Millions of people will set off on holiday this weekend in the UK, putting pressure on roads, ports and airports.
The getaway coincides with the long summer break for pupils, which begins on Friday for most schools in England and Wales.
The RAC estimates 12.6 million people will set off on day trips or holidays by car between Friday and Monday alone, causing “bumper-to-bumper traffic”.
Hotspots are expected to include the M5 south from near Bristol (Junction 15) to Bridgwater (Junction 23), which is a popular route for holidaymakers travelling to the South West.
Another motorway stretch likely to experience hold-ups is the M25 clockwise between Junction 10 for the A3 to Kingston and Junction 6 for the A22 to East Grinstead.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “There's no doubting the UK remains an ever-popular holiday destination with millions of drivers expected to take to the roads at the end of this week as schools in England and Wales close for summer.
“With the West Country leading the pack when it comes to the most popular part of the country to visit, it means routes heading south and west are likely to encounter some of the longest queues.
“Anyone using the M5 southbound from Bristol should anticipate bumper-to-bumper traffic, with those travelling outside peak periods most likely to have a better journey.”
Holidaymakers sailing from Dover have also been told to prepare for long queues. The port has urged travellers to arrive three hours before sailing, with delays of two and a half hours expected due to the impact of enhanced post-Brexit checks by French border officials, the Police Aux Frontieres.
The installation of a new Police Aux Frontieres booth is expected to be finished by Friday with the aim of minimising disruption.
The port is also continuing to use a new system for processing coach passengers, involving Advanced Passenger Information checks being carried out away from the main port facility during busy periods.
This was introduced for the May half-term after some coach passengers were stuck at the port for more than 10 hours during Easter.
Port of Dover chief executive Doug Bannister said: “When passengers arrive they will be processed through border controls – anticipated to take around 90 minutes on peak days.
Decades of flight: Heathrow through the years – in pictures
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Heathrow Airport in London, the UK's busiest, has been a travel hub for decades. Here The National takes a look back at Heathrow through the years. All photos: Getty Images -
An Airco De Havilland biplane of the British airline, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited, about to leave on the company’s inaugural flight from Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, later known as Heathrow, to Le Bourget, Paris, in August 1919 -
Waterlogged runways at London Airport - Heathrow's original name - one week before it became Britain's main aerial gateway to the US in 1946 -
The new BOAC maintenance headquarters at London Airport circa 1955 -
The air traffic control room at the airport's new terminal in 1955 -
US film star Marilyn Monroe with her husband, playwright Arthur Miller, after arriving at the airport in July 1956 -
An aerial view showing the runways in 1958 -
The arrivals and departures board in 1960 -
A new airport gift shop, selling items by Chanel, Wedgwood and Pringle of Scotland, in 1961 -
The Queen's Building and the No. 1 Building Europa at Heathrow in 1965 -
The Beatles leave Heathrow for Salzburg in Austria, to resume filming of the movie Help!, in 1965 -
Passenger terminal gates at Heathrow in 1966 -
Keith Granville, managing director of BOAC, holding up a model of the Boeing 747 jet, with the new aircraft hangars under construction in the background, at Heathrow in 1969 -
An aerial view of Heathrow in 1970 -
Passengers boarding the first BOAC Jumbo Jet 747 used for a commercial flight, from London Heathrow to New York, in 1971 -
Passengers going through the departure lounge at Heathrow in 1973 -
Concorde takes off from Heathrow on her first commercial flight for British Airways in 1976 -
Men at work finalising the Heathrow Central underground station before its opening in 1977 -
Queen Elizabeth II passing though the Tube gates at Heathrow Central station on its opening in 1977 -
An aerial view of Heathrow in 1978 -
Passengers waiting near a departures board in 1979 -
Holidaymakers waiting in the departure lounge at Terminal 3 of Heathrow in 1981 -
British Airways employees protesting at Heathrow in 1984 -
Passengers and staff observe a silence in Heathrow's Terminal One to mark the beginning of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 -
Rower Steve Redgrave at Heathrow with daughters Sophie and Natalie and son Zak after returning from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with his gold medal -
Spectators watch the last Concorde land at Heathrow in 2003 -
Fans surround the coach carrying the England rugby team at Heathrow, as they arrived from Sydney after winning the World Cup in 2003 -
Heathrow's Terminal 2 in 2004 -
Passengers queue to check in at Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport during the Christmas 2006 and New Year period -
Passengers wait at Terminal 1 on August 10, 2006, after airport security was raised to critical when a terrorist plot to blow up planes in mid-flight from the UK to the US was disrupted by police -
Planes queueing to take off at Heathrow in 2007 -
The new Terminal 5 at Heathrow in 2008 -
Aircraft at Heathrow Airport in front of the London skyline in 2016 -
Members of Team GB arrive from Rio de Janeiro at Heathrow, after returning from the 2016 Olympics, which saw Great Britain's strongest performance at the Games in over a century -
A composite photo shows planes taking off from Heathrow in November 2016. Forty-two planes were captured between 10.17am and 11.17am and a montage was created from those single images -
Items are arranged during an auction preview at Heathrow in 2018. The contents of Terminal 1, which closed in 2015, were being sold -
An airline passenger wearing a face mask pushes her bags through Heathrow's Terminal 5 during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 -
British Airways employees welcome Olympians returning from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 -
Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check in 2022
“However, our modelling indicates that processing times may be up to two and a half hours during the peak hours of 6am to 1pm during the first couple of Saturdays and Sundays of the summer holidays, due to the extreme popularity of these days.
“We care about every passenger that chooses to travel via the Port of Dover and have worked hard to ensure the best experience possible as they transit through on their summer holidays.”
Mr Bannister said his staff have done “everything we possibly can” to minimise delays.
He added: “People would anticipate if they're travelling at very popular times on very busy days there will be some queuing.
“We can't plan for unforeseen circumstances such as technical issues, industrial action or road traffic accidents on the approaches into the port.
“If these happen that could throw us some more challenges.
“What Dover has demonstrated time and time again is that we can be very resilient in our operations and clear the disruption very quickly.”
It comes after the introduction of a facial recognition system which allows Eurostar passengers departing from London to avoid manual tickets and passport checks by UK officials.
The system at St Pancras station is aimed at easing congestion.
Before they travel passengers use an app to scan their identity document and verify their face and ticket.
At the station they walk in front of a screen that detects their faces.
If they are approved they can proceed through doors which open automatically.
The SmartCheck system, developed by iProov, is available to Business Premier and Carte Blanche passengers.
Bags are still being scanned by security staff and French border officials are continuing to check passports.
Impact of strikes
In London, Underground drivers are set to strike from July 23 until July 28 in a long-running dispute over pensions and conditions. There will be no action, however, on Monday July 24.
More than 20,000 members of the biggest rail union will also strike on Thursday July 20, Saturday July 22 and Sunday July 29, leading to cancellations for several operators.
Industrial action by Aslef members until Saturday July 22 could also lead to rail cancellations this week.
Strikes are expected to cause major disruption at Gatwick, one of the busiest airports in the UK.
Gatwick airport staff have announced a series of strikes in an unresolved pay dispute.
A walkout in a dispute over pay will involve 1,000 workers at the London airport, including baggage handlers, check-in staff and ground handlers.
They will stage eight days of strike action spread across the peak summer travel period.
The Unite union said industrial action will take place from July 28 to August 1, and August 4 to August 8, after failed talks with the four major ground-handling companies, ASC, Menzies Aviation, GGS, and DHL Services.
The union has said the action will “inevitably” cause disruption to flights at the height of the summer holiday season. Gatwick said it is supporting its airlines to ensure flights operate as scheduled.
Heathrow Airport security workers recently called off 31 days of strikes planned for this summer after receiving an improved pay offer, representing a rise of between 15.5 per cent and 17.5 per cent.
The west London airport, which is Britain's busiest airport, expects around 850,000 passengers to depart in the first week of the summer holidays.
