Navigating Travels in a Post-COVID World

The past three years have been full of stress, confusion, and anxiety for everyone around the world due to the COVID pandemic. It was extremely hard to plan daily activities in the beginning and it seemed like no one knew what the rules or expectations were. There were so many regulations put in place that it seemed like everyone had different information and no one had a good path forward. Traveling was probably the hardest hit in this aspect. From masks to testing requirement and full shut-downs for non-essential travel, it was a nightmare trying to navigate the ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ of getting anything planned. As a frequent traveler, this completely de-railed any plans that we had in 2020 and 2021 but has rebounded significantly since.

As some regulations are still in place, most have been lifted in the past year. We are back to regular traveling and I wanted to answer some questions that I have seen lately related to requirements throughout the world. With everything shifting daily, please check your destination requirements prior to leaving but here’s what I’ve seen, most up to date :

• Airlines are back to normal : There are currently no requirements or restrictions on airlines. There is no need for masks anymore, airports do not require them, and everything is basically back to pre-COVID days. During the pandemic, there were limited flights and airlines dropped around 50% of their daily routed but that has since came back. Airports are back to pre-pandemic levels of transposition, which makes everything feel ‘normal’ in the airport.
  

• Buses, taxis, trains : For the most part, they are back to normal so far as we have seen. Domestically, I have not been required to wear a mask whatsoever since about 9 months ago. We did encounter a few placed in Europe (public transport) that still required masks but other than that, it was very easy to do without.
  

• Some countries are still requiring testing prior to departure : While the number of countries that still have these requirements in place is dropping week by week, there are still a few countries that still require testing prior to departure, pending vaccinated or unvaccinated status. I can speak to all of Europe and say they are completely open, whether you have been vaccinated or not. If you are vaccinated, there are very limited countries you cannot visit or that require testing. Unvaccinated, you will see half of South/Central America you will need negative test prior to departure. To verify what is needed, Kayak, https://www.kayak.com/travel-restrictions?, has a great interactive map showing every country and their requirements. You can visit the Department of State from that website and see what the requirements are. Also, if you need a COVID test prior to traveling, we use the Abbot brand EMED tests that can give you results in 15 mins and can be done at home or anywhere with a WIFI signal.
  

• Cruises are essentially open : As of the past summer, cruises quickly dropped their vaccination requirements and testing requirements. It seemed like within a couple weeks, they went from completely locked down to fully open. Double check with your cruise line but most, if not all, domestic and/or Caribbean cruises have lifted these requirements whether you are vaccinated or not. If you are doing a cruise internationally, there may still be requirement depending on your destination. Our last cruise required negative tests for unvaccinated but they did not check them at check-in.

• There are no requirements to return to the US : In the beginning of the pandemic, it was a requirement to fly back to the US with a negative test. This causes a lot of anxiety because you never knew if you would be able to come home after a trip abroad. This has since been lifted and you can return to the States without any testing. We have flown back from five international locations without any issue since they lifted this rule.

As the world continued to open up, my advice would be to check with your specific destination and verify what is required. It is much more pleasant to travel now that the world is emerging from the COVID era but it still pays to be prepared. Enjoy planning your next trip knowing the restrictions put in place years back are easing week by week!