Jump to content

Coronavirus Impact on Travel


idigTexas

Recommended Posts

On 3/20/2021 at 11:42 AM, Damor said:

Yeah, we're gonna need you and @hornbri to go ahead and start a Maldives thread, OK?  Thaaanks.  /lumbergh

Diver's & snorkeler's paradise. Clear water. Lots of sharks, dolphins, rays, turtles, and other sea life. Sounded a little boring otherwise, imho. But one person's 'boring' is another's peace & relaxation.

Edited by wood
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, sidis said:

I just went to Tulum for the week last week.  You should get to the CUN airport way early regardless as it is now a bit of a hassle.

1) in addition to all the normal immigration form/passport stuff, you will have to scan a qr code for your flight at the beginning of the check-in line and there, you have to enter boarding pass and passenger info like passport numbers, etc..., then you have to upload a picture of your negative text and assuming it is approved, you will get another qr code associated with your boarding pass.

2) the airline will require an attestation form you have to fill out as well and submit to the agent at the end of the check-in line (this is regardless of whether or not you check bags by the way).

3) the one that snagged up quite a few people at security, make sure you submit the mexican government form as well online so that you get your qr code from them as well.  it is here: mexican stuff

4) regardless, terminal 3 at cun is now a giant rapid testing center but you will be fine as long as it is within three days. 

Sounds ... interesting. Hope it's streamlined a little before we show up in July for the Isla trip. Maybe there will be some kind consideration by then for the vaccinated, but I doubt it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, wood said:

Sounds ... interesting. Hope it's streamlined a little before we show up in July for the Isla trip. Maybe there will be some kind consideration by then for the vaccinated, but I doubt it.

it honestly wasn't terrible.  it's just a hassle of a checklist of things to deal with.  the airline and security employees were pretty efficient and streamlined...it is just other people who didn't know what they needed to do at each step clogging shit up a bit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flew to Denver last week for long weekend in Estes Park.  No issues at all.

Doing a couple of weeks in Costa Rica in May.  Already scheduled covid test to be allowed back.  Not expecting any issues there.

Honestly I think we traveled more in 2020 than in any year previously.  Puerto Vallarta/Sayulita twice--March and August, Hoh Rainforest, Telluride, Christmas and New year in Vermont/Portsmouth/Bar Harbor (Boston looked like some post-apocalyptic ghost town).

Interesting to see the different attitudes in the various locales.  

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, wood said:

Diver's & snorkeler's paradise. Clear water. Lots of sharks, dolphins, rays, turtles, and other sea life. Sounded a little boring otherwise, imho. But one person's 'boring' is another's peace & relaxation.

Sweet.  I haven't scuba dived (?) since I was 12 years old and am going to get re-certified before I go.  Good to know.  Can't wait.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Augustus said:

Doing a couple of weeks in Costa Rica in May.

Ditto.  I am kind of hoping maybe they drop the in bound test for vaccinated Americans by then.    I am spending a few days in the central valley looking at houses to either buy or rent so I can remote work and eventually move there; then head down to Jaco for a change from MA/Quepos. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Anyone looking into Colombia?

The Colombian I know (born raised family still living in Chia) who has family down there says its pretty rough still.  I'd be concerned about what is open and what you can even do.   Even though they are allowing tourists.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Haven’t traveled since January 2020. We normally do 3 international trips a year plus 4 tirops back to Texas, plus cent less long weekends in NYC. I bought plane tickets to come to Dallas in mid June and can’t fucking wait to, damn the Texas best I now despise. I’m gonna gorge for 5 straight days. 

tirops 

cent less long weekends

Are we all clear?

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, midtown said:

Ditto.  I am kind of hoping maybe they drop the in bound test for vaccinated Americans by then.    I am spending a few days in the central valley looking at houses to either buy or rent so I can remote work and eventually move there; then head down to Jaco for a change from MA/Quepos. 

If you mean inbound to Costa Rica, there is no covid test necessary.  Just for returning home.  You'll just need the health insurance, and to fill out the HealthPass within 48 hours of boarding, which you can do here:  https://salud.go.cr/

But maybe you're referring to the test to come home.

 

Re-reading your post I'm guessing that's what you meant.  Nevermind

Edited by Augustus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, midtown said:

Ditto.  I am kind of hoping maybe they drop the in bound test for vaccinated Americans by then.    I am spending a few days in the central valley looking at houses to either buy or rent so I can remote work and eventually move there; then head down to Jaco for a change from MA/Quepos. 

Sounds awesome, by the way.

We're spending the second half of the trip at the Los Altos resort right by MA. First half at Nayara resort near the Arenal volcano.

Never been, looking forward to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, maninblack said:

Headed to Portugal in June

Is all of the EU open now, or are you just expecting it to be by then?

We had Germany/Switzerland scheduled for last May.  Then August....   Then December....  Then said fuck it and went to New England.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Augustus said:

Is all of the EU open now, or are you just expecting it to be by then?

We had Germany/Switzerland scheduled for last May.  Then August....   Then December....  Then said fuck it and went to New England.

Going for EDC Portugal and Portugal is opening up. Not sure about the rest of the countries. I'm ready to get fucking down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, maninblack said:

Going for EDC Portugal and Portugal is opening up. Not sure about the rest of the countries. I'm ready to get fucking down.

I googled a bit after I posted and it looks the EU will be moving toward "vaccination passports"  in order to get travel opened up more quickly.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Read a big thing on it last week or so. Looks like a big sticking point is what vaccines count, and what to do about people who are not vaccinated.

Seems like an interim deal before “herd immunity” kicks in and then go from there or some shit. Typical politics and whatever, and deciding how to handle it within the EU, but also build something that other places can use to. Guess they are trying to work with the W.H.O. on being able to use the setup in more than just the EU.

Will be interesting to see what comes out of all the hubbub. My guess is it will be slowed by politics and someone else will come up with something better that they end up using. 
 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, Augustus said:

Los Altos

That's a good spot.  You can walk to all the restaurants and bars at the top of the hill.   If you need a good beach spot with a bar try Buena Vista.  It's a Tulemar property but it's also right on the main public beach.  The guys at the bar are tops and they will get you a few chair and umbrella and bring drinks.   The chef and food are the best I've had in that area.  If you are the kind of tourist who is afraid of locals and want to be insulated in their resort then its not the spot for you.  The fact you are going to MA vs Tamagringo tell me your not.  Bonus is that there seemed to be a pretty constant flow of young big breasted ticos hanging around.  Oh and watch your shit.  The monkey will take your back pack right up the trees

Switch over to the Costa Rica thread for more info.  We have an insider for that area

Edited by midtown
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/27/2021 at 8:35 AM, midtown said:

That's a good spot.  You can walk to all the restaurants and bars at the top of the hill.   If you need a good beach spot with a bar try Buena Vista.  It's a Tulemar property but it's also right on the main public beach.  The guys at the bar are tops and they will get you a few chair and umbrella and bring drinks.   The chef and food are the best I've had in that area.  If you are the kind of tourist who is afraid of locals and want to be insulated in their resort then its not the spot for you.  The fact you are going to MA vs Tamagringo tell me your not.  Bonus is that there seemed to be a pretty constant flow of young big breasted ticos hanging around.  Oh and watch your shit.  The monkey will take your back pack right up the trees

Switch over to the Costa Rica thread for more info.  We have an insider for that area

Good stuff, thank you.

Our friends own Byblos, very near Los Altos, and they recommended it.  I definitely prefer the locals to tourists.  I'll check out the Costa Rica thread, looking for rental car advice.

I learned my monkey lessons traveling through India and Nepal.  Frikkin thieves.  All of them.

Came out of a shop near Buddhist temple with a bag of chips/sodas, suddenly found myself in a tug of war.  Thought I was getting mugged till I saw the bastard was two feet tall.  

Haven't seen capuchins before, though, so looking really forward to that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Buddy just got back from Cabo. 

Said his resort (i can't remember which) and he presumed others, are offering a prepaid "insurance policy" of less than $50 pp that guarantees your food and lodging at the resort if you test positive before the return flight and have to quarantine there. 

Nothing would guarantee more that your test comes back negative than having given the resort $50 which obligated them to house you for two weeks. 

I love the ingenuity of our southern friends to find a work-around to travel risk / hesitancy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/25/2021 at 12:26 PM, wild_turkey said:


Well I was tempted to get an antigen test here tonight, before flying down in the morning. That would save me from messing with it later and eliminate the small risk of getting stuck in Mexico from a false positive test.

This ended up working fine. Got an antigen test in Texas on Thursday evening, spent Friday-Sunday in Tulum, used my test to fly home without ever having to bother with a test in Mexico. Of course, that only worked because I did a 2 night trip, but it was easy for anyone in that situation.

The Cancun airport didn't appear to put a lot of effort into verifying Covid tests. An airline employee briefly looked at our tests, and either he was really quick at seeing the info he needed or he just didn't care. Also filled out the Mexico travel form online, but it only asked a few questions and never required an actual copy of the test. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

58 minutes ago, Ted Lange said:

The key take away to me is now you aren’t required to take a Covid test to return to the states. 

Where did you read that?   Because I have seen nothing to indicate they are dropping the inbound test requirement

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Ted Lange said:

The key take away to me is now you aren’t required to take a Covid test to return to the states. 

Says the opposite.

Quote

Fully vaccinated people should still have a negative COVID-19 test result before they board a flight to the United States and get a COVID-19 test 3 to 5 days after returning from international trave

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, hornbri said:

I assume that means most families will still not be able to travel, since there are not vaccines for those under 16? Or are we just not worried about it?

Plenty of families have been traveling regularly for the last 10 months.

 

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't be much longer before the testing requirements get lifted.  The vaccine efficacy stats for pfizer and moderna are just too high to justify it.  Moderna was at 99.95% in one study done in North Texas recently.

Edited by kevwun
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, midtown said:

Actually the CDC are the idiots here.    After releasing that data they still followed up with "please do not travel".   Seriously moronic.

Could you be a little more reactionary? It's the Centers for Disease Control, not a travel agency. Their stance is essentially, "it's probably not a big deal but it'd be helpful if you could hold off a little while longer as the vaccines roll out." I don't really see the issue with that. Probably could've/should've been updated earlier but I don't know how many people changed their plans based solely on this update.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, gmr548 said:

Could you be a little more reactionary?

I'm not the only one.  Lots of people pointing out the hypocrisy of the CDC not even willing to acknowledge their own science and in doing so undermines their credibility.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alright... need an island to go to.  I'm about to finish up some projects and haven't had a real, get out of the country, vacation since the ex-fiancee and I called it off nearly 3 years ago. 

Questions:

1. Is there just a flat out good resource for finding what countries have lax travel restrictions?

2. What is a good spot that is very walkable/golf cart type place? (I've done Isla Muljeres a handful of times but would like to try something different)

What sayeth the surls? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

1. Is there just a flat out good resource for finding what countries have lax travel restrictions?

Google.  Points guy and a few others keep a list I think.

Found this link

https://www.afar.com/magazine/travelers-with-covid-vaccines-can-visit-these-countries

 

25 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

What is a good spot that is very walkable/golf cart type place? (I've done Isla Muljeres a handful of times but would like to try something different)

Just got back from Belize.  Easy to get to.  Walkable. Golf cart.  It was pretty dead and I assume it will be until the US stops the inbound test, which is also really easy.   I cleared health and immigration/customs in 15 mins.   Stamp, stamp, stamp come on it and spend.  They need it.  Some stuff is closed but plenty open.   Tours etc are hit and miss due to demand.   Bonus because any tour you do will be like 4 people.  Not sure how different it will be since they are relatively close.

Edited by midtown
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, midtown said:

Google.  Points guy and a few others keep a list I think.

Just got back from Belize.  Easy to get to.  Walkable. Golf cart.  It was pretty dead and I assume it will be until the US stops the inbound test, which is also really easy.   I cleared health and immigration/customs in 15 mins.   Stamp, stamp, stamp come on it and spend.  They need it.  Some stuff is closed but plenty open.   Tours etc are hit and miss due to demand.   Bonus because any tour you do will be like 4 people.  Not sure how different it will be since they are relatively close.

Got it.  Where in belize would you stay?  My ideal vacation is one where you can either walk or hop on a golf cart and effectively just pub/restaurant crawl alongside the beach.  Activities are nice but I prefer drunken exploring to whale watching on a boat with 30 other people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Jhawk said:

Got it.  Where in belize would you stay?  My ideal vacation is one where you can either walk or hop on a golf cart and effectively just pub/restaurant crawl alongside the beach.  Activities are nice but I prefer drunken exploring to whale watching on a boat with 30 other people.

From what I understand from a local.  Caye Caulker which was generally quiet is dead.  Like nothing open at all.   You can pick any number of places in San Pedro and bar hop and stumble up and down the beach.   Sandy toes is open. Palapa.  A few others.  Crocs.  Truck stop and everything at secret beach.   More might be open now.   Curfew is still 10pm though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Jhawk said:

Alright... need an island to go to.  I'm about to finish up some projects and haven't had a real, get out of the country, vacation since the ex-fiancee and I called it off nearly 3 years ago. 

Questions:

1. Is there just a flat out good resource for finding what countries have lax travel restrictions?

2. What is a good spot that is very walkable/golf cart type place? (I've done Isla Muljeres a handful of times but would like to try something different)

What sayeth the surls? 

Cozumel is another option. No golf carts, but taxis everywhere and shit tons of bars/restaurants for crawling. Easy and cheap to fly to from Texas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...