Those living in England have been permitted to travel around England and the rest of the United Kingdom more freely. In terms of overnight stays, those living in England are now allowed to stay overnight away from home, with members of their own household or 'support bubble'.
It was first announced that hotels, museums and galleries – among many other hospitality businesses – were allowed to open on 23 June, which was a key sign that staycations and travel were welcome. Many campsites are also open.
That said, if you do travel, you’ll still need to follow any social distancing rules set in place by the government. You will still need to take precautions like wear an appropriate face covering when taking public transport, which is currently required by law. It is now compulsory to wear face coverings in shops, too.
Remember that things can change quite quickly. 'Local lockdowns' are now in place for specific areas of the country. These are restrictions on what you can and can’t do (to varying degrees of severity) to help stop the spread of a local COVID-19 outbreak. As of 5 August 2020, places on local lockdown include parts of:
Greater Manchester
East Lancashire
West Yorkshire
The city of Leicester
Right now, it seems that none of these places have stricter restrictions pertaining to travel. You are still allowed to visit the beach, take a day trip further afield – if you live there – but there are some specific rules about who you should visit indoors (such as your home or in a pub or restaurant), who you can get in a car with, and who you need to keep a social distance from.
This may affect your travel plans. Make sure you check your local council’s website (it will usually have a gov.uk website address) for further information. As is usually the case, the rules vary slightly in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland…