Category Archives for Destinations.
Germany has tightened restrictions on U.S. visitors and a negative test is no longer sufficient for unvaccinated to enter if they’ve been to the GStates in the previous 10 days.
Since Monday, all international travelers seeking access to restaurants, bars, hospitals, large shopping centers, museums, theaters, sports and amusement parks and more – even common areas of hotels – have to show their passport. (Essential bakeries are excluded from the requirement, because access to baguettes and croissants are basic human rights.) It’s really simple to get, and can be used across Europe.
Starting sometime next year Schengen Europe will make Americans get an ‘ETIAS’ (“European Travel Information and Authorization System”) which is $7 electronic travel permission. Americans will apply online in advance and pay 7 euros, and this permission will be valid for 3 years.
The EU is expected to recommend against allowing American visitors, however each country still sets its own entry rules. As a result nothing may change, there could be come changes in rules leading to greater inconsistency, or several countries could ban American travelers.
Covid-19 self-tests, to be allowed for travel back to the U.S., must be overseen by a foreign call center employee. But wait times for call center employees may stretch into the hours. Be prepared, and consider a work-around.
The U.S. is planning to require vaccination as a condition of entry for nearly all visitors to the country. This would replace country-by-country bans on travelers, and would not apply to returning U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
The U.S. has kept its land borders with Canada and Mexico closed to non-essential traffic, even as Americans flock to vacation in Mexico in record numbers (American Airlines says they’re looking for any airport they don’t currently fly to with a paved runway) and even as Canada announced its re-opening to Americans and others.
The U.S. has also continued to ban travelers who’ve been in China, Iran, the European Schengen area, U.K. and Ireland, Brazil, South Africa or India in the prior 14 days.
While there has been significant discussion of when the U.S. would lift its restrictions, but it appears that may now be off the table.
The U.S. Border Patrol claims the right to search traveler laptops, thumb drives, cell phones, and other devices capable of storing electronic information. They can keep all your data. And they can do it anywhere within 100 miles of the border… except , now, in these 9 states.
When you need your passport renewed, and you have travel within 72 hours, it’s possible to get emergency expedited service. However the State Department has taken the ability to schedule this offline.
The State Department did this because people are using bots to schedule these appointments and then sell them. But this is a cop out.
U.S. Covid-19 travel bans make no sense. They are about politics, not science. Lifting travel restrictions looks weak, and the administration needs to appear to be ‘doing something’.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
