Are you fully vaxxed and ready to travel, but have no idea where to start? Confused about the constantly-changing rules and regulations about where you can and cannot go? If so, then read on to find out everything you need to know to plan a safe, enjoyable trip in this new era of travel.
Where can you go?
The first thing you need to find out is whether the country you want to travel to is going to let you in. There are currently 68 countries that are closed to US citizen for non-essential travel, and it is important that you make sure the country you want to travel to is not on that list before going any further.
Kayak’s Travel Restrictions Map is a great place to start if you want to get an overall idea which countries are open to US travelers.
Countries that are colored green are those without any restrictions, orange are those that are open but with restrictions, and red are those that are closed for non-essential travel. Clicking on the country you are interested in will give you all the COVID-19 information you could possibly need about that country.
Where should you go?
Just because you can go somewhere, doesn’t mean you should. Hawaii, for example, does not have any restrictions for vaccinated travelers, but the governor is begging tourists not to visit the islands, due to the surge of the Delta variant. Do some research to find out how your presence could impact the local residents, economy, and healthcare system, of the place you want to visit.
Does the US government consider it a good idea for you to travel to your chosen destination? The US State Department has its own interactive travel advisory map, that rates each country on a scale of 1 (exercise normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel). Countries with high COVID transmission rates are categorized as level 4: do not travel, and any country with that rating should not be considered.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also has a COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination map that you should consult before settling on a destination.
What is open where I want to travel?
You’ve found a country that you’re allowed to visit and determined that you will not negatively impact the local community. Now you need to figure out how COVID restrictions will impact your time there. Is there a curfew? Are restaurants open for in-person dining? Are specific tourist attractions that you want to visit going to be open?
All of the websites mentioned above will have an abundance of information about local COVID restrictions, but there are a couple of other resources that should be brought to your attention. First is the US State Department’s COVID-19 Country Specific Information pages will give you up-to-date, country-specific COVID information, entry requirements, where to find testing locally, vaccine information, movement restrictions, quarantine information, transportation options, and links to local resources.
The second resource is TripAdvisor’s user forums. Search for the country/region you are interested in to be directed to its forum. Search the forum to find information posted from recent travelers and locals to the area.
What are the entrance requirements?
Once you’ve settled on a destination, you need to know what is required to get in. Do you need a negative COVID test? If so, does it need to be a PCR test, or will a rapid antigen test suffice? What time frame does the test need to fall under? The US State Department’s COVID-19 Country Specific Sites will give you the most up-to-date information about entrance requirements. Be aware that requirements can change quickly and without notice, so make sure to register your trip with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), to be notified about any updates.
Airlines will have their own set of rules for passengers, so it’s best to find out what they are before heading to the airport. More and more airlines are starting to ban cloth masks, so make sure you know what is and is not allowed, and plan accordingly.
What is required to return to the United States?
Conversely, you need to know what the requirements are to return to the United States. As of December 6th, a negative viral COVID test (NAAT or antigen test) taken within one day of travel is required of everyone entering the United States, regardless of their vaccination status. Detailed and up-to-date information about this requirement can be found here.
It’s a good idea to figure out beforehand where you can get your COVID test while you are abroad. Most major international airports seem to have some sort of testing facility either in it or nearby, but you should do your research to find out hours, prices, types of tests offered, and time frame for results. The US State Department’s COVID-19 Country Specific Sites, the Tripadvisor forums, and a basic Google search, are all great places to find this information.
What happens if you test positive before returning to the United States?
Since you have to take a COVID test to fly back to the US, you should prepare yourself in case that test comes back positive. What happens then? How long do you have to quarantine before you can re-test and fly home? Will your hotel allow you to stay on for your quarantine, or will you need to go somewhere else?
Most trip insurance policies that cover COVID-19 require you to be diagnosed by a doctor before they will cover any COVID-19-related expenses, so you will need to figure out how to see a doctor at your destination.
Finding travel insurance that covers COVID-19
Travel insurance was always a good idea before the pandemic, but it’s an even more important thing to have now. In the before times, we used to go to insuremytrip.com, and select the most economical plan that covered us for trip cancellation, trip interruption, and medical attention abroad. But in the world we live in now, finding adequate trip insurance is a whole new ballgame.
Not all plans cover COVID-19, so you have to comb through the fine print to make sure the plan you end up with does. If you test positive before your trip and cannot travel, you want to make sure that the trip cancellation coverage will reimburse you for any non-refundable, prepaid portions of your trip. If you test positive before traveling home, you want to make sure that the trip interruption coverage will pay for your hotel room during your quarantine. Look for plans that state that COVID-19 is covered like any other illness, to make sure that the medical coverage will pay for you to visit a doctor abroad if you need to.
For our recent trip to Ecuador, we selected the Safe Travels Explorer Trip Cancellation Insurance. We chose this plan because it specifically covers costs incurred if you test positive for COVID-19 and have to quarantine.
As you can see, there are many hoops to jump through now in order to travel internationally, but it’s worth it to finally be able to see the world again.
Leave a reply