Travel 2022 by land - what do you think?

[mshanson3121]

When do you think realistically the land border will ever re-open? And even when it does, how long do you think there'll be testing requirements etc?

We booked our trip for June 2022 thinking all would be back to normal, but honestly, I'm starting to wonder.

We will be deciding by December whether to cancel or not, as we can't really wait till last minute to cancel and then try and plan a trip elsewhere.

 

[TammyLynn33]

We too are booked for June flying out if Syracuse tho. I’m still hopeful. We won’t be deciding on keep cancel until February at least .

 

[mshanson3121]

We too are booked for June flying out if Syracuse tho. I’m still hopeful. We won’t be deciding on keep cancel until February at least .

We weren't sure if we were going to drive or fly. If we flew we'd be driving to Boston and flying from there.

 

[musika]

Land or air, the testing requirements are defeating me. I know some don't mind jumping through the extra hoops but it really doesn't scream vacation to me. I'm really hoping that with child vaccination hopefully becoming a reality in 2022 that that restriction can be removed.

To answer your question, I would foresee the land border reopened before your trip, but I think it's a roll of the dice whether testing will still be required.

 

[pigletto]

Land or air, the testing requirements are defeating me. I know some don't mind jumping through the extra hoops but it really doesn't scream vacation to me. I'm really hoping that with child vaccination hopefully becoming a reality in 2022 that that restriction can be removed.

To answer your question, I would foresee the land border reopened before your trip, but I think it's a roll of the dice whether testing will still be required.

I don't love the testing but it actually makes me more likely to travel, strangely enough. I work with children and I would likely pay to test before coming back to work whether it was required or not, for my own peace of mind. Otherwise I would be waiting until there was virtually no risk and that could be years.

As for the land border, I agree, I think it will probably be open by June but it's anyones guess if the testing will be dropped by then.

 

[dvcdisney]

I was hoping it would open by end of year, but I'm not so sure anymore.

I understand why testing needs to be done. I would be okay if testing was done at the border, but this pre-test requirement is making us rethink our trip.

I do think US is waiting for less restrictions required in order to open up...but I don't have a clue.

Every time we think we're getting better, things change.

 

[Eeyore's the Best]

There are a lot of snowbirds that are not going to be very happy, my parents included if it doesn't open at least by October 21, 2021. Fingers crossed!

 

[2Lunds]

I was hoping it would open by end of year, but I'm not so sure anymore.

I understand why testing needs to be done. I would be okay if testing was done at the border, but this pre-test requirement is making us rethink our trip.

I do think US is waiting for less restrictions required in order to open up...but I don't have a clue.

Every time we think we're getting better, things change.

Same here. I would be ok with a rapid test at landing and having to isolate at home, but the uncertainty of being denied boarding back to Canada (air travel specific obvi) is what's keeping us home right now. I'm hoping that things change again once Oct 1 comes around and everyone on the plane has to be vaccinated. (Elxn dependant of course).

 

[dvcdisney]

Same here. I would be ok with a rapid test at landing and having to isolate at home, but the uncertainty of being denied boarding back to Canada (air travel specific obvi) is what's keeping us home right now. I'm hoping that things change again once Oct 1 comes around and everyone on the plane has to be vaccinated. (Elxn dependant of course).

And for land borders, I would be fine if we had to go to a drive thru rapid testing if needed, even if it meant we had to wait.

 

[musika]

I don't love the testing but it actually makes me more likely to travel, strangely enough. I work with children and I would likely pay to test before coming back to work whether it was required or not, for my own peace of mind. Otherwise I would be waiting until there was virtually no risk and that could be years.

As for the land border, I agree, I think it will probably be open by June but it's anyones guess if the testing will be dropped by then.

I don't disagree at all about the importance of testing in general. We test all the time in our family But I'm just saying, I'd prefer to wait to travel until that requirement is gone (or it's a lot more streamlined of a process to go through) because some of these stories are stressful!

 

[pigletto]

I don't disagree at all about the importance of testing in general. We test all the time in our family But I'm just saying, I'd prefer to wait to travel until that requirement is gone (or it's a lot more streamlined of a process to go through) because some of these stories are stressful!

I would likely feel very much like you if it weren’t for my job. And I agree , it doesn’t sound fun at all . I’m an Uber planner and like to get all the details out of the way before I go so that its all vacation mode once I leave. It doesn’t sound like that will be possible next time, if we even get to go at all.

 

[mshanson3121]

. I'm really hoping that with child vaccination hopefully becoming a reality in 2022 that that restriction can be removed.

What is the latest on that anyways? Has there been any more chatter on when they think the 5-11 crew can get vaccinated? That's the other puzzle piece, our daughter won't turn 12 until 3 days before we leave for our trip, so... vaccines need to be open for kids by at least May 1. Though the last I heard they were hoping for sometime this winter?

Every time we think we're getting better, things change.

Agree. It looks like the US spike is curbing a bit, but it's going to be interesting to see what fall brings once school has been back in nation-wide for a few weeks and then once we really get into cold and flu season - especially since there are no restrictions in place this year. (At least not here).

I'm also a bit concerned about the 3rd dose... I've been following the debate about giving third doses vs. allowing more of the rest of the world to be vaccinated. They say right now, unless the vaccine-hoggers start sharing vaccines, Covid won't be officially over as a pandemic until probably 2024 To me, my guess is as long as the pandemic is still considered "active" globally, travel restrictions of some form will remain in place.

 

[Canadian Tom]

If you fly out of Buffalo, do you need to get a covid test to board the plane to WDW and same for the return flight?

 

[TammyLynn33]

If you fly out of Buffalo, do you need to get a covid test to board the plane to WDW and same for the return flight?

I dont believe testing is needed for domestic flights in the USA

 

[TammyLynn33]

I really wish they would add a rapid test when ppl enter. My ex was tested Tuesday. And since then has been all over the place and will enter today . I feel sick about it. He just doesn’t get it.

 

[2Lunds]

What is the latest on that anyways? Has there been any more chatter on when they think the 5-11 crew can get vaccinated? That's the other puzzle piece, our daughter won't turn 12 until 3 days before we leave for our trip, so... vaccines need to be open for kids by at least May 1. Though the last I heard they were hoping for sometime this winter?

"A spokesperson from Pfizer and BioNTech said that data from 2,250 children between the ages of five and 11 years in its clinical trial is expected by the end of September. Emergency use authorisation will be sought from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October."

I imagine Health Canada approval will be along the same timelines.

 

[mshanson3121]

"A spokesperson from Pfizer and BioNTech said that data from 2,250 children between the ages of five and 11 years in its clinical trial is expected by the end of September. Emergency use authorisation will be sought from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in October."

I imagine Health Canada approval will be along the same timelines.

Oh wow! So the timeline has moved up then!

 

[dvcdisney]

I dont believe testing is needed for domestic flights in the USA

That's what I heard...but things can change.

 

[Starwind]

What is the latest on that anyways? Has there been any more chatter on when they think the 5-11 crew can get vaccinated? That's the other puzzle piece, our daughter won't turn 12 until 3 days before we leave for our trip, so... vaccines need to be open for kids by at least May 1. Though the last I heard they were hoping for sometime this winter?



Agree. It looks like the US spike is curbing a bit, but it's going to be interesting to see what fall brings once school has been back in nation-wide for a few weeks and then once we really get into cold and flu season - especially since there are no restrictions in place this year. (At least not here).

I'm also a bit concerned about the 3rd dose... I've been following the debate about giving third doses vs. allowing more of the rest of the world to be vaccinated. They say right now, unless the vaccine-hoggers start sharing vaccines, Covid won't be officially over as a pandemic until probably 2024 To me, my guess is as long as the pandemic is still considered "active" globally, travel restrictions of some form will remain in place.

The most recent info I found for Canada for vaccines for children under 12 is this article from mid-August: https://globalnews.ca/news/8106569/pfizer-covid-vaccine-children-trial/ "Pfizer intends to submit data to Health Canada on trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12 by the end of the year, the company told Global News...." and "“If safety and immunogenicity is confirmed, we plan on filing the data to Health Canada before the end of the year to support a potential authorization in children 5 to 11 years of age, and soon after for 6 months to 5 years,” wrote the company." Phase 1 trial complete, Phase 2 and 3 still underway.

Regarding just turning 12 year olds... check with your province, as some are allowing some 11 year olds to receive the vaccine now: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/vaccination-11-year-old-pfizer-1.6147318 I don't know if they will have a rolling age date going forward while waiting for <12 approval or will wait to see if the approval comes through for under-12's by the end of the year, but something to pay attention to if you are in one of the provinces allowing it.

Travel restrictions are complicated and many factors come into play, some of which are not always obvious. One example: customs halls at international airports. At the best of times they can be crowded with sometimes lengthy waits. Right now, there are media reports out of the UK of crowded customs halls with waits sometimes exceeding FOUR HOURS. In Toronto, at times they are holding passengers on planes and letting them off in groups of 50 to limit the number of people in the customs hall at a time, but the result is instead you could wait on the plane for hours. Many years ago when I visited the UK, the passport control line was a 2 hour wait at Heathrow. A few years ago, the only time I have flown into Washington's Dulles airport from Toronto's Island airport, so no pre-clearing US Customs, the US Customs line for non-citizens/PRs was 3 hours long - I was fortunate that I have dual citizenship so I got to use the US citizen line, which had no wait at all. Both the fact of having large numbers of people congregating together for a long period of time in a confined space, as well as the realities of processing them through whatever protocols, will both have an influence on decisions made about travel restrictions for international travel by any given country; and, over time and things change -- eg what a country could manage with a relative small number of travelers may not be managable with a much larger number of travelers, so they may also have to change strategies in part due to a sheer logistics problem.

SW

 

[dvcdisney]

Oh wow! So the timeline has moved up then!

Are you in Ontario? If so, this was announced on Aug 17th on Global News and it seems some provinces will be following suit:

"The Ontario government says 11-year-old children who will turn 12 years old by the end of 2021 will be eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine shot earlier, starting Wednesday.

The government announced effective Wednesday, Aug. 18, those children — born anytime on or before Dec. 31, 2009 — will be able to book an appointment for a shot.
Prior to this change, those with late year birthdays had to wait until they turned 12 in order to be eligible to get a vaccine."