Travel woes as holidaymakers face huge queues on roads, at ports and stations

People planning to travel abroad this weekend may face major delays.

The 2024 Paris Olympics kicked off on Friday, with millions of people expected to go on summer vacation.

Many schools in England and Wales are closed this week for the summer holidays and motorists are being warned it will be a “weekend of misery” on the roads as millions of families head off on holiday.

There is currently disruption at two of the UK’s busiest airports and traffic congestion at the ferry terminal in Dover.

Bristol Live reports that there are long delays at check-in at Heathrow Airport and Manchester Airport, with a number of flights cancelled in London. Traffic is also gridlocked on the A20 towards Dover in Kent as people flock to the port.

Eurostar passengers are also desperately trying to get alternative tickets to Paris after an arson attack in France caused train cancellations. Four trains from St Pancras in London to Paris were cancelled on Saturday, affecting thousands of passengers.

The disruption is expected to last until Monday and travellers are advised to postpone their journey where possible.

On Saturday, there were only a handful of places left to book on the remaining Eurostar services from London to Paris. Tickets for overnight coaches arriving in the French capital on Sunday morning were selling for as much as £197 via Flixbus.

Zissia Patel, 46, said Friday’s cancelled 4.31pm train left her 12-year-old daughter waiting alone in a Paris cafe after plans to pick her up on Saturday morning fell through due to the chaos.

The university administrator, who was visiting family in London, said she was told she could not change trains online and had to come to St Pancras instead. She said: “My daughter is alone in a cafe in Paris so I want to be with her. She’s only 12. I’m just trying to keep my cool. My child is alone in a cafe.”

Olivia Atwell was in tears as she waited behind Ms Patel in the slow-moving Eurostar queue. The 26-year-old Australian said she had not slept since boarding a 5.40am flight from Sydney to London on Friday to watch her niece Amy compete in the women’s basketball tournament at the Olympics.

The Sydney accountant said: “I haven’t slept. If I don’t get a train I’ll take a flight to Paris.”

The RAC estimates that 13.8 million motorists in the UK will go on holiday until Sunday.

There are 3.6 million and 2.9 million rides planned for Saturday and Sunday respectively, with another four million or so rides expected between Friday and Sunday.

RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said: “To avoid a weekend of road havoc on one of the busiest days of the year, we are advising as many people as possible to leave as early as possible and try to spread their car journeys over a longer period. All holidaymakers – whether they are driving to a destination in the UK or abroad – should plan their journeys carefully and allow plenty of extra time before they set off.”

Transport analytics firm Inrix warned drivers wanting to avoid the worst delays not to travel between 12pm and 5pm on Friday and Saturday, and between 11am and 1pm on Sunday.

Inrix transport analyst Bob Pishue said: “Drivers should expect long queues on major roads as they travel to and from their destinations this summer holiday. Being flexible with your route – whether it’s the time you leave or a longer journey with fewer kilometres – can also reduce the stress of delays and make for a more enjoyable journey.”