Travel hopes 2021

Business class fares to Europe keep plunging. I checked prices from LAX to GVA (the route cancelled last year) and they are now as low as $2088 return on British Airways for travel in July and August. This is on a Boeing 777 with lie flat pod seating. They also have a nice lounge at LAX and LHR. The only issue is they still have not opened up to tourists from the U.S and there is still the issue of wearing a mask on an 11 -14 hour flight. It's getting tempting to the point where it may be worth the gamble that they will open up by August 2021 and just buy the tickets now.
 
Freedom56 said:
Business class fares to Europe keep plunging. I checked prices from LAX to GVA (the route cancelled last year) and they are now as low as $2088 return on British Airways for travel in July and August. This is on a Boeing 777 with lie flat pod seating. They also have a nice lounge at LAX and LHR. The only issue is they still have not opened up to tourists from the U.S and there is still the issue of wearing a mask on an 11 -14 hour flight. It's getting tempting to the point where it may be worth the gamble that they will open up by August 2021 and just buy the tickets now.
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I’ve found that business tickets to Europe have gone up from $2150 to $2350 over the last week for my destination. And basic economy is going for around $1450. Lufthansa had those at $1100 last week, which in retrospect I should have bought. These are all for the last couple of weeks in August. I still can’t justify buying multiple business class tickets (and I have tried), so I’m hoping that economy prices drop again. Otherwise I’m going to pay more than I’d like, but there’s little chance I won’t go this summer.
 
I just booked my ticket to go with. my son and family to Orlando/Disney in December. We are staying in an AirBNB and will do all the parks, including Universal. I did not think airfares would go down.
 
tulak said:
I still can’t justify buying multiple business class tickets (and I have tried)
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Just remember you can't take your money with you. Before the pandemic the prices for business class were higher. Yes it seems crazy paying $6K-$8K for a pair of tickets (discounted) and now about $4.2K(discounted) but consider that you have a lower chance of hurting your back and knees sitting and sleeping in a pod seat that can lay flat. How much will that cost you in pain and suffering and health care bills as you age? The food and meal service is much better and so is the entertainment system. There is less stress and much more comfort. I always flew business class for work and our company always paid much more for these tickets. I didn't want to change that just because of retirement. But at the same time we are not going to pay $8K to 11K for a business class ticket like my employer did in the past.
 
Koolau said:
You'd think so , wouldn't you?

BUT our state is schizoid about all this. We STILL require a current (3-day) Covid test to come into the state - even for those who live here - even for those with current vaccination. Otherwise, it's a mandatory quarantine of 10 days.

We (Hawaii) are working on (and supposedly close to) a "passport" system, to fly inter-island (not something I need to do). In essence, you have to UPLOAD your vaccine "passport" to THEIR system from your smart phone - which I don't own. THEN you have to carry your "paper passport" for them to verify. BUT none of this yet works to get you back to Hawaii if you go anyplace but another Island.

Supposedly "they're working on it" as far as kama'aina returning form the mainland - as well as folks from Japan and other places. BUT so far, no. It's "up your nose with a rubber hose" as Vinnie Barbarino would say if you want to enter Hawaii without quarantine. YMMV
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Up your nose with a rubber hose. That's a good one! I have not watched welcome back Kotter in years, but it was a great line. Thanks for bringing it back.

As far as travel goes, I am waiting to see what happens with the EU allowing vaccinated Americans to travel to Europe in the summer and make a decision from there. No sense in rushing at this point as each EU country will seem to have different rules to entry and I think it's best to just wait.
 
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My Euro TMB trip is getting close. Scheduled for late July. So I’ve got maybe 6 weeks or so for restrictions to be lifted. Visiting Switzerland, France, Italy, Lichtenstein, Austria, & Germany. All but Switzerland are part of EU. So, hopefully EU will figure something out quickly.
 
Freedom56 said:
Business class fares to Europe keep plunging. I checked prices from LAX to GVA (the route cancelled last year) and they are now as low as $2088 return on British Airways for travel in July and August. This is on a Boeing 777 with lie flat pod seating. They also have a nice lounge at LAX and LHR. The only issue is they still have not opened up to tourists from the U.S and there is still the issue of wearing a mask on an 11 -14 hour flight. It's getting tempting to the point where it may be worth the gamble that they will open up by August 2021 and just buy the tickets now.
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Actually I've been tracking and many of them have gone up in the last week or two.

I've purchased a couple of them including one round trip to BCN for about $1700.

I wasn't planning to visit Spain but I may just connect to a flight to France.

However, I booked in mid to late June so I have to hope they keep making good progress and life the travel restrictions for American tourists as they've hinted at.

If the Indian variant, which has had an outbreak in the UK, starts to take off, Europe may back off on opening up to American tourists.
 
explanade said:
Actually I've been tracking and many of them have gone up in the last week or two.

I've purchased a couple of them including one round trip to BCN for about $1700.

I wasn't planning to visit Spain but I may just connect to a flight to France.

However, I booked in mid to late June so I have to hope they keep making good progress and life the travel restrictions for American tourists as they've hinted at.

If the Indian variant, which has had an outbreak in the UK, starts to take off, Europe may back off on opening up to American tourists.
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I see business class in August 2021 from LAX to BCN for $2008 return on Lufthansa, Swiss, and United. There is still the issue of wearing a mask on a 12-14 hour flight and what restrictions are in place when you get to your destination. My in-laws are somehow convinced we are visiting them in Switzerland now that we are vaccinated, however my wife doesn't want to go on such a long flight until it's safe to fly without masks.

I flew from LAX to FLL last October and it wasn't that pleasant flying with an N95 mask. I was on a 787 Dreamliner (American Airlines) with pod seating but the only meal service was a sandwich wrapped in plastic instead of the usual hot meal service. The pod seating does isolate you from other passengers and the seat lies flat so you can sleep. We are leaving next Sunday for Fort Lauderdale and first class tickets were just $589 each return on American Airlines (the lowest we have ever paid for this leg) but it does not compare to international business class. Hopefully the meal service has improved since last October. But it will be a good test to see if my wife can put up with wearing a mask on a 5 hour flight. Jetblue was selling the same LAX to FLL leg of $1659 return but they have lie flat seats and pretty good meal service. However they selling these tickets higher than pre-pandemic levels. We also looking at flights from LAX to Calgary and then drive to Lake Louise in the event we don't make it to Europe this year.
 
Librarian said:
I recommend the KN94 masks--we have found them much more comfortable than the N95.
You have to watch--there are many counterfeit ones out there. Apparently they must have the S. Korean stamp & these do:
https://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-R...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
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I also wear the KN94 masks (except mine are white) and find them comfortable and a good fit. I wore one for 12 hours without any problem while DH was in the hospital for knee replacement.
 
Freedom56 said:
I see business class in August 2021 from LAX to BCN for $2008 return on Lufthansa, Swiss, and United. There is still the issue of wearing a mask on a 12-14 hour flight and what restrictions are in place when you get to your destination. My in-laws are somehow convinced we are visiting them in Switzerland now that we are vaccinated, however my wife doesn't want to go on such a long flight until it's safe to fly without masks.

I flew from LAX to FLL last October and it wasn't that pleasant flying with an N95 mask. I was on a 787 Dreamliner (American Airlines) with pod seating but the only meal service was a sandwich wrapped in plastic instead of the usual hot meal service. The pod seating does isolate you from other passengers and the seat lies flat so you can sleep. We are leaving next Sunday for Fort Lauderdale and first class tickets were just $589 each return on American Airlines (the lowest we have ever paid for this leg) but it does not compare to international business class. Hopefully the meal service has improved since last October. But it will be a good test to see if my wife can put up with wearing a mask on a 5 hour flight. Jetblue was selling the same LAX to FLL leg of $1659 return but they have lie flat seats and pretty good meal service. However they selling these tickets higher than pre-pandemic levels. We also looking at flights from LAX to Calgary and then drive to Lake Louise in the event we don't make it to Europe this year.
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Well the EU couldn't come to an agreement last week on the Green Certificate they've been working on for about a month.

So who knows what's going to happen.

I'll wear a mask but I don't have an N95 and won't get one. I think surgical masks will be fine.

I bought eye shield but not sure I'll use that either on the flight. I'd be more worried about using restrooms at the airport and on the flight, maybe in the jetway if it's moving slow, maybe being in the plane when it's sitting at the gate and the ventilation systems aren't running.

I think masks may be required at least through the summer and in Europe, they're probably likely to require them on public transportation and other public venues.

That's fine, I will deal with it all, rather than wait another year.

The thing that could derail is if this Indian variant, which the Brits believe could be more transmissible than the UK variant, takes off over there or in other countries in the West.
 
Freedom56 said:
Just remember you can't take your money with you. Before the pandemic the prices for business class were higher. Yes it seems crazy paying $6K-$8K for a pair of tickets (discounted) and now about $4.2K(discounted) but consider that you have a lower chance of hurting your back and knees sitting and sleeping in a pod seat that can lay flat. How much will that cost you in pain and suffering and health care bills as you age? The food and meal service is much better and so is the entertainment system. There is less stress and much more comfort. I always flew business class for work and our company always paid much more for these tickets. I didn't want to change that just because of retirement. But at the same time we are not going to pay $8K to 11K for a business class ticket like my employer did in the past.
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My last flight pre-covid was a free upgraded from premium economy to business on British. That was a wonderful flight back. It was also work related.

I’m still (relatively) young and working/accumulating. If I can score two cheaper seats at a window and aisle, then I’ll save half the cost of business, probably about 2k. I still get some comfort, not having to sit next to strangers, but in no way does it compare to business class. If I was flying by myself, I would have splurged when flights were cheaper a couple of weeks ago.

One of my goals for FI is to always fly business for long haul flights. It’ll happen soon enough, just not quite there yet.

Even though if we ever get back to Norwegian Air $400 round trip to London prices, that would be hard to pass up. :)
 
I've been traveling for 5 to 7 days at a time for the past~6 weeks. Coming home to wash clothes, pick up the mail, pay bills and rest a few days before hitting the road again. Trips to the west (Vegas) and southwest (many sites) that I haven't seen in years. Everything seems to be open and operating "close to normal" for the most part... Final planned trip, before the summer travel season starts, begins this week... Denver, here I come. Also noticed in the past few weeks that highway traffic is really picking up.
 
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Just read this today.

U.S. airlines may need to start weighing passengers in order to comply with FAA rules. For safety reasons, carriers need to calculate an aircraft’s weight and balance, and it has to be within allowable limits for the plane. However the assumptions they’ve been using for passengers are outdated. Americans are getting fatter, and the federal government wants airlines to find out how much fatter their passengers have gotten, at least for smaller aircraft.

https://viewfromthewing.com/u-s-airlines-may-start-weighing-passengers-at-the-gate/

They normally do this on small aircraft (island hoppers) but it would be interesting to see if they do trials on medium to large aircraft.
 
Rebooked my Virgin Atlantic London-Paris trip last week. Roughly the same Business Class fare as last April. Going mid December to early January. I had an alert on for the time frame. I got a scare the previous week when fares popped up about 30%. Then the fare dropped back down a day or so later. I suspect they were price testing. When looking at the price grid our fare was the lowest on the page. Previously there were several dates at that fare. So options were narrowing

It was fairly easy. I had a voucher. My DGF just bought hers & that was easy enough. VA is supposed to "link" the 2 tickets. When we went to choose seats it was better than 60% full.

Christmas in Paris...NYE in London? to be determined
 
harllee said:
The last Covid test I had was before I had a colonoscopy --I would assume it was the full thing administer by a medical person, it lasted about 10 seconds, was a little uncomfortable but did not really hurt, really no big deal. They sent me a bill for $30 but I called them and told them to submit it to Medicare and they did and Medicare paid it.
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Our mass testing sites provide free tests as long as insurance information is provided. I am on Medicare too and plan to travel abroad where negative test is required. Is there a limit how many times Medicare pays for such test for me?
 
Since this is the anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens let me suggest a trip to the mountain to see how the area is recovering from that event.
 
Booked tickets to Europe for August. Prices are going up and I doubt it’ll get any cheaper with the EU opening up. It’ll be nice to be back after missing out last year.
 
We are watching fares for several destinations that we are considering for Sept thru November travel. All economy

Greece-no change

Morocco-price increase on flights with Lisbon stopover. Same prices for direct over the past five months.

Mexico-Puerto Vallarta- no change

Winter 2022

Bangkok- no change, no change from pattern in previous years.
 
Car-Guy said:
I've been traveling for 5 to 7 days at a time for the past~6 weeks. Coming home to wash clothes, pick up the mail, pay bills and rest a few days before hitting the road again. Trips to the west (Vegas) and southwest (many sites) that I haven't seen in years. Everything seems to be open and operating "close to normal" for the most part... Final planned trip, before the summer travel season starts, begins this week... Denver, here I come. Also noticed in the past few weeks that highway traffic is really picking up.
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I had to cancel (well delay) my next trip to Denver that was planned for this week.... Age is catching up...:sick:
 
The Delta/KLM flight I’ve been tracking is now $2150 for basic economy. That’s the same route where 3-4 weeks ago you could have bought business class for that price.

The other major airlines are around $1450-$1500 for the same dates. I wouldn’t be surprised if Delta prices drop during the week, even though I wonder why they spiked? Is the plane that full? Or are they hoping people will panic buy?
 
Just booked 2 cruises:
1. Alaska in August: flying in early to Seattle, got a great deal on Sheraton Grand Seattle, Cruise covered with FCC
2. Panama in December: flying in early to Ft Lauderdale, another great price on Sheraton, cruise again covered with FCC
Guess I'll use those gift cards in 2022
 
The biggest problem I see now is the rental car issue. Since it seems most of them were sold off last year just to keep the companies in business, they are nearly impossible to get in some places.

We had planned a July trip, spending a week at our rather isolated destination. The plane tickets were bought some time ago. Now I find that the only possible rental car I can get is from Hertz, at over $4,800 for seven days, plus taxes and fees. Obviously, that's not going to happen so we'll most likely have to cancel the flight and make it a long road trip instead.
 
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