Travel with Katie Butler: Northern Lights are a spectacular sight

Katie Butler writes: Two nights in a row the natural phenomena – the Aurora Borealis were visible from many areas of the UK, including parts of Yorkshire.

You didn't have to be on land either to catch a glimpse. Passengers onboard an Easyjet flight were given the best seats in the house, on a flight home from Iceland's capital Rejkjavik.

The pilot performed a 360-degree turn, as the light show occurred on flight EZY1806 into Manchester.

The 360 loop enabled all passengers on both sides of the plane to see the magnificent display.

One passenger shared his photos and thanks on Twitter saying: “Big thanks to the @easyjet pilot of EZY1806 from Reykjavik to Manchester who did a 360 fly-by mid-flight to make sure all passengers could see the incredible Northern Lights.”

What a fantastic experience that must have been and I am sure there will have been a few 'clappers' on landing at Manchester.

Huge news from two of our major cruise operators last week with P&O and Marella Cruises both scrapping the need to be vaccinated.

In a statement on the their website P&O Cruises says: “Covid-19 vaccination and testing are no longer mandatory for guests travelling on our holidays.”

The liner previously required passengers to be fully vaccinated, with a booster jab if eligible, at least 14 days before travelling.

The only cruise where the rule remains in place is on the J301 Arcadia's World Cruise.

Marella Cruises will scrap the requirement from May 1.

The line confirmed that customers aged 12 and over travelling on or before April 30 will still need to be vaccinated.

They added – many destinations no longer require vaccination and relaxing these rules is the natural next step as the travel and cruise industry progresses after the Covid-19 pandemic.

There has been much speculation about when us Brits will need to obtain a visa to travel to Europe following Brexit.

At the end of last year, it was announced the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) would come into operation on November 1, however, this has now been postponed again.

It is looking like this will now be delayed to next year at the earliest.

The ETIAS, once active will cost approximately seven Euros and will last for three years. It will be a requirement for both adults and children alike to travel to Europe.

The website currently states: “It is expected that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be operational in 2024. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates.”

May continues to be our top selling month for new bookings, accounting for a 12 per cent share of our total business last week.

A shift in top-selling destinations however with Tenerife and Lanzarote taking top spots.

Demand for Summer 2024 is now starting to show a significant increase in demand too.