The new normal leaves a lot to be desired. While the necessary constraints of Covid remain firmly in place, as summer approaches it’s hard not to be nostalgic about the good old days of pre-pandemic vacation bliss. FACT is here to shift that perspective.

I t’s the travel season and some of the things we once took for granted are on hold, for now at least. But who said great holidaying can’t happen in this brave new world of 2021?

As the border and travel restrictions remain in place and the vaccine is rolled out to half the nation, with the rest waiting, planning a holiday is no longer just about loading the credit card and packing your swimsuit or your ski-slope gear. However, in our experience, challenging times can become conduits to creativity and lead to the most memorable occasions.

For this reason, we have compiled a list of ways to enjoy an amazing holiday, either via the conventional route, or in ways more inventive. Here at FACT we’ve scoured the earth in pursuit of innovative thinking, traversed the virtual and real travel landscape for intriguing opportunities, excavated hidden gems of ideas and compressed our creative juices to come up with the most interesting ways to spend the season. From having a global experience of note in your own backyard to home-based virtual tours of some of the most remote and exotic locations on the planet or tripping out with your taste buds, we’ve got your summer break sorted.

There’s also an old-school travel option for those who have been fully vaccinated and are willing to splurge on themselves – a “green list” of quarantine-free travel destinations with some great deals thrown into the mix. Even if you’re waiting for the vaccine, once you get the green light to travel, you’ll have your green list of booking options ready. So, grab your imaginations and pack your bags to the brim with hope and enthusiasm as we unpack some of the best things to do this summer.