“Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.“ – Gustave Flaubert
Before the advent of the year 2020, ‘#travel‘ was probably the most used hashtag on social media handles worldwide. Prospective travelers drew up plans, places to visit highlighted, and bags were being packed and repacked during the last few weeks of 2019. Cheap tickets and ‘How to convert Frequent flyer program (FFP) points” were one of the most searched terms on Google and Quora.
When 2020 finally dawned, humanity began its dance with chaos. The turbulent rule of COVID-19 over the world began the process of colliding reality with dreams, and soon the word travel was the last thing on people‘s minds. On March 19, 2020, the United States imposed travel restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Airports got shut down, and flights, both incoming and outgoing, suspended, and nationwide lockdowns put in place. ‘#travel‘ was soon replaced with ‘#lockdown,’ and travel plans were put on back burners.
Living with the virus around us has become the new normal. The United States has begun removing the curbs that it imposed on international travel around 6 months back. The search for cheap tickets on the internet is now replaced with searches on COVID-19 travel guidelines and protocols, which countries are safe for travel, and quarantine conditions in various places. While welcome mats are being rolled out in some popular destinations like Ibiza and Mykonos, some others, like the Bahamas, rolled back their welcome mat due to an increase of coronavirus cases in the US.
It is important to keep track of which countries are open for Americans to travel. If you have picked a country to travel, you should know what the entry rules are and quarantine requirements upon arrival. Here are some pointers to keep in mind before you embark on an international trip:
- Ensure that you are meeting the intended destination‘s safety protocols, which can include pre-trip requirements for a negative COVID-19 result, length of the quarantine period, and any other documentation. It will throw a spanner into your plans if you are refused entry to the country based on improper documents or be informed about a lengthier of the quarantine period. Keep yourself informed of restrictions on leaving the hotel or resort except for approved attractions via approved transportation.
- The United States government has lifted the restriction on international travel. But certain countries still remain under the category of ‘Do Not Travel‘ and ‘Reconsider Travel.’ The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against nonessential travel, which includes vacations. In the event, you have decided to go ahead with your travel plans, make plans to travel to a location that has been given a complete green-light by the government.
- Due to the current situation, the restrictions and requirements change. Check the airline, hotel, and travel websites on a regular basis to keep yourself abreast of the latest developments.
- Temper your expectations when you travel to your preferred destinations. Not everyplace would be open for business. This might be due to uncertain demand or limits on the capacity as per the government regulations.
- Before you book your airlines or hotel, check the refund and cancellation policies. Before the onset of COVID-19, people had made vacation plans, but when the travel restrictions were put in place, many of the airlines and hotels failed to refund the customers. Airlines won’t refund you on a nonrefundable ticket because the destination you were planning to visit has changed the policy on US travelers.
