Travel hopes for 2022

[Chuckanut]

I just returned from visiting a M class planet via a wormhole I found underneath an old shed in my back yard.

 

[iloveyoga]

I booked a cruise with several of my friends for February 2022, sailing out of Cape Canaveral. 5 Days Eastern Caribbean cruise. It has been quite a few years since I have cruised, so I am excited to go.

 

[pb4uski]

I booked a cruise with several of my friends for February 2022, sailing out of Cape Canaveral. 5 Days Eastern Caribbean cruise. It has been quite a few years since I have cruised, so I am excited to go.

Isn't it a bit late too book a cruise for February 2022? [emoji16]

 

[iloveyoga]

I booked a cruise with several of my friends for February 2022, sailing out of Cape Canaveral. 5 Days Eastern Caribbean cruise. It has been quite a few years since I have cruised, so I am excited to go.

Oops February 2023.

 

[luckydude]

Yes, I saw the drop of Covid test to fly back to the US. I will get more serious about making a long trip to Europe in late summer.

Currently on a 4-week family/solo trip through France and UK. Before the trip, we pre-booked non-refundable fit-to-fly Covid tests at Heathrow T5 for our flight home later this month. We are happy that the CDC has finally dropped the Covid test requirements and happy to eat the sunk cost of the non-refundable Covid tests in exchange for not having to deal with the uncertainty of a possible positive test on the eve of our flight home.

Currently in Paris now. We (fully vaccinated and boosted) don't bother with masks and for the most part nobody we see in public bother with it either. Cafes, bars and restaurants are packed; so are museums, historical sites, the metro, buses and trains. It looks like everyone is moving on with their lives and living with the virus (note: it's just my observation and not a pro/anti-mask commentary).

 

[Pellice]

Travel hopes dashed again. I was supposed to be on a 6 am flight to Miami and then to South America to join a birding tour. At 1:50 am I get a text that my flight is canceled. They rebooked me on a flight that got me in Sunday evening, 36 hours later. The tour is supposed to take a flight into the Amazon headwaters Sunday morning, so that wouldn't do. Trying to reach American iAirlines s hard. I also tried a DM via twitter, which finally got answered 12 hours later.

I had scheduled myself to come in a day early, to take care of any issues like this, but a day early wasn't enough. There were no available flights that I could find. Once my tour manager got into the office, she started looking, and found one that cost more and got in later, but had a plus in that a key leg was business class. I accepted that one, but it disappeared before we could book. She found a couple of others that just didn't seem safe enough. One had a 2 hour window in Panama City, more expensive and with bad seats, and given the issues that I had with this flight and my previous Florida trip, I thought it too risky. Another one was 1st class and too expensive.

I have travel insurance, and I have documentation that my flights were canceled until after the tour itself had commenced, so I hope I can get the tour price reimbursed. The flights will not be a problem.

Travel is a risky endeavor, still.

 

[fosterscik]

Travel hopes dashed again. I was supposed to be on a 6 am flight to Miami and then to South America to join a birding tour. At 1:50 am I get a text that my flight is canceled. They rebooked me on a flight that got me in Sunday evening, 36 hours later. The tour is supposed to take a flight into the Amazon headwaters Sunday morning, so that wouldn't do. Trying to reach American Airlines is hard. I also tried a DM via twitter, which finally got answered 12 hours later.

That's really terrible.

We had a similar experience with AA two weeks ago. Scheduled to fly to Miami from Atlanta to meet up with our DD to go scuba diving. Our plane was cancelled after we'd been driving an hour down to ATL. A replacement flight was offered more than 24 hours later; our DD was on time and would arrive in Miami without us and our booked rental car. We decided to just keep driving all the way to Miami and then on to Key West where we had a dive resort reservation for the week. DD had to rent a 1-way car rental to get from MIA to Key West rather than wait hours at the airport. The trip worked out OK but I didn't enjoy our 13 hour drive down...

 

[Trailwalker]

Travel hopes dashed again.

I had scheduled myself to come in a day early, to take care of any issues like this, but a day early wasn't enough. There were no available flights that I could find. Once my tour manager got into the office, she started looking, and found one that cost more and got in later, but had a plus in that a key leg was business class. I accepted that one, but it disappeared before we could book. She found a couple of others that just didn't seem safe enough. One had a 2 hour window in Panama City, more expensive and with bad seats, and given the issues that I had with this flight and my previous Florida trip, I thought it too risky. Another one was 1st class and too expensive.

I have travel insurance, and I have documentation that my flights were canceled until after the tour itself had commenced, so I hope I can get the tour price reimbursed. The flights will not be a problem.

Travel is a risky endeavor, still.

I'm sorry that happened.


Who did you use for travel insurance? We don't normally get travel insurance, but we don't usually go on organized tours either like the one we're taking in Peru in September. I would be interested in who you used and if and when they pay.

 

[Pellice]

I'm sorry that happened.


Who did you use for travel insurance? We don't normally get travel insurance, but we don't usually go on organized tours either like the one we're taking in Peru in September. I would be interested in who you used and if and when they pay.

I usually use Allianz, and have had to contact them a couple of times about reimbursements, and both times they were satisfactory. This trip iinsurance is with CSI-Generali, recommended by the tour company. They seemed more rinky-dink than Allianz, but nonetheless gave me a credit when an earlier tour was canceled. I'll let you know how this turns out.

I am disappointed and pretty well spooked about travel now.

*I will say that CSI - and other major companies - are fairly explicit about their covid policies. They will cover quarantine costs, for example, following a positive test. They have dedicated pages for their covid policies.

 

[explanade]

Returned a couple of days ago after 3 weeks in France with a bit of Italy.

Very hot already in early June.

Had appt for Covid test day before my return but canceled it when the testing requirement was dropped.

 

[gattara]

Pellice, I understand your disappointment. I'm sorry this happened to you, it's terrible.

 

[ElizabethT]

Reading about Pelice's difficulties, I'm thinking arriving one day ahead of a departing cruise or tour, or an important event like a wedding, graduation, or funeral, may no longer be adequate enough to be 'safe.' Which has me rethinking our arrival dates for several upcoming big trips.

Interesting times.

 

[NW-Bound]

Returned a couple of days ago after 3 weeks in France with a bit of Italy.

Very hot already in early June.

Had appt for Covid test day before my return but canceled it when the testing requirement was dropped.

In 2017, I did a 6-week trip through France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium.

I landed in Paris on May 10. It was still cool. The idea was to head south where it was warmer, then turn around north as the weather warmed up.

At the end of the trip in late June when we came back to Paris, same as this time, Europe got a heat wave. It was in the high 90s, and the Airbnb in Paris had no AC. Oh man, I found it hard to sleep at night. On June 21, at the airport I watched the newscast where they were talking about some towns hitting 100F.

Got back in Phoenix, and basked in 120F weather. ARGHHHH!

 

[ElizabethT]

In 2017, I did a 6-week trip through France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium.

I landed in Paris on May 10. It was still cool. The idea was to head south where it was warmer, then turn around north as the weather warmed up.

At the end of the trip in late June when we came back to Paris, same as this time, Europe got a heat wave. It was in the high 90s, and the Airbnb in Paris had no AC. Oh man, I found it hard to sleep at night. On June 21, at the airport I watched the newscast where they were talking about some towns hitting 100F.

Got back in Phoenix, and basked in 120F weather. ARGHHHH!

It's100 here in W Europe now - We're currently in France - and we just bailed on our no-A/C hotel at a considerable penalty in order to rebook one with it. And I can attest after two good nights of cool sleep that it was worth every penny.

The worst of the heat doesn't set in until mid to late afternoon, so the mornings have been pleasant still for walking about. We're doing air conditioned museums in the late afternoon, which is proving to be a good strategy. The heat wave should begin to abate starting tonight.

 

[explanade]

I always search for hotels with AC now.

And more lately, those with elevators because it sucks lugging suitcases weighing 50 pounds up narrow set of stairs.

I was in one place which had AC but it was weak, even though it had a very large fan going.

But couldn't sleep with the fan noise so I was waking up in the middle of the night to turn it on for awhile.

Most of the vacation rentals have mini splits and those will chill up a room quickly, so have to turn it off periodically.

 

[NW-Bound]

Temperature in some places in France and Spain hit 43C (109F) yesterday. I would be very miserable without AC.

 

[kcowan]

We have rebooked our European tour. Vancouver to Frankfurt, connecting to Budapest. Then tarin to Prague and later to Vienna. Fly to Lisbon, connecting tp Duoro River cruise. Ending up in Madrid then flying back to Vancouver. Originally scheduled 2 years ago. 28 days.

 

[athena53]

It was in the high 90s, and the Airbnb in Paris had no AC. Oh man, I found it hard to sleep at night.

Last month I realized the studio in Munich that I rented had no A/C. It was lovely, temperate weather and I could keep the doors to the balcony open so it didn't bother me at all but I'm not sure I'd be as comfortable now.

One thing I've learned, mostly from the Airbnb I rented a few years ago in Edinburgh: be VERY careful about what is NOT included in the listing. The place in Edinburgh had everything listed but no microwave, only a french press coffeemaker so you had to boil water in a pan for the french press, a minimal amount of lights and electrical outlets and no paid TV programming (I used my Netflix account).

 

[skyking1]

That sounds grand, Kcowan.

 

[tulak]

I arrived in Lisbon yesterday. Much cooler here than in other parts of Europe. I was hoping it’d be a bit warmer, but not too bad for site-seeing.

As an fyi, we weren’t asked for covid tests or vaccination status. And immigration/customs was a breeze. I guess we were lucky with an evening arrival?

 

[MuirWannabe]

I haven’t read all the previous posts. But did the US officially drop the return testing requirements? I had read they might, but just haven’t seen if it’s officially true now that no return testing is required. Looking at the CDC site it says it’s not required. Just wanting confirmation. Thanks.

 

[athena53]

I haven’t read all the previous posts. But did the US officially drop the return testing requirements? I had read they might, but just haven’t seen if it’s officially true now that no return testing is required. Looking at the CDC site it says it’s not required. Just wanting confirmation. Thanks.

Yes, it's been discontinued. Good news!

 

[Pellice]

Just saw an internal corporate communication that low cost carriers are pre-emptively canceling flights for this upcoming weekend, starting Saturday, and that the communication expects 3,000 canceled flights. I wonder if that warning will be realized.

 

[Trailwalker]

Just saw an internal corporate communication that low cost carriers are pre-emptively canceling flights for this upcoming weekend, starting Saturday, and that the communication expects 3,000 canceled flights. I wonder if that warning will be realized.

That's crazy. My DW is coming home on a cheap Allegiant flight this morning. She might be dodging a bullet. This particular flight is once/week. Cancellation would have been problematic.

 

[athena53]

There's a long list of hints for surviving the airport chaos circulating in social media. it was written by a flight attendant. I'm sure she's been on the receiving end of the anger and anguish when things go wrong and her advice is helpful- but it's really the airlines that made this mess. They promised more flights than they could deliver, took passengers' money for them and now passengers and customer-facing workers are paying the price.

Pete Buttigeig, Secretary of Transportation, met with the airline executives in NYC and his flight back to DC was cancelled. He drove home.

I hope that motivates him to pressure them to fix this.