[Na]Who is traveling internationally these days?

Let'sgoflying!

Let'sgoflying!

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Dave Taylor
This is [NA] because it's not about flying GA a/c, it's about recreational travel (airline mostly) outside the US.

I was pondering a potential trip to the Caymans and skimmed some of the info.
(I can see why so many US people are staying in the US for vacationing.)
Not only are there several new considerations but the rules are in flux.

Some things I noticed in 20 minutes of skimming;

-testing <3 days before departure; both ends of the trip (which test is accepted, what is available at destination, some won't accept a kit you pack with you, some are more prone to false +ves, for personal tests you need to ensure you have adequate bandwidth for video call with test proctor)

-I was a bit frustrated with the government site about the quarantine "Q" .....the Q is longer than the entire trip and they don't say what it means. If we are 50' from the beach, does Q mean don't step foot outside your room, must order pizza in, for every meal? Define "Q"; never could find.
(the whole "we will do spot checks on travelers to ensure compliance" is a bit off-putting. As is the 5-figure penalty and jail time. And GPS trackers"? Ankle bracelets? (not lol). Plus a pop-up says 'To report Q violations, call this number' (1-800-shootonsite)

-to get a "securely verifiable vaccination record" is not a particularly clear process, some say you can upload a photo of your vacc card to a free app and obtain the required QR code - how can that be securely verifiable?

(Someone can also tell me why the Caymans is not nearly as good as _______, to be honest it looked a little too sleepy for my liking.)
 
I believe it was the caymans who jailed some college student who couldn't be bothered to adhere to their rules last year.
 
The info I found trying to research what we’d have to do for a GA the Bahamas was mostly oriented towards commercial airlines and made it sound like the airline would test you which sounds weird but who knows.
 
My wife and I went to Brasil for vacation back in May (when Brasil was the COVID hotspot of the world according to the media). Then restrictions were basically limited to COVID test within 72 hrs of departure on both ends, no Q.

Don't let the media spin you. Do your homework, dot your i's and cross your t's, enjoy your trip.

One thing that we learned the hard way is that all COVID tests are not created equal. My wife works as a paramedic for a major health care organization here in PA. She went in and specifically asked for the COVID test required for travel. Negative results. We get to Atlanta outbound for Sao Paulo and as they are checking our documents, mine get through fine, but hers were denied for being the wrong test (antigen). We were forced to delay our flight 24 hours and get an unanticipated hotel in ATL (which, big props to Delta, they comped). Due to mine being about 50 hours old for the original flight, I too had to get retested.

All in all, unfortunate experience, but Delta was absolutely WONDERFUL (I have several thousand FF miles with them, and the trip was booked with miles, but this experience secured me as a Delta customer for a LONG time to come.) 10/10 would do it again.
 
It's been about a year since we were last out of the US. At that time Mexico was not a problem. I hope things calm down before we leave for Mexico again in April of next year. It was bad enough coming to Hawaii a couple weeks ago.
 
You do need a PCR to fly back into the US. Some destinations don’t care, some are pretty strict. Cancun has never really slowed down with people traveling on vacation. Dominican Republic as well.
The big thing to look for is hat the resort your staying at do if you test positive, usually they provide testing. But do they cover your extended stay for free, do you have to pay, etc. International travel definitely has picked up over the past 7 months or so plenty of people are traveling.
 
On this topic (though not the destination the OP asked about), according to COPA, Canadian Border Services has just reinstated customs at Toronto City Centre (CYYZ), a popular border crossing point from the U.S. and walking distance from Toronto's theatre district, major-league sports stadiums, etc. There are some special C19-related requirements for crossing into Canada and for visiting restaurants, etc, so please make sure you check those before coming, but non-essential travel (like tourism) is permitted for Americans visiting Canada.
 
We did St. Maarten and Anguilla in July. You now have to submit for Visas for both islands with proof of negative tests x amount of time before arrival.

I got tested 4 times during the course of the trip. Once to get to SXM, once to get to Anguilla, another at arrival into Anguilla, and one to get back to the US. All except the first one were PCR Tests.

Also on Anguilla they attach a colored wrist band that you wear until your arrival test comes back negative. If you’re vaccinated you get Yellow bands and if you’re unvaccinated you get Red bands. If you’re caught in public with either wrist band it’s a huge fine and possible jail or deportation. They’re serious about enforcing it. We saw a red banded European family get the police called on them when they were caught by the staff while standing in line at a beach shack.
 
I took the whole circus to germany last month. At the time, no requirement for a test to get in, proof of vaccination with one of the vaccines approved in europe was enough to waive quarantine. The day before we departed, the US was moved to the 'high risk' category and we were required to 'register for quarantine'. However, the online process to do so wasn't set up yet, so it was substituted with a paper form that you had to mail to some contractor within 24hrs of arrival. I dont know how it works right now, I believe you have to quarantine for 5 days and you can 'test out' at that point with a negative rapid test.

To return, the US required a test within 72hrs. Those tests from an accredited lab are readily available with a 24hr turn-around.

The following week, my wife went to Canada. They have an app that requires you to submit your vaccination record prior to departure. The app gives you a confirmation number that the airline requires before you can board. For the inbound test they are sticklers on the 72hrs, can't be 73 and a half...
On the return trip, there was a bit of a snafu. The lab in Saskatchewan didn't turn around the results in the time they assured they would, so my wife had an unplanned overnight in Toronto and an additional test at the airport.
 
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It’s not bad. Been to St Lucia, Turks and Caicos, Mexico and a few other places in the Caribbean. Pretty much all the hotels offer Covid testing for the trip back. And if you can’t get a test at the hotel, they’re readily available at hospitals or pharmacies. Some airports even offer testing. If you’ve had Covid, you can also get a doctors note saying you’ve recovered and that satisfies the requirement to come back to the states. We’re going to Nice and Paris next month. It will be our first time to Europe in 2 years.
 
dans2992 said:
I love how all these countries pretend that foreign visitors are the problem. News flash, COVID is in EVERY country. Just deal with it.
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I agree that this is going to be with us for a while. The U.S. is actually stricter than most other rich countries: it does not allow non-essential travel from Canada via land crossings, for example, while Canada does allow it from the U.S., even though the U.S. new caseload is 3x as high, population adjusted. This chart shows the G7 countries: https://ourworldindata.org/explorer...aks=false&country=CAN~DEU~ITA~GBR~USA~FRA~JPN

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Went to Puerto Vallarta back in May. No big deal then. I had to fill out a form attesting to my health etc.and a hellacious line for customs but other than that, nothing until the testing for entry into the USA. The hotel did it gratis and the results provided were accepted by Southwest.

Planing for Europe in the Fall if I can figure out the continually changing rules on both ends.

Cheers
 
We should have been in South Africa now, but we decided to put it off until next year.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
This is [NA] because it's not about flying GA a/c, it's about recreational travel (airline mostly) outside the US.

...

-I was a bit frustrated with the government site about the quarantine
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In fairness to the public health authorities in various countries, covid is at best a burden on their infrastructure; at worst, a disaster of tragic proportions.

In July, I went to Costa Rica. The CR government is well-organized, it's web site gives up-to-the-minute advice on how to enter their country. They insist on a quarantine bond, $X USD per day, plus a travel health insurance policy. Day to day, people in public are masked. Workers are masked indoors; tourists in resorts can relax a bit, and go maskless. Regular CR citizens have an evening curfew. Strictly speaking, it does not apply to tourists, but everything shuts down at curfew time anyway. Reentering the US, I had to get an antigen test. The local hotel gave easy-to-follow instructions to a clinic, which emailed the results to me in an hour. United Airlines was happy with the process, and immigration at O'Hare apparently had advance notice (The whole arrival at the US experience was oddly amateurish and awkward.).

A travel note: If you ever get to the point in life when you say: "What are we saving it for?", spend a few days at the Lapa Rios eco resort in the Osa peninsula. Low season, it is quite expensive; high season, it is shockingly expensive. And worth it.
 
I have traveled internationally 7 times in the last six months…unless your staying at a hotel/resort that offers a return test you need to make arrangements but always seems relatively easy every where I have been. Either at the airport or close to it a testing center has popped up. Due to some of the remote locations we have been going and often changes to our return day, we have switched to taking our own using the NAVICA binax proctored test through
emed.com, this is the same test both United and American Airlines suggest. Takes 20-25!min to complete and you just need internet. During the test you talk to two different proctors via an app. Six tests are $150 plus’s tax and shipping…
 
t3chiman said:
A travel note: If you ever get to the point in life when you say: "What are we saving it for?", spend a few days at the Lapa Rios eco resort in the Osa peninsula. Low season, it is quite expensive; high season, it is shockingly expensive. And worth it.
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Thanks
Gotta ask, how were the bugs? It's rainforest so I expect some. But were they bombarding you? Large crawly things under the bed or in the shower? (anticipating wifely concerns)
 
I was going to cross into Canada from Maine for a day trip to Campobello Island. However, my understanding, from using the ArriveCan app, is that I not only need to be vaccinated, but I also need a negative test within 72 hours. The test cannot be a rapid antigen test. Not sure where to get a test in Maine, or if it would be worth the bother. I still have about a week to think about it. It seems as if I could cross back into the US with no problem.
 
Everskyward said:
I was going to cross into Canada from Maine for a day trip to Campobello Island. However, my understanding, from using the ArriveCan app, is that I not only need to be vaccinated, but I also need a negative test within 72 hours. The test cannot be a rapid antigen test. Not sure where to get a test in Maine, or if it would be worth the bother. I still have about a week to think about it. It seems as if I could cross back into the US with no problem.
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Testing is pretty readily available. You shouldn’t have any issues. You’ll also need a negative PCR or antigen test to come back to the states. I try to avoid places where I’ll need testing both ways.
 
jordane93 said:
Testing is pretty readily available. You shouldn’t have any issues. You’ll also need a negative PCR or antigen test to come back to the states. I try to avoid places where I’ll need testing both ways.
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But I would be coming back the same day, so it seems I could use the same test result as long as it was within 72 hours of reenty into the US.
 
I travelled to india earlier this year, twice. Just as the delta variant was starting over there. Wouldn’t have if it was my choice, but it wasn’t a choice. All international travel is nightmare with Covid testing regime in place and the fact the airlines don’t often know all the rules adds more complexities to it. And the fact that you have to wear a mask for about 40 hours…. I don’t mind wearing a mask, but 40 hours is too much.

Traveling to Central America in October, hopefully not as bad as the previous trips.
 
Everskyward said:
I was going to cross into Canada from Maine for a day trip to Campobello Island. However, my understanding, from using the ArriveCan app, is that I not only need to be vaccinated, but I also need a negative test within 72 hours. The test cannot be a rapid antigen test. Not sure where to get a test in Maine, or if it would be worth the bother. I still have about a week to think about it. It seems as if I could cross back into the US with no problem.
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Yes, Canada requires the PCR test (both for Americans visiting Canada and for Canadians returning). You can arrange it through many pharmacies, but be careful, because even if you get tested first thing in the morning, they'll often wait until the end of the day to send the tests off to a lab (a family friend was delayed a night in Watertown NY before crossing the border back into Canada because of that).
 
BTW, I'm still hopeful for things being normal-ish next spring (maybe a slightly-different "normal" than in 2019, but still, one we can live with). That will be two years after the pandemic hit Canada and the U.S. in earnest, and other major disease outbreaks — like the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, the Spanish Flu 100 years ago, or the first round of bubonic plague in medieval Europe seem to have faded after about that long (caution: total unscientific, layperson's WAG, not to be trusted).
 
We were planning a trip back to the UK/Ireland to visit family but scratch the idea as there is shortages of most things like a gas/Petrol, natural gas, truck drivers, bus drivers etc. it’s going to be a tough winter over there, BritEX isn’t helping
 
X3 Skier said:
Went to Puerto Vallarta back in May. No big deal then. I had to fill out a form attesting to my health etc.and a hellacious line for customs but other than that, nothing until the testing for entry into the USA. The hotel did it gratis and the results provided were accepted by Southwest.

Planing for Europe in the Fall if I can figure out the continually changing rules on both ends.

Cheers
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What was the testing for entry into the US? Any other aspects to be aware of? I am taking the family to Puerto Vallarta in early Feb. We are going GA but I imagine a lot of the rules are similar.
 
Scrabo said:
We were planning a trip back to the UK/Ireland to visit family but scratch the idea as there is shortages of most things like a gas/Petrol, natural gas, truck drivers, bus drivers etc. it’s going to be a tough winter over there, BritEX isn’t helping
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Thanks. I hadn't heard about that, so I looked up a news story: an unexpected consequence of Brexit, which caused 25,000 long-haul truckers from other EU countries to leave the UK, then COVID-19, which delayed road tests for new UK truckers to replace them. The net result is that the UK doesn't have enough truckers to keep the stores and gas stations stocked.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/shell-gasoline-1.6188919

I had been worried early in the pandemic (spring/summer 2020) about the supply chains in North America, especially when they cross the Canada/US border, but the industry did a great job keeping everything moving under difficult circumstances.
 
flyingron said:
We should have been in South Africa now, but we decided to put it off until next year.
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I was planning London this coming weekend (sep 30- oct 4) for friends' anniversary party...Nope...too much hassle for 3 days.
 
David Megginson said:
Thanks. I hadn't heard about that, so I looked up a news story: an unexpected consequence of Brexit, which caused 25,000 long-haul truckers from other EU countries to leave the UK, then COVID-19, which delayed road tests for new UK truckers to replace them. The net result is that the UK doesn't have enough truckers to keep the stores and gas stations stocked.
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This was the expected outcome of Brexit and everyone told them that their economy would run out of people willing to work hard. European trucking depends on bulgarians and romanians who are willing to live in the little 'attic' on top of a cabover tractor for weeks at a time.
 
My wife and I were planning to do the Bahamas this year... finally but she's wanting to just stay domestic because of all these restrictions still being in place. I kind of want to still go but I really don't want to deal with that crap either, really wondering when they're just going to drop all this. I mean if I was in charge we probably wouldn't have started and we surely would have as soon as a vaccine was available but as we've seen people have very different points of view on all this so who knows what will happen.
 
RudyP said:
What was the testing for entry into the US? Any other aspects to be aware of? I am taking the family to Puerto Vallarta in early Feb. We are going GA but I imagine a lot of the rules are similar.
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No clue on the test other than they stuck the “Q-Tip” up both sides of my nose and gave us the results the next day before we left for the airport IIRC. No charge for the test.

The place we stayed was very thorough in cleaning and the staff wore masks. We were not required to mask. We also attended an outdoor show where there was some social distancing.

All this was back in the Spring so YMMV. PV is my favorite place in Mexico and the locals were glad to see visitors.

Cheers
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Thanks
Gotta ask, how were the bugs? It's rainforest so I expect some. But were they bombarding you? Large crawly things under the bed or in the shower? (anticipating wifely concerns)
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The resort had screened windows, and the beds had wraparound netting. Management strongly advised against bringing food into the cabins. Result: only the smallest of bugs made it into the living quarters. Outside, there were lots of lizards (smallish geckos for the most part, but some good-sized iguanas, too), and hundreds of birds. So, yes, bugs exist in the rain forest; but there are lots of bug eaters, too. It's a jungle out there.

Walking around in the daytime, on the beach or along marked trails, there were some flying and crawling creatures. They were not particularly aggressive--I had a couple of industrial-strength repellents with me, but I never felt the need to deploy them.

Nighttime is a different story. The forest comes alive, as it were. Walking with a professional naturalist is truly educational. Every rock, pond, rotting log, etc. harbors all manner of insects and reptiles, and some bigger game, too. Generally, the night creatures are shy, and shrink away when they get a light shined on them.

Professional guides wear sturdy shoes, long-sleeved shirts, and a hat. Just sensible outfitting when you are walking among animals, many of them tree-dwelling.

Technical note: I had only my iPad with me when I initially tried to respond here. But I am in the process of moving all my login information to a password manager. POA was one of my experimental trials. So convenient when getting login info from bitwarden on my desktop linux box; not so good on the road with an iPad, which is deficient when it comes to webauthn using yubikeys. Still working the issue.
 
I was going to take my Daughter to Italy for her graduation but I just don't want to deal with the changing requirements, i.e. good today, oh but not tomorrow. So, We will be flying to the northern tier of national parks instead.
 
cowman said:
My wife and I were planning to do the Bahamas this year... finally but she's wanting to just stay domestic because of all these restrictions still being in place. I kind of want to still go but I really don't want to deal with that crap either, really wondering when they're just going to drop all this. I mean if I was in charge we probably wouldn't have started and we surely would have as soon as a vaccine was available but as we've seen people have very different points of view on all this so who knows what will happen.
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Lower-income tourist-destinations might not have the same healthcare infrastructure as Canada, the U.S., Germany, etc., so even a small outbreak could overwhelm their hospitals (not sure if this is the case for the Bahamas, specifically). We can forgive them for erring a bit on the paranoid side, though their economies need the tourism dollars.
 
David Megginson said:
Lower-income tourist-destinations might not have the same healthcare infrastructure as Canada, the U.S., Germany, etc., so even a small outbreak could overwhelm their hospitals (not sure if this is the case for the Bahamas, specifically). We can forgive them for erring a bit on the paranoid side, though their economies need the tourism dollars.
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i dunno…. If they’re going to make stupid rules to make their country less appealing, I will happily enjoy withholding as many tourist dollars as possible. (Not even talking about 3rd world places either…. Italy, for example is taking things way too far.)
 
I have departed the continental US seven times in the last 12 months via Part 121 carriers to places with COVID restrictions.

The extra steps suck, but not as much as wearing masks in the airport and on the plane.

It helps that I can walk to a state sponsored testing site, which usually comes in with a result overnight. I did get burned last week going to Canada. I was told there was a testing backup due to an increased amount of tests requested by folks worried about the Delta strain. This resulted in me spending an unplanned night in Buffalo before driving over the border to buy a plane. No worries, wings!

YMMV.
 
FORANE said:
If I'm going on vacation, I don't want to have to do homework.
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That's funny how personalities can be different. I do tons of homework for every trip. I have already done my flight plan, fuel planning/fuel shopping, and accommodation planning for Oshkosh next year, have my next vacation halfway planned (and we don't even know when we are going to get to go) with activities, hotels, transportation, etc. I LOVE doing tons of homework for my vacations to make it as awesome as possible for my wife and I.
 
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