The Times - UK (2020-11-14)

the times | Saturday November 14 2020 1GM 13

News

Sun-starved Britons are planning “cir-
cuit break” escapes next year with more
than half carrying over annual leave.
Many companies are relaxing their
policies to allow employees to carry
over unused days from this year. Travel
companies have reported a boom in the
number of people booking holidays of
more than two weeks.
More than half of Britons are plan-
ning to carry leave over to 2021, accord-
ing to Skyscanner, the flight booking
platform. A third of those surveyed said
the primary reason for saving days was
to maximise travel opportunities, while
one fifth were planning a “splurge” trip
having saved money this year.
On average, employees have 11 days
of unused leave, although many
employers cap the amount that can be
carried over at seven days. Some com-
panies have banned workers rolling
over their leave allowance.
Jonny Bealby, the founder of Wild
Frontiers, which runs adventure trips,
said bookings of long trips had exceed-
ed expectation. “Our most popular trips
booked in September and October
were by far our longest breaks,” he said.
“Our most successful by far was the
‘Great Silk Road adventure’ which is a
46-day trip. That really amazed us
because not only is it a long trip but it’s
also an expensive trip, if you’re going
away for that long.” The company has
laid on extra departure dates for the
trip, as well as for its other long adven-
tures, including its 25-day tour of the

five “stans” of central Asia: Turkmeni-

stan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz-

stan and Kazakhstan.

Skyscanner says that flights to

long-haul destinations dominate its

chart of the most popular searches for

departures next year. Orlando, Dubai

and New York all feature in the top

ten most searched in the last month.

The UAE was added to the govern-

ment’s list of quarantine-free “travel

corridors” on Thursday along with

Qatar, Turks & Caicos Islands, Laos,

Iceland, Cambodia, Chile and Bahrain.

However, a country being on the list

does not guarantee that its borders are

open or tourism arrivals welcome.

Travel companies reported a rise in

inquiries for holidays after Pfizer’s

announcement on Monday that its

vaccine was more than 90 per cent

effective against coronavirus.

Sonia Davies, the chief executive of

Scott Dunn, a luxury tour operator,

DIAMOND FILMS/KOBAL/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK; BONHAMS

said: “Monday’s announcement brings

some much-needed optimism to the

travel industry and while it is still early

days, the news was very well received

by our guests, with a spike in inquiries

for 2021 holidays.

“The Maldives continues to lead the

way for us in terms of inquiries and

bookings, especially with news in this

week that Sri Lankan airlines will

operate a new direct service from

Heathrow in time for the end of

lockdown and the festive period.”

Travel agents also said they had re-

ceived a number of calls from hopeful

holidaymakers looking to book breaks

over the extended bank holiday week-

end for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in

2022, thinking it was next year.

Thomas Cook, which has relaunched

as an online travel agent after its

collapse 13 months ago, reported that

searches for summer holidays doubled

this week, with Tenerife, Rhodes and

Zante as the most popular destinations.

“Our customers have been telling us

they are desperate to book but lack the

confidence,” Roy Zhou, its analytics

manager, said. “It seems now they’re

starting to dream about next summer

and plan their family getaway with a bit

more reassurance.”

Grant Shapps, the transport secre-

tary, yesterday confirmed that an an-

nouncement on a reduction in the

length of quarantine for international

arrivals is due imminently. A reduction

to one week may kick-start the sector.

Romantic hotels in the Med, Weekend

Britons book great escapes for 2021

Ben Clatworthy Assistant Travel Editor In for the long haul

Month-long Dubai break

Escape the January blues

with a 30-night stay at the

Westin Mina Seyahi in

Dubai. The holiday is now

from £2,599pp, B&B,

including flights with

Emirates — a saving of more

than £250 — departing on

January 10. The hotel has

six swimming pools, a water

sports centre and a handful

of restaurants.

(bestattravel.co.uk)

Luxury cruise

Travelling on a sea cruise is

banned by the Foreign

Office. The hope is it will be

lifted next year and

travellers booking selected

Silversea cruises are being

offered 10 per cent

discounts. It means a 22-day

Dakar to Buenos Aires

sailing is now from

£10,440pp, all-inclusive,

departing October 29. Calls

include Salvador de Bahia,

Rio de Janeiro and Punta

del Este. (silversea.com)

Hiking the Himalayas

Discover a remote region of

the Himalayas in mid-west

Nepal on this trek from

Upper Dolpo to Jomsom.

The 25-day journey takes in

pre-Buddhist monasteries.

It costs from £4,660 and

includes most meals,

internal flights and the

services of a guide.

(themountaincompany.

co.uk)

Botswana and Zimbabwe

safari

There are discounts of

£4,435pp on this 16-night

safari. Expect walking

safaris, canoeing and a

guided tour of the Victoria

Falls on the adventure that

is now from £13,095pp, full

board, including internal

flights and all transfers. The

offer is valid on departures

from January 10 to May 31.

(aardvarksafaris.co.uk)

Wellness in India

You will spend three nights

in a traditional ashram on

the banks of the Ganges on

this new 11-day wellness

retreat. Expect a visit to the

Dalai Lama in Dharamshala

on the tour that starts and

finishes in Delhi. The price

has been cut by 30 per cent

and is now from £979pp,

including some meals, all

internal transport and a

guide. (gadventures.com)

Luxury Caribbean

Combine a seven-night stay

at the Caribbean East Winds

in St Lucia with seven nights

at the Bequia Beach Hotel,

on the island of Bequia in St

Vincent and the Grenadines.

Fourteen nights’ all-inclusive

is now from £11,990 for a

couple — a saving of £6,700.

The offer includes flights

from the UK and is valid for

travel from January 20 to

March 10. (exsus.com)

South Africa self-drive

Start in Cape Town at the

foot of Table Mountain

before driving the Garden

Route to the Addo Elephant

National Park. At the

national park stay in a safari

lodge with daily game

drives to view elephants

before heading to Port

Elizabeth. The ten-day trip is

from £1,439pp, including

flights. The trip must be

booked by December 15

and is valid on departures

in May 2021.

(travelbag.co.uk)

A

fter

Lieutenant

John Chard’s

139-strong

force,

including 35 who were

in hospital, repelled

about 3,000 Zulus in the

Battle of Rorke’s Drift,

Queen Victoria was

presented with an

account of the infamous

siege (David Sanderson

writes).

While the official

report of the battle of

January 1879 was

immortalised in the film

Zulu, a draft version was

kept by the family of the

commanding officer for

more than a century and

has now been put up for

auction.

It details Chard’s

recollections of the

Natal landscape and

garrison before the

siege, which

came hours

after a

terrible

defeat for

British

forces at

Isandlwana.

This

ensured

that the

success of

the Battle of

Rorke’s Drift

would become

enshrined in folklore.

In the 1964 film,

starring Stanley Baker

as Chard and Michael

Caine as his fellow

lieutenant Gonville

Bromhead, the

commanding officer’s

“only plan” is depicted

as to

“stand

behind

a few

feet of

mealie

sacks and

wait for the

attack”.

There were 11

Victoria Crosses

awarded to those

involved in the battle, in

which 15 British troops

died alongside 370

Zulus.

Chard’s official

account for the queen,

including his perfected

landscape sketches,

was put on display

for the first time by

the Royal

Collection Trust

in 2014, although

it has been

available to

historians such

as John

Prebble, who

wrote the

screenplay

for Zulu.

The draft,

which is

being sold by

Bonhams next month

with an upper

estimate of

£15,000, contains

a handful of

sketches as well

as his “working

thoughts”.

“It is Chard

writing in his

own hand,

working up his

narrative, it is

very very vivid as

he talks about

going around the

battlefield finding

body parts,”

Matthew Haley, the

auction house’s head of

books and manuscripts,

said. “It is striking how

mega outnumbered the

British garrison was.

The narrative is anxiety-

inducing. You would be

absolutely petrified.”

Next month’s sale by

descendants of Chard

also includes the

presentation sword of

honour given to him by

the people of his

hometown of Plymouth,

which has an estimate of

£15,000 — £25,000.

Notes and sketches

portray terror of

Rorke’s Drift battle

re the

e

folklore.

film

a

“

b

a

fee

me

sack

waitfo

attack”.

There we

VictoriaCrosses

Lieutenant John

Chard, played by

Stanley Baker in Zulu,

below, illustrated an

account of the siege