple of staycations since the domestic travel rules changed on 12 April. Lovely as they were, the Yorkshire weather, even in May, doesn’t hold a torch to the Mediterranean.

So, summer holidays. Last week, the government finally spelled out a slender list of “green” countries, a handful of which are in Europe, and only one that is really mainstream: Portugal.