When will we be able to travel again? I do not know about you, but that has been the question on my mind lately. Now that people are getting vaccinated, and there is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel called COVID-19, things are starting to get back to normal. Obviously, we have had to push aside the fun stuff and do what needed to be done to protect our friends, family and neighbors for the past year to beat the pandemic, but hopefully the worst is behind us and things like travel, concerts and festivals can resume by the fall, but what does the future of travel look like?
In the United States:
In most states, quarantines for people visiting or returning from out-of-state has been completely lifted, leaving Americans free to roam about the continental U.S. (although the CDC still recommends against unnecessary traveling until you are vaccinated). If you are vaccinated and traveling in a safe and responsible way, I would actually recommend booking airline tickets ASAP because even though people are starting to travel again, they are still crazy good prices. When you arrive at your destination, try staying at a boutique or locally owned hotel or B&B to spread a little small business love since the hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.
As far as where to travel, I would still recommend choosing more relaxed and less busy areas for the foreseeable future, because the pandemic is still going on and just because you are vaccinated does not mean everyone around you is. Also, in cities a lot of things are still shut down and restaurants do not always have outdoor space available to them and outdoor dining is still mandated in some states. For that reason, it is best to go somewhere with decent weather which allows you to be outside for most of your time, which is much safer than doing indoor activities.
Internationally:
I do not know if it is my age or it was just a random coincidence, but so many of my friends had big international trips planned in 2020, which was obviously bad timing. But when and how will international travel be able to happen? A good sign I saw just the other day was that Greece just decided to open to Americans provided you have proof of immunization, proof you have already had COVID-19 and have the antibodies or proof of a negative COVID-19 test within a certain number of hours of landing in Greece. Iceland is set to start allowing vaccinated travelers, becoming one of the first countries to do so. Mexico and Ireland are two other notable countries that you can currently travel to, although Ireland is still under fairly heavy restrictions and a quarantine is required upon arrival.
The EU, however, still has a ban on U.S. citizens and show no signs of lifting this policy. Due to their issues with immunization and the U.K. variant, it would probably not be wise to travel to Europe right now anyway, no matter how tempting it is. Experts assume that it is unlikely European travel will be allowed until at least 2022.
One thing is almost certain, international travel will most likely require some proof of vaccination in the future. However, the little white cards the CDC is handing out will not cut it as the CDC is only a national organization and not recognized in all countries. WHO has a vaccination passport that is a good option as it is a global organization. It is a yellow booklet that says information about your COVID-19 vaccination and requires a doctor’s signature. Other considerations are apps like Travel Pass which is currently being tested by Qatar Air. Regardless of which method becomes standard, make sure to do your research before traveling. Ultimately, if you want to travel again getting vaccinated is the key.
