Anyone Considering Cancelling Travel

[Surewhitey]

Those are on our list.

This is the most scenic trip that we have ever had. We did the drive north from Glacier NP just prior to covid and it topped the views of Yosemite just in a different way. Highly recommend.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Looking back on 2021 it seems we've been busier with trips to Alabama, Florida, Mexico, Colorado and soon to be Italy. And a couple weekend camping trips...

This is about standard for us pre-covid, so I guess we're kinda back to normal except we drove a couple of these. We only canceled our second planned trip to Mexico due to cases being worse than usual at the moment.

We leave for Mexico in a few days. The current 7 day average for the state we are visiting (Quintana Roo) is about 1/3rd of what it was a month ago (87 vs. 253).

 

[Sunset]

China had been a place we wanted to visit, but looks like it will be some time.
They would probably not allow me in right now, so it's not just my choice.

I'm going to wait until well after Covid to visit China, just the vibe of their brand new 5,000 room quarantine center, makes me think of other types of camps.

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/29/china/guangzhou-covid-quarantine-center-mic-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[Midpack]

We were concerned but we just did 4 days in RI and 4 days in MA, our first flights since Covid hit, and we're fine after two weeks back. We're both vaccinated and we use masks/social distancing whenever it make sense. So we're not rushing off traveling but we intend to continue with some trips unless there's another HUGE spike. FWIW

 

[Koolau]

We canceled our usual mainland trip in 2020 but decided to go for it this year since we have been fully vaccinated. IIRC delta was heating up as we left and seems to be in full bloom as we return. BUT, I'd rather take my chances with the return flight than stay a winter in the frozen tundra of the midwest. Haven't experienced an actual winter for 14 years. If I never experience another, I'm okay with that.

I WILL be careful on the return flight - see article referenced by Sojourner in post 17 of https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/air-travel-during-covid-times-111097.html YMMV as usual.

 

[kcowan]

(And I forgot you can take the train/ferry to Sicily)

Yes but a short flight to Rome is the best way.

 

[Surewhitey]

We leave for Mexico in a few days. The current 7 day average for the state we are visiting (Quintana Roo) is about 1/3rd of what it was a month ago (87 vs. 253).

Yeah, we went back in April and I felt pretty safe, but then we just stayed on the beach with our margaritas. Our friends say that the positive rates are much more than they publish, like 50%. They live in Puerto Morelos and Cozumel...

Enjoy the trip.

 

[Koolau]

Yeah, we went back in April and I felt pretty safe, but then we just stayed on the beach with our margaritas. Our friends say that the positive rates are much more than they publish, like 50%. They live in Puerto Morelos and Cozumel...

Enjoy the trip.

Aha! New preventive for Covid - Margaritas! You need to alert the CDC, the AMA, Dr F and anyone else who will listen. Wasn't that how gin and tonic got started? The tonic was actually quinine water which was a preventive and treatment for malaria. YMMV

 

[Surewhitey]

Aha! New preventive for Covid - Margaritas! You need to alert the CDC, the AMA, Dr F and anyone else who will listen. Wasn't that how gin and tonic got started? The tonic was actually quinine water which was a preventive and treatment for malaria. YMMV

I had just gotten the J&J a month before, so that was my "booster" before it was a thing.

 

[Bamaman]

We are on our third day touring Berlin. Observations are:
Tourism is down substantially.
Airline food was just terrible, and service on the.plane was about nonexistent. It was.just a bus in the air.
Germans don't appear to eat German food any longer--American fast.food and ethnic foods. Meals are now not cheap anywhere.
Masks for 15 hrs. in airports.and on.planes are miserable-- hot. It's even worse if you wear.glasses.
Masks in Germany are required in all businesses and anywhere insiders including public tramsit. Forget to put your.mask on and other passengers are downright rude.telling.you to put'em on.
But good times are still to be found. We are deserving of a good vacarion.

 

[Scuba]

We have friends who have recently traveled - one couple to Italy and the other to Peru. Both said crowds were down substantially from the usual. Both had to take COVID tests both before leaving and before coming home, despite all being vaccinated.

Their reports of low crowds have DH and me thinking of planning a trip before tourism levels are high again.

 

[Chuckanut]

Germans don't appear to eat German food any longer--American fast.food and ethnic foods.

My time in Germany ended with me being desperate to find a good meal that wasn't fried meat. Even the veggie platter I ordered at one restaurant was fried. Don't get me wrong, I had great veal schnitzel in Munich. It spoiled me and makes the pork schnitzel in the USA look sick. (The best I had was in Vienna at a little small neighborhood restaurant we stumbled on. No English spoken, but schnitzel and potato salad the best I have ever eaten.)

I finally ended up in a vegetarian restaurant. It was great. And it convinced me there is no need for vegetarians to eat fake factory made foods that are supposed to imitate meat. But, that's a subject for another day.

 

[Sunset]

We are on our third day touring Berlin. Observations are:
Tourism is down substantially.
Airline food was just terrible, and service on the.plane was about nonexistent. It was.just a bus in the air.
Germans don't appear to eat German food any longer--American fast.food and ethnic foods. Meals are now not cheap anywhere.
Masks for 15 hrs. in airports.and on.planes are miserable-- hot. It's even worse if you wear.glasses.
Masks in Germany are required in all businesses and anywhere insiders including public tramsit. Forget to put your.mask on and other passengers are downright rude.telling.you to put'em on.
But good times are still to be found. We are deserving of a good vacarion.

Great to hear your experience. Did you catch the last of Octoberfest or is that cancelled this year ?

Did you fly coach/business/1st class ?

When you say meals are not cheap, can you tell us how much as examples ?

 

[ivinsfan]

We are on our third day touring Berlin. Observations are:
Tourism is down substantially.
Airline food was just terrible, and service on the.plane was about nonexistent. It was.just a bus in the air.
Germans don't appear to eat German food any longer--American fast.food and ethnic foods. Meals are now not cheap anywhere.
Masks for 15 hrs. in airports.and on.planes are miserable-- hot. It's even worse if you wear.glasses.
Masks in Germany are required in all businesses and anywhere insiders including public tramsit. Forget to put your.mask on and other passengers are downright rude.telling.you to put'em on.
But good times are still to be found. We are deserving of a good vacarion.

But reading this doesn't really make it seem like a good, relaxing vacation.
It sounds kind of tough, but I hope you can find lots of good times to make up for the bad.

 

[oiseux]

We are on our third day touring Berlin. Observations are:
Tourism is down substantially.
Airline food was just terrible, and service on the.plane was about nonexistent. It was.just a bus in the air.
Germans don't appear to eat German food any longer--American fast.food and ethnic foods. Meals are now not cheap anywhere.
Masks for 15 hrs. in airports.and on.planes are miserable-- hot. It's even worse if you wear.glasses.
Masks in Germany are required in all businesses and anywhere insiders including public tramsit. Forget to put your.mask on and other passengers are downright rude.telling.you to put'em on.
But good times are still to be found. We are deserving of a good vacarion.

I've never been a fan of German food. I was at a business dinner once, in a nice restaurant, and the locals explained to me that the main dish needed the mustard because all the flavor in the dish had been boiled out. Literally, in the most direct German way possible.

Mask compliance in France was 100%, but I'm certain people would be reminded of the law. In fact, in Germany, it was the soldiers in the airport stopping people. And the counter desk in the lounge, turning people away for not having the correct type of mask.

I've booked my second trip to Europe for this year, in November. We'll see.

 

[athena53]

I've never been a fan of German food. I was at a business dinner once, in a nice restaurant, and the locals explained to me that the main dish needed the mustard because all the flavor in the dish had been boiled out. Literally, in the most direct German way possible.

Ah, German food. I remember being in Munich on business and being very glad that I'd taken German Scientific Readings in college and remembered it. The menu included calf's brains, calf's heart, calf's lungs, and calf's liver. A food stall across the way offered "Pferd" (horsemeat).

Well, they don't waste anything. A coworker who was a vegan got most of his meals at the middle Eastern restaurant near our hotel.

 

[Gumby]

You guys are not really selling me on the idea of a trip to Germany.

 

[Koolau]

You guys are not really selling me on the idea of a trip to Germany.

But, if you like beer...

 

[audreyh1]

I had great roast duck in Munich.

And DH and I are both suckers for schweinshaxe.

 

[jcfradio]

I had great roast duck in Munich.

And DH and I are both suckers for schweinshaxe.

+2

I used to travel to Germany for work monthly and I love German food. I often went to the local grocery stores and bring some back home with me (along with numerous bottles of local schnapps variants!). I even made some schweinsaxe at home a couple of months ago when the need for a German food fix hit!

 

[Surewhitey]

So we did it again. Canceled Italy for the hassle and bad weather projections at the time. We switched to our tried and trusted Puerto Morelos and Cozumel for a couple of weeks. We'll get to see some friends as it seems more relaxed at the moment.

Puerto Morelos is a ghost town right now probably due to the season. Sargassum is the only complaint here. Cozumel never has a problem with it though.

 

[novaman]

Just finished up a trip to Vegas, Zion, and Bryce. It was plenty crowded everywhere. On our trip we noticed that many many people didn't mask up when going into the restaurants and stores unless it was mandatory. Both Zion and Bryce required masks to board their park buses.

 

[Scuba]

We just planned a Thanksgiving trip to Tuscon where our niece and her husband are working and living now. It will just be a few days, but will be nice to spend the holiday with some family members. We are driving and staying in an Airbnb so we can have a full kitchen and cook a Thanksgiving together at home. Looking forward to it!

 

[gayl]

Decided I'll only cruise for now because 100% vaxed on ship & negative test required

Can't wait until I can just check into a city for a few weeks again. Perhaps 2023

 

[Sojourner]

Masks for 15 hrs. in airports and on planes are miserable-- hot. It's even worse if you wear glasses.
Masks in Germany are required in all businesses and anywhere insiders including public tramsit. Forget to put your mask on and other passengers are downright rude telling you to put'em on.

+1

DW and I just returned from 10 days overseas, and—despite the marvel and excitement of experiencing a fascinating part of the world for the first time—I am pretty sure I won't step foot on another international trip until most COVID testing/masking requirements have eased substantially. Having to wear masks for such long stretches (8-9 hours on a plane, and then 3 hours at the airport while waiting for the next 8 hour flight, then at the final airport, then in a shuttle bus or an Uber, then in the lobby and elevator of a hotel, etc.) is really exhausting, both physically and mentally. I never realized before just how uncomfortable those elastic ear straps are when they are rubbing against the backs of your ears for hours and hours!

IMHO, all the COVID-related restrictions (nearly constant masking, sometimes even outdoors!) and requirements (frequent PCR testing), along with the general anxiety and "background negativity" that hangs over everything due to COVID, fundamentally diminishes the enjoyment of international travel by at least 30%. As much as I love to travel, being able to enjoy something like two weeks in Europe at only 70% of what it would be in a post-COVID world makes the prospect quite daunting. Let's just hope things get (at least mostly) back to normal in 2022.