A few here and there, mostly domestic, but a few international. But nothing consistent yet.
This possibility is one of the things currently keeping me from booking anything international.
I don't know ABD's official policy, but when we were in Spain and Portugal in September we were told if you test positive you are at the mercy of that country's government. So whatever their quarantine and COVID rules are, you must follow. At this time, you must have a negative COVID test to return to the US. If one of us had tested positive, we would have had to quarantine at our hotel (costly) for 10 days and then present a negative COVID test after that in order to be able to return to the US. It stressed me out (packed extra meds etc. just in case) but it ended up being totally worth the risk. I might say otherwise if one of us had tested positive.
It depends on the policy. If you buy a policy where COVID-19 is covered as an illness (more and more do this) then they should cover it like any illness/interrupted trip. Which in most cases means they'd cover re-booking your flight home, and any medical/housing expenses while you are sick/recovering. Although there might be a daily maximum covered, and perhaps a max number of days. But I would definitely start with one of the insurance sites like insure my trip and call them, and walk through all the policies and what they do and don't cover. It REALLY depends on not only the insurance company, but the individual policies as to how they handle it.
Exactly! We did have travel insurance that covered COVID and quarantine plus trip interruption, etc. However, the amount per day was very low ($100/day for quarantine), so you do really need to know the specifics of your policy. My husband did have a dental issue in Spain which would have been fully covered. Thankfully, he was able to wait until we got home (he really wanted to go to his own dentist), but it is always a good idea to have travel insurance.
I was wondering about that, with the new variant news out of Southern Africa these past couple of days.So I read on fb that the Jan 26 South Africa trip has been cancelled. Can't say I'm surprised at this point.
Sayhello
South Africa has been upgraded to Level 4 -do not travel- by the state department and ABD will not travel to Level 4 countries.So I read on fb that the Jan 26 South Africa trip has been cancelled. Can't say I'm surprised at this point.
Sayhello
And nerves of steel!
It *is* hard to get excited, and honestly, for me, it's hard to even book. I recently retired, and I was supposed to be traveling *more* now. It's really sad for me that I barely feel comfortable traveling domestically. And it's just as much from the uncertainty as it is from any COVID fears. I know it's first world problems, but it's still a disappointment, and a loss of a big part of who I am.
I completely resonate with this! We retired in 2020 so we could travel. I guess the joke is on us! Not a funny one, though.
Totally agree with you both. As another recent retiree who worked to be able to buy plane tickets (I’ve had this magnet on my fridge “forever” as a reminder of my reward for working all those years) it does take a a lot of adjustment to today’s new travel normal of more uncertainty and less overall anticipation excitement to minimize possible disappointment if something cancels.
Exactly! So far, I've managed one trip. I'm toying with a second trip, but just not sure where or when. Probably not until after the holidays, early 2022, most likely. And yes, probably pretty last-minute plans. We shall see. I get so jealous of people I see traveling, and start to think about planning a trip, but when I get to the actual details of it, I'm just not ready yet. We shall see! Hopefully I feel more courageous soon!
I love everything about travel too [except for a) packing, b) getting to the airport and c) plane travel - all necessary evils to be able to enjoy the rest of travel!] I rarely buy myself things for my Birthday, but will totally buy myself a trip! Or two! I know I did not feel comfortable on the flights to Las Vegas/back from Albuquerque. But I *was* able to tolerate them. It's just going to take me a while to work myself back up to doing it again.
As far as I know, it's the State Department's travel advisory levels. Does the CDC do advisory levels?
