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COVID affects everything, including travel. These are the times we live in. Yes, you can still get out there, but there are definitely scenarios to consider, some more serious than others.
BEFORE YOU RESERVE
- WHAT IS THE REFUND/CHANGE POLICY?
- If you get Covid, can you cancel? Can everyone in your party?
- If part of your itinerary gets cancelled, can you get a refund on your whole trip?
- If government regulations change, can you get a refund?
This might be a good time to consider travel insurance. We never had before (we just relied on our credit card coverage or were willing to take a loss, and our health insurance pretty much covers us when we travel). However, in December, my husband was not allowed to fly home from Colombia with us when he tested positive for Covid (he’s fine and home now). This brought up a ton of concerns and unknowns. That prompted me to get travel insurance for 2022. If, however, a trip isn’t super expensive and your health coverage travels with you, travel insurance might not be worth the cost.
- Will you be visiting a place where you’re comfortable with the medical care you would receive?
- Does someone in your party speak the language of the personnel in the hospitals where you’re visiting? I know a woman who had to be hospitalized in a country where she and her family did not speak the language. She couldn’t understand most of what was happening in the hospital. If you get Covid, will you understand what doctors are saying to you?
- What are the requirements to fly?
For example, at the time we traveled to Colombia (do NOT take this as current since things are always changing–things changed between our reservations and travel), in order to leave the States to fly to Colombia, you had to have either: full vaccination over 14 days prior (and we had to show our cards multiple times); full vaccination with the second dose in the past 14 days also accompanied by a negative test; or partial vaccination and a negative test. No vaxx, no fly! To return to the States, there was no vaccination requirement, but you had to have a negative test.
- If you need to test in order to return, where will you get tested and how much will it cost?
WHAT IF YOU’RE ABROAD AND YOU GET COVID?
- If you get stuck abroad because you test positive for Covid, how long can you afford to stay in hotels if you need to?
- How long are you able to miss work if you get stuck?
If traveling internationally with kids, What will you do if a parent tests positive for Covid?
We had decided that if one parent had Covid and the other parent didn’t and Sequoia didn’t, then the healthy parent would take Sequoia back to the States. If Sequoia had Covid, I’d be staying with her even if Paul was positive and me negative.
In our case, Paul was the only positive one, so he stayed back. It was stressful. My husband and I have traveled apart before, but this time the US wasn’t allowing him to come home, he had Covid, he didn’t speak Spanish, timing was indefinite, and we didn’t know what we’d do if he got sick enough to be hospitalized (thank you, vaccine, for making this a quick, mild case).
MISC.
- Do you need tickets/reservations ahead of time? Are attractions timed-entry? Are there unexpected age limits? Maximum capacity? (Even some National Parks require reservations.)
- Keep abreast of closures, real-time. Things close out of precaution, staff testing positive, staffing shortages, etc., so you might need to adjust on the fly.
Take plenty of spare masks!! If you’re flying, FYI, airlines are doing a pretty good job with Covid precautions, in my experience.
And please: do us all a favor and comply with federal and local regulations and the rights of businesses to choose the level of caution they want to take. And get vaccinated if you haven’t already!
