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Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
12:15 AM 8th January 2022
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Sunshine Saturday Goes Ahead

 
Are you suffering from the Winter or New Year Blues, then perhaps you haven't heard about Sunshine Saturday?

What is it?

You will have been missing out if you haven’t heard of Sunshine Saturday.

It is normally the first full weekend of January when travel agents and tour operators are usually inundated with holiday bookings.

It is something which seems to have been invented by the travel industry as being the day that thousands of people book their summer holidays. The cold weather seems to have set in along with the winter or January blues after the post-festive season of Christmas.

Most people are back at work (even if lots of us will be working from home) and more than a million people are expected to go online or visit their high street travel agents to book their summer getaways.

Obviously with the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown and now the Omicron variant, the last eighteen months have been a disaster for the travel industry. The good news is that now with the vaccine and the changes in pre-departure testing there is likely to be an increase in holiday bookings this Sunshine Saturday.

Statistics and deals to be had...

This year according to statistics more people will probably be booking package holidays making sure that their holiday is ATOL protected. It is also a good idea to check that the package holiday company is a member of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) or another respected industry body.

The major travel agents advise us that there are a lot of fantastic deals to be had in the month of January and people who book early get access to thousands of free child places. Another reason for booking early is so that you have something to look forward to.

Check about the cancellation policy of the tour operator and don't forget your travel insurance, but take note that at present no travel insurance policies offer cancellation cover for changes in government advice due to Covid19.

Visit www.packpeaceofmind.co.uk for more information about ATOL protection.

So will you be booking your Summer Getaway this weekend – or perhaps a Staycation is still a safer option!