My passport is lonely. I need to go somewhere far away. I want to stand in a long line waiting for the "why are you here?" question so I can get a new stamp. I need to eat some weird food and pretend like I know how to use the local transportation. I need to stand in a long line waiting to go into a museum with ancient treasures. I want to get lost on a narrow street filled with people, cafe's and souvenirs. I miss travel....real travel. The kind that requires a carefully packed bag and jetlag.
The pandemic has been very rough on your friendly travel agent who specializes in European travel!
We became Covid savvy travelers, sticking to car trips and not going too far from home. I think my kids are ready for me to get back to European travel, too. I'm not sure how many more road trip adventures I can drag them on, willingly! So, let's talk about long-haul travel.
Europe is open-ish. Some EU countries have begun accepting American travelers who are fully Covid vaccinated, and some haven't. There are a lot of specific rules, dates, and exceptions. There is talk of an EU 'vaccine passport' of sorts, even some sort of phone app. At this time, there isn't one. The CDC card you received at your vaccine will work for now, or an official document from your vaccine clinic. You will still need a negative test to return home, regardless of vaccination. If you are considering travel to a European destination it is very important to use a Travel Advisor! (me, for example...)
Fork out for the travel insurance! This isn't the time to take a gamble with travel. Your travel plans are an investment and requires protecting. Your American medical insurance, regardless of policy, will not work in a European country. They will treat you and they will send you a bill. Your travel insurance will provide medical coverage! Your travel insurance will provide protection if you have to cancel or return home early. It will also cover if your bags are delayed or lost.
Reserved-ish. Some hotels aren't fully open yet. Some will never re-open. Some are only open for specific dates or for longer stays. Car rental companies have very low stock. Airlines aren't flying full International schedules, yet. The propensity to get bumped, over-booked or delayed is very real in this pandemic world. When booking a hotel or other accommodations in a foreign country, even if it says reserved it doesn't always mean reserved. If Orbitz shows availability, it doesn't necessarily mean the hotel is even open for guests. There have been numerous stories of stranded tourists who thought they had cars, homes etc and were left with nothing. One of the advantages to using a Travel Advisor is that we use reputable suppliers that we have relationships with. Not just some run of the mill booking engine.
Ready to go somewhere? Go find that passport and let's make a plan and get you there!