Destinations

Category Archives for Destinations.

A Loophole To Avoid Canada’s New Quarantine Requirement

by Gary Leff on February 20, 2021

Feb 20 2021

Canadians are used to driving across the border into the U.S. to find cheaper airfare – even to get other places inside Canada. Flying from Canada to Mexico and back to Canada used to be known among frequent flyers as ‘the Mexican Hat Dance’. And the challenge of sky high fares for Canadians may get worse in the future with Air Canada acquiring Transat.

However Canadians have a new reason to make use of U.S. airports: a loophole that allows them to circumvent mandatory quarantine on arrival.

Two Passengers Arrested For Trying To Bribe Their Way Out Of Quarantine In Hawaii

by Gary Leff on February 19, 2021

Feb 19 2021

Two tourists were arrested on arrival in Hawaii last Friday after trying to bribe a Honolulu airport worker out of required quarantine on arrival, since they lacked eligible negative Covid-19 tests.

This tells us 3 things about Hawaii’s quarantine.

People Are Getting Around Covid-19 Travel Bans By Making Dentist Appointments

by Gary Leff on February 16, 2021

Feb 16 2021

Are there risks to using a dental appointment confirmation email to circumvent travel restrictions? Just show up for your appointment while on vacation. Those who use the dental loophole, and prepay might as well get a cleaning out of it rather than no-showing, even though “current law permits travelers to be charged only at the point they attempt the overseas journey, not after the fact.”

Alaska Lifts Covid-19 Testing Requirement, Offers Free Testing For Everyone

by Gary Leff on February 15, 2021

Feb 15 2021

Alaska no longer requires a negative Covid-19 test to avoid quarantine on arrival, however they encourage testing: Alaskans already had no cost testing, that’s now available to visitors too.

Should Vaccinated People Be Allowed To Travel Freely?

by Gary Leff on February 14, 2021

Feb 14 2021

We don’t yet know how much transmission is reduced, especially when the second shot has been added into the mix. We do know based on new data that vaccination with at least some Covid-19 vaccines reduce transmission, though. We’ll soon know if they reduce transmission enough to allow those who have been vaccinated to travel more freely.

Man Forced To Return To Los Angeles After Hawaii Rejects His Mayo Clinic Covid-19 Test

by Gary Leff on February 13, 2021

Feb 13 2021

Hawaii requires a negative Covid-19 test in order to avoid 14 day quarantine on arrival. But the process is cumbersome, error-prone, and anything but transparent.

One family was forced to split up, with the husband flying back across the ocean to Los Angeles to get a new test,, after a night spent in a rental car when Hawaii rejected his negative Covid-19 assessment from the world-famous Mayo Clinic.

China’s Domestic Air Travel Has Collapsed, Were They Telling The Truth About Recovery?

by Gary Leff on February 9, 2021

Feb 09 2021

China’s initial Covid-19 outbreak was probably 40 times worse than they reported.

While much blame for lack of transparency is leveed at the national government, early on it’s likely local officials who downplayed the severity of the crisis. Now President Xi relies on projecting an image that China has beaten back the virus and is among the best in the world at doing so. Without this his re-election is at risk. What does a 50% year-over-year drop in air travel after China supposedly beat the virus say?

Australia Says They’ll Require Covid-19 Vaccination For Entry When Borders Re-Open

by Gary Leff on February 8, 2021

Feb 08 2021

The CEO of Qantas said Australia would re-open to visitors in July. The government said not so fast, without actually denying the claim. Now we know a little more about Australia’s re-opening plan.

How To Think About Making Travel Plans Now

by Gary Leff on February 7, 2021

Feb 07 2021

I am making fully refundable bookings using points. However I’ve been avoiding transferring American Express and Chase points when I do not have to, because while awards can be redeposited into an airline frequent flyer account the points cannot usually be moved back from the airline account to Amex or Chase. When you transfer flexible bank points there is a cost in lost flexibility.

Domestic travel should be mostly doable this summer, especially for the vaccinated. We’ll likely be able to travel to hard-hit destinations with vaccination and a negative test, though countries that have quashed the virus will probably stay closed longer.

Help Crowdfund The Last 10% Of A Pilot TV Show On Travel

by Gary Leff on January 30, 2021

Jan 30 2021

Last spring I wrote about a new documentary under development about the frequent flyer hobby. There have been many stabs taken at this.

Now there’s a new twist on travel, not about earning miles and points but about taking regular people on incredible adventures. I reader has an IndieGogo campaign but this one looks like it could really happen.