Anyone Considering Cancelling Travel

[Aerides]

I find it sad that after 18 months, we're still labeling and judging everyone else...

If you're more cautious than me, you're hysterical and living in fear.
If you're less cautious, you are a reckless denier.

sound about right?

Really tired of all this, as if one person's decision not to get on a flight for the meantime hurts anyone else...Everyone has their reasons for doing or not doing, just go do or not do whatever works for you and stop with the shaming...

 

[Koolau]

I find it sad that after 18 months, we're still labeling and judging everyone else...

If you're more cautious than me, you're hysterical and living in fear.
If you're less cautious, you are a reckless denier.

sound about right?

Really tired of all this, as if one person's decision not to get on a flight for the meantime hurts anyone else...Everyone has their reasons for doing or not doing, just go do or not do whatever works for you and stop with the shaming...

I believe this is best described as the "prison of two ideas." YMMV

 

[skyking1]

I find it sad that after 18 months, we're still labeling and judging everyone else...

If you're more cautious than me, you're hysterical and living in fear.
If you're less cautious, you are a reckless denier.

sound about right?

Really tired of all this, as if one person's decision not to get on a flight for the meantime hurts anyone else...Everyone has their reasons for doing or not doing, just go do or not do whatever works for you and stop with the shaming...

For us it is just a matter of comfort. For the first time in my life I had a classic panic attack at Costco. I got done shopping but really wanted out of there! It was back before vaccines and people were being, well, people.
We are not ready to subject ourselves to that kind of stress. No judgement or shaming there, we are just not ready. We sure miss our overseas family.
The only upside for us is we are not quite retired yet and focused on these last years/months of making money.

 

[JDARNELL]

We are thinking about a trip the first part of December to Florida for a few days as East Tennessee may be getting cold. A quick 1 hr flight easy peasy.

We now have our first immediate family member who has received their first jab due to job requirement after extensive discussions the last few months with the medical team. They still could not quantify the value of getting it but made a good case on the benefits in this particular medical situation. This family member has been doing normal stuff since things began. For us even these specific experts were like why would you do it? We all had the virus in January and February and have some natural immunity but again no quantification of level or protection. We are letting things play out til it impacts us from doing something we really want and will just go for the JJ to check the box. Probably late spring now unless something went sideways locally. In the mean time we are getting to see more data come in and just waiting to see if anyone grows a tail or something.

I thought international travel would be the catalyst sooner than later but after reading someones review of their time in Europe having to wear a mask for extended periods didn't sound appealing. The only thing we have not done is international travel since March of 2020 when we returned from Asia just as things broke out. Everything else has been normal.

We live in a popular tourist area near the Smoky Mtns and it has been interesting watching visitors the last 9 months. Some are horrified others are ecstatic in what they see and experience. For the most part though things are back to normal in the area and from what I can tell the stats for us are like everyone else in the country even though the approaches to this situation are not uniform.

 

[athena53]

I find it sad that after 18 months, we're still labeling and judging everyone else...

If you're more cautious than me, you're hysterical and living in fear.
If you're less cautious, you are a reckless denier.

sound about right?

Yeah, I've always joked that I define excessive spending as anyone who lives more extravagantly than I do.

We all have to make decisions about what COVID risks we'll accept. I can see why Alan's relatives would be more cautious than most. I stayed out of planes for almost 18 months- till I went to Alaska, which had no reasonable alternatives coming from KC. OTOH, I'm back to road trips for a family funeral in SC- will drive with an overnight en route each way. BF and I have been taking road trips with precautions since last summer.

I can understand issues with the extremes- people with no risk factors who still won't go out and people who went to Sturges the last couple of years- but the "right" way is somewhere in the middle.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

Just got back from 2 weeks in Italy. No problems at all. Cinque terre, Lucca, Spello, Menaggio. Very few Americans. Germans everywhere. Had a great time.

 

[Ronstar]

....Really tired of all this, as if one person's decision not to get on a flight for the meantime hurts anyone else.....

I agree. If anything, people not traveling are helping those who do travel. Easier to get flights and hotels when fewer folks are traveling. Less traffic on the roads, less crowds at entertainment spots.

 

[brett]

We are looking at 6-7 weeks in Panama. We will wait until early Jan to see how covid is going, the book air and leave a week later.

Same for 8 weeks in Greece and Cyprus in the spring. IF covid is remains under control we will book in mid April.

We often travel this way. Retired, nothing to keep us home so we can leave on a dime and come back just before our 60 day out of country medical/evac expires.

 

[Scuba]

Pretty much any US tourist area you are not going to see much masking.

Palm Springs, CA still requires it, although neighboring towns do not.

 

[skyking1]

We would road trip as soon as the weather gets better. Traveling with our own apartment behind us is quite the opposite and we stay in places far from the crowds, entirely by choice. Nothing has changed in that regard.

 

[explanade]

6-7 weeks in Panama?

In such a small country?

 

[ElizabethT]

We just booked a Christmas cruise because both DD's and their families will be elsewhere and the thought of staying home without them over the holiday was too depressing. After extensive research, I feel good about our decision. We can drive to the port, it's a 100% vaccinated cruise, and all must provide recent negative tests before boarding.

But here's what I realized, perhaps a bit late to the gate if you will. Our travel costs will now need to be expanded to include a minimum of two medically administered rapid tests going forward, as travel requirements don't seem to allow for the slower turnaround of free testing. More once landing on the foreign soil side potentially, then again upon departure, so anywhere from $500 - $750 on up, depending on lots of factors.

Plus, some countries are requiring the ability to do trace contacting, and our cell phone plans don't work outside of N. America, so another new expense to include for international travel.

Plus the 'permanent ' addition of travel insurance that includes COVID coverage. Previously we rarely bought travel insurance in that we are covered pretty much anywhere under our current healthcare plan.

I am not complaining. It's just a new normal I hadn't really picked up on yet, and now need to include in my budgeting going forward, in addition to the increased hassle factor.

 

[retire-early]

But here's what I realized, perhaps a bit late to the gate if you will. Our travel costs will now need to be expanded to include a minimum of two medically administered rapid tests going forward

How does one find medically administered rapid tests?
Urgent care?
Are tests at CVS/Walgreens good enough?

Except for COVID test prior to my colonoscopy, I haven't been paying attention.

 

[ElizabethT]

How does one find medically administered rapid tests?
Urgent care?
Are tests at CVS/Walgreens good enough?

Except for COVID test prior to my colonoscopy, I haven't been paying attention.

The challenge has to do with the mandated window between medically administered test and travel, generally 48 hours maximum currently. Most of the free administered tests, including CVS and Walgreens, are advertising results between 48-72 hours, which may not cut it. An entire industry of pay-to-play has sprung up, so to speak, all guaranteeing under one-hour, or close to, turn around, but for a price. That price is running about $125 per test in my area, ascertained after looking at almost one dozen testing site websites.

 

[HenryD]

How does one find medically administered rapid tests?
Urgent care?
Are tests at CVS/Walgreens good enough?

Except for COVID test prior to my colonoscopy, I haven't been paying attention.

I did a free state-sponsored PCR test 72-48 hrs before departure while knowing that I could pay for a rapid test at the airport on the day of travel if the free result didn't come back in time (it did).

I'm somewhat annoyed that I got all my tests done, did all my tracing paperwork, etc. and nobody officially checked anything. The airline check-in staff did a brief look at my printed PDFs. No checks at immigration in the UK or US.

 

[Sunset]

We just booked a Christmas cruise ......

But here's what I realized, perhaps a bit late to the gate if you will. Our travel costs will now need to be expanded to include a minimum of two medically administered rapid tests going forward, as travel requirements don't seem to allow for the slower turnaround of free testing. More once landing on the foreign soil side potentially, then again upon departure, so anywhere from $500 - $750 on up, depending on lots of factors.

Plus, some countries are requiring the ability to do trace contacting, and our cell phone plans don't work outside of N. America, so another new expense to include for international travel.

Plus the 'permanent ' addition of travel insurance that includes COVID coverage. Previously we rarely bought travel insurance in that we are covered pretty much anywhere under our current healthcare plan.

....

I haven't looked at cruises after our Summer Alaska cruise, which was immediately before they insisted on negative tests for all. So I'm clueless

Have you found, travel insurance for just Covid , or is it all bundled (and not so needed) with normal coverage. Any cost ideas ?

I hadn't thought of the phone in foreign country for the covid test as well

 

[retire-early]

The challenge has to do with the mandated window between medically administered test and travel, generally 48 hours maximum currently. Most of the free administered tests, including CVS and Walgreens, are advertising results between 48-72 hours, which may not cut it. An entire industry of pay-to-play has sprung up, so to speak, all guaranteeing under one-hour, or close to, turn around, but for a price. That price is running about $125 per test in my area, ascertained after looking at almost one dozen testing site websites.

wow.
I wouldn't even know where to look for pay-to-pay tests.

 

[Montecfo]

How does one find medically administered rapid tests?
Urgent care?
Are tests at CVS/Walgreens good enough?

Except for COVID test prior to my colonoscopy, I haven't been paying attention.

It is the PCR test. We got ours at a local lab which I think is open 24 hours. It is the same type of place that processes people's blood work for doctor visits. They had two price points, results in 15 min for $199 or results by midnight the following night for $120.

Our window was 72 hours as we were travelling to Canada. We got the $120 tests. Was really simple, and we had time to get the results, fly to Seattle and make it to the border within the window.

I just googled "PCR test near me".

 

[Sunset]

It is the PCR test. We got ours at a local lab which I think is open 24 hours. It is the same type of place that processes people's blood work for doctor visits. They had two price points, results in 15 min for $199 or results by midnight the following night for $120.

Our window was 72 hours as we were travelling to Canada. We got the $120 tests. Was really simple, and we had time to get the results, fly to Seattle and make it to the border within the window.

I just googled "PCR test near me".

Thanks that is helpful, here it sounds easy. I think I'd have trouble in Greece/Bulgaria.

Did you need a test to return to the States ?

 

[ElizabethT]

I haven't looked at cruises after our Summer Alaska cruise, which was immediately before they insisted on negative tests for all. So I'm clueless

Have you found, travel insurance for just Covid , or is it all bundled (and not so needed) with normal coverage. Any cost ideas ?

I hadn't thought of the phone in foreign country for the covid test as well

The learning curve was steep for a few hours there yesterday. Not so much for the December cruise, which requires just departure testing, but for our pending trip to Europe to visit our DD, SIL, and GD's. I'd have thrown in the towel after what I learned if it was just a pleasure trip!

The need to download an app in one of several European countries for trace contacting may necessitate a change in phone carriers, which may necessitate a change in phones.

The travel policy includes a lot of COVID specific coverage, including costs incurred if needing to quarantine, be air lifted, treated, rerouted, cancelled, etc. I haven't done a deep dive to be transparent, but just these items alone caused me to buy our first ever travel policy. Edited: It covers general medical items as well, and cost $66 pp through the cruise line for a 7 day, no air, $2000 trip.

 

[Montecfo]

Thanks that is helpful, here it sounds easy. I think I'd have trouble in Greece/Bulgaria.

Did you need a test to return to the States ?

No test to return to US, as we used the land border. That's why we did not fly directly to Canada as we did not want to risk getting stuck in Canada.

But for flights yes you need a test.

The process in Greece is probably similar. Pick your likely location and Google. Airport may be an option.

 

[Sunset]

...

The need to download an app in one of several European countries for trace contacting may necessitate a change in phone carriers, which may necessitate a change in phones.

....

Won't buying a sim card for the country work ? , or is this because you need to have the app on your phone all registered, etc for when arriving in the country ?

 

[PaunchyPirate]

In case you missed it, new rules (to be effective November 8th) were announced yesterday about entry/re-entry into the US from air travel abroad.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tr...requirements-for-air-travelers-to-the-us.html

"U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are eligible to travel but are not fully vaccinated will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test one (1) day before their flight’s departure. U.S citizens and LPRs who are fully vaccinated will need to present airlines with proof of vaccination and of a negative COVID-19 test three (3) days before their flight."

and

"...all non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States."

Some exceptions (including children) are listed in the article.

 

[ElizabethT]

Won't buying a sim card for the country work ? , or is this because you need to have the app on your phone all registered, etc for when arriving in the country ?

It's because we are hostages of our current carrier, and even though we paid for our own phones, we cannot get them successfully unlocked. There is always a problem that 'shouldn't be happening.' (Their stock response during multiple attempts).

 

[rodi]

My son used the rapid test by abbot Binaxnow - purchased through emed.com - which was linked on the airline website for his 'medically administered' covid tests. The test is 'proctored' over video to ensure it is self administered properly and not tampered with. The results are emailed from the telehealth video person to the user and loaded into an app. This was in August... rules might have changed. He needed it to transit through London and to return from Spain. He had several covid tests along the way - most were rapid tests, for free... as many of the countries he visited required proof of negative covid test (as well as vax status) to enter nightclubs/restaurants/etc.

I look at the binaxnow tests and emed/telehealth as a decent way to meet the timing requirements for travel internationally.

As mentioned in another thread we're doing a transatlantic cruise in April with a few days in Florida prior, and 2 weeks or so in Italy (Cinque Terre for sure) at the end of the cruise. Testing will be part of the travel... I'm fine with that. In the big picture, it's a small cost relative to the rest of the trip.

We're also looking at booking a Galapagos/Machu Picchu trip for next fall. We're not getting younger and want to do some of more active trips sooner than later.

Both hubby and I are vaxed and boosted (as of last week)... We don't mind wearing masks when appropriate.

Will admit we did more road trips than airline trips in the last 18 months... But that's ok. As we recently acquired an old beater van to van camp... and have been having fun with that. Last week was a state beach, in 3 weeks we're off to Joshua Tree for more van camping. But I've done a few plane trips, as has hubby... No biggy...