The big debate

Is less foreign travel a good thing?

With holidays abroad on hold,
staycations might be popular.
What you need to know
● The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson,
announced that anyone arriving in the
UK from places where coronavirus
infections are high will have to
TH E A IR y
UP IN e of the ver
quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.

on
In 1919,rlines flew from
● This is to stop people bringing new

first ai to Paris with

strains of the disease into the UK.
● The vaccine minister, Nadhim Zahawi, Londonle passenger
has said that it is too early to say a sing board.
whether people will be able to travel
on
abroad this summer.
● The news has prompted a surge in
people making bookings for
“staycations” in the UK this summer,
from campsites to luxury hotels.

In 2019, 4.5 billion passengers flew on planes around

the world. In 2020, it was down to 1.8 billion. What
will that number be in 2021 if borders between
countries stay closed to contain the coronavirus?
For people living in the UK, it would mean another
summer without Italian ice cream, Spanish beaches,
or Florida theme parks, but is that a bad thing? Many
people never get round to exploring their home turf
because the option to go abroad is more appealing.
The pandemic has given us new opportunities by
removing certain freedoms. Some people say they
have more time and a greater interest in nature and
the world that’s closer to them. Others can’t wait to
escape to warmer weather and adventure. What do
you think? Is less foreign travel a good thing?
Yes – It’s better for the country and the planet
An excellent way to help rebuild the country after the
pandemic is to go on holiday in the UK. If a family
rents a cottage in a Cornish village and eats fish and
chips by the sea, they are helping out as well having
a good time. Holidays at home are fun. Many people
have never had the joy of discovering this because
every summer they catch a flight somewhere hot and
come home a week later sunburnt. They miss out on
the wilds of Northumberland, the wide beaches of
Norfolk, the city of Edinburgh. Since people stopped
flying so much, the world around us has had a chance
to breathe. Air pollution is down and water quality is
up. Let’s allow the Earth to breathe some more this
summer, and embrace the great British holiday.
No – The mind benefits from foreign travel
Travelling abroad opens up the mind through
exploration and adventure. If people stay on their
own turf, they might become narrow-minded. It’s
much better to get out and experience new things
and come home with a changed perspective. The
weather is a factor too. The UK might have beautiful
beaches and rugged hills but they are almost always
under a thick film of drizzle. No wonder one in five
people living in the UK has low levels of vitamin D,
the vitamin that comes from sunlight. It’s good for our
mental and physical health to fly abroad. One of the
great privileges of living in the 21st century is that we
can see different cultures and meet all sorts of people.
To ignore that privilege seems ungrateful.

YES Three reasons why less foreign

travel is a good thing
1 1
It’s better for the country if people stay where
they live and spend money with local
businesses and on local attractions.
NO Three reasons why less foreign
travel is not a good thing LAST WEEK’S POLL
Travelling overseas opens up the mind to Last week, we asked if fiction books
new people, places and cultures. If you go were better than non-fiction. The
abroad, you get a fresh perspective. result was clear –
most of you

2 There is so much to explore and embrace

in the UK, we don’t need to go abroad.
The pandemic is a good excuse to stay put.
2 The UK does not have enough sunlight,
which is important for people’s physical
and mental health.
prefer books
with made-up
18%
NO

stories, rather
82%
3 Not flying is much better for the environment
and gives the Earth some breathing space. 3 The great joy of living now is that we can
travel abroad. People should embrace it.
than true-life
facts or events.
YES

What do you think? The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and
objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up Junior
Listen to our
podcast to hear
Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you their minds. The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, SH W Bex from Fun Kids
think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls. and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association radio and three of The Week Junior
REX SHUTTERSTOCK

with the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity team bring this debate to life.
Vote YES if you think less foreign travel is a good thing, helping young people discover their voice and realise their You’ll find it at tinyurl.com/
or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week. full potential. For more information, please see esu.org TWJpodcast