Vacationing in times of Covid

[zman13 180]

On 5/19/2021 at 3:27 PM, kevwun said:

United has started a partnership with Abbott rapid tests that meet the re-entry travel requirement for the US.  You buy the test online, take itwith you in your carry-on and take it within 3 days of your return.  Even have an online advisor available to walk you through the test.  The results are delivered to an app on your phone.  You get 6 tests for $150.  I am sure other airlines will be on board shortly.

https://www.emed.com/products/covid-at-home-testkit-six-pack?hsLang=en

About an hour after reading your post, I was at HEB and saw the Abbot BinaxNow tests. They look the same as the tests that emed is selling.

 Each box is $20 and includes two tests. I don't know if you have to pay extra for the telehealth session, but HEB has them a lot cheaper than emed

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/binaxnow-covid-19-antigen-self-test-kit/5294009

[Anastasis 23,514]

15 hours ago, zman13 said:

About an hour after reading your post, I was at HEB and saw the Abbot BinaxNow tests. They look the same as the tests that emed is selling.

 Each box is $20 and includes two tests. I don't know if you have to pay extra for the telehealth session, but HEB has them a lot cheaper than emed

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/binaxnow-covid-19-antigen-self-test-kit/5294009

Same test but emed provides the certificate of results necessary for travel. 

[wood 11,612]

Just finished Global Entry applications for the family. Got conditional approvals within 48 hrs on all of them. Already set appointments at ABIA. Appointment times available as soon as May 29, and July is wide open.

[conVINCEd 21,474]

Nothing like coming home from dinner to find a sick 11 yr old lab who has shit all over your house the day before you are supposed to head out of town for 10 days for the first time in over a year.  I was going to come home from dinner, grab the mutt, drop her off at my parents, and finish packing.  Off to the emergency vet we go.

[utee94 15,888]

1 hour ago, conVINCEd said:

Nothing like coming home from dinner to find a sick 11 yr old lab who has shit all over your house the day before you are supposed to head out of town for 10 days for the first time in over a year.  I was going to come home from dinner, grab the mutt, drop her off at my parents, and finish packing.  Off to the emergency vet we go.

Sheesh, hope all is well with the doggo.

[conVINCEd 21,474]

57 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Sheesh, hope all is well with the doggo.

She’s ok.  Not well, but we’re not looking at crossing the rainbow bridge tonight.

[SmokeyTheBear 5,569]

Rented a house on the side of a mountain in Colorado for 6 weeks to take the fam. Covid or not, we're socially distancing out into the (semi)wild. 

 

[HRSchenker 2,293]

We just got back from Yellowstone. Travel was a piece of cake. Only annoying thing was the mandatory mask rule at the airport but hey, I didn't knock anyone's teeth out over it. Global Entry got me TSA Precheck too so it was nice to enter the terminal without having to put all of my clothes back on.

[Brew 3,049]

Flew to Chicago for a couple of days last week for the first time since all this started. Airports were great with traveler counts down, flights on time, boarding/deplaning organized, etc. We go to Chicago a couple of times a year normally. It’s been hit hard, lots of closed places but the ones we frequent were still there. Police presence downtown was extremely high.

Heading out for South Florida tomorrow, be interesting to see how the community we are in down there is dealing with this since we were there at Christmas. Bunch of old people, so it has stayed locked down for the most part.

[RollLeft 5,050]

Aside from the airport on Friday I have rarely had to put on a mask.  I carry one still but just not a thing anymore, in TX, it seems.  

[dcbc 14,570]

Road tripping to DC.  Arkansas - What's a mask?  Tennessee - What's a mask?  Virginia, combination of mask in hotel common areas, mask if you aren't vaccinated, and what's a mask?  DC - Mask in the hotel common areas and purportedly, most people are just asking for it if you're not vaccinated.  Will see how the museums handle it tomorrow.

Obviously, we're doing it if it's required or my kids will wear them if it's an "if you're vaxxed" situation since they don't get their second shots until next weekend.

Edited June 1, 2021 by dcbc

[conVINCEd 21,474]

On 5/29/2021 at 11:51 PM, conVINCEd said:

She’s ok.  Not well, but we’re not looking at crossing the rainbow bridge tonight.

Doggy has perked up.  Feel comfortable with leaving her with my parents now.  Rescheduled the flights and now leaving on Friday.

[South Austin 52,736]

Flying to Rosemary Beach on Saturday, my first time on a plane since July 2019. 

A friend told me this weekend that with all the revenge travel going on some of the airport parking lots are filling up all their parking spaces, so you should make reservations.  Anyone experience this?  I made a reservation to park at Fast Park just in case.

[hornbri 1,467]

14 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Flying to Rosemary Beach on Saturday, my first time on a plane since July 2019. 

A friend told me this weekend that with all the revenge travel going on some of the airport parking lots are filling up all their parking spaces, so you should make reservations.  Anyone experience this?  I made a reservation to park at Fast Park just in case.

Interesting, when we left for our last trip there was plenty of parking at fast park, but when we arrived back on Saturday the driver did tell us they were full. 

[Hanrahan 1,306]

I’m at a resort in Cancun after not even going out to eat in a year. Staff are all masked but the guests are largely not. Resort is limited to 50% capacity but I’d be surprised if it was 25%. COVID test for the return is part of the package and scheduled when you arrive. Saw Eduardo Najera at dinner last night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hate 20,164]

I’m at a resort in Cancun after not even going out to eat in a year. Staff are all masked but the guests are largely not. Resort is limited to 50% capacity but I’d be surprised if it was 25%. COVID test for the return is part of the package and scheduled when you arrive. Saw Eduardo Najera at dinner last night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hope you kicked that dirty fucking rotten former maverick in the junk!

[conVINCEd 21,474]

4 minutes ago, Hate said:

I hope you kicked that dirty fucking rotten former maverick in the junk!

You could’ve just gone with former sooner and spared us the intra-Texas basketball hate on the food/travel forum.

[Js1 85,782]

24 minutes ago, Hanrahan said:

I’m at a resort in Cancun after not even going out to eat in a year. Staff are all masked but the guests are largely not. Resort is limited to 50% capacity but I’d be surprised if it was 25%. COVID test for the return is part of the package and scheduled when you arrive. Saw Eduardo Najera at dinner last night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My friends and I are going to Cabo next month.  The COVID test for return travel is really annoying to be still be required, but our villa concierge is scheduling it as soon as we arrive.  Even though we are all double dosed. 

[Jive Turkey 12,724]

just got back from Denver/Boulder.  every place we went to was "masks encouraged but not required if you're vaccinated."  so we never wore masks.  except the airport.

[wood 11,612]

7 hours ago, Hate said:

I hope you kicked that dirty fucking rotten former maverick in the junk!

 

6 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

You could’ve just gone with former sooner and spared us the intra-Texas basketball hate on the food/travel forum.

Por que no los dos?

[utee94 15,888]

14 minutes ago, wood said:

 

Por que no los dos?

Because ou sucks and the NBA is irrelevant.

[elfenix 34,387]

Lots of people waiting in regular TSA line, no one in precheck. Weird. Hour to boarding and one drink in at 10:45.

[South Austin 52,736]

Looks like I need to re-think tomorrow’s airport arrival time.

[BurntOrange&White 40,472]

Leaving for Cancun in 31 days for a week....

 

Any forms or anything I should know about?

[CooterBrown 18,097]

Just did a rapid test for travel and the results are a plain document, no logo, with the results in Times New Roman. It's like an old school printout from a mainframe computer.  It'd be so easy to fake along with printing your own vaccine card on card stock.  I'd guess a sizeable portion of travelers are just faking their docs.

 

[zman13 180]

3 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Leaving for Cancun in 31 days for a week....

 

Any forms or anything I should know about?

Going to Mexico - easy

Coming back to the U.S - gotta do a covid test and some forms.

The airlines have to verify the covid test. The lines at the Cancun airport for that verification can be really long. A few weeks ago, we waited 1.75 hours in the JetBlue line to get our test verified. Made our flight with only 15 minutes to spare. 

[DoobieWah 1,476]

I had to make an emergency trip to Portugal. Flew thru Frankfurt last weekend and was denied boarding at the gate for my Lisbon flight as I didn’t have the “correct” COVID test for entry. Got tested in the airport and had to overnight while waiting on my €100 results. Got them back about an hour before my flight.

Spent the night at an airport hotel and didn’t see a single face as all restaurants and bars were closed tight and EVERYONE was masked. 

Portugal is more “What mask?” outside but they are required inside most retail places and while entering or leaving restaurants. Restaurants do a quick disinfectant of tables and chairs between customers. 

I expect to be here through June.  Weather is high 40s at night and high 60s in during the day. I’m near a resort area in the Algarve and while it looks pretty busy to me, locals say business is still down.

 

[midtown 3,348]

51 minutes ago, DoobieWah said:

I expect to be here through June.

You poor bastard

[DoobieWah 1,476]

38 minutes ago, midtown said:

You poor bastard

Yeah. My favorite uncle passed away Sunday before last and I'm here to bring my favorite aunt back to Texas. There's a lot to be done and she's not in great health herself. 

This is no sight seeing tour. 

[midtown 3,348]

1 hour ago, DoobieWah said:

This is no sight seeing tour. 

Well shit.  I assumed it was a work trip.  Sorry to hear about your uncle

[Anastasis 23,514]

7 hours ago, South Austin said:

Looks like I need to re-think tomorrow’s airport arrival time.

Jesus that is stupid. 

[DoobieWah 1,476]

39 minutes ago, midtown said:

Sorry to hear about your uncle

Thx

Probably the finest Sooner that ever lived. He paid my way through UT for example. I owe them a lot. 

[conVINCEd 21,474]

4 minutes ago, conVINCEd said:

Nothing like being on vacation and catching COVID on your second day.  Fully vaccinated a month ago, woke up yesterday morning not feeling well, symptoms are that of a mid-grade cold.  Female host is 7 months pregnant and also a nurse, and as such is a bit sensitive about all things health-related right now.  Got a take home test and was positive.  Been isolating in the guest house of our host since yesterday afternoon.  Looks like the long awaited vacation will consist of posting on surly and watching tv.  Hopefully that’s the worst case scenario.  To top things off, this was a scouting trip for a move later this year, so there was actually some work that needed to get done in that regard that in all likelihood won’t happen now.  Woo hoo!!!

FML.

[LABEVO 928]

On 6/4/2021 at 11:09 AM, CooterBrown said:

Just did a rapid test for travel and the results are a plain document, no logo, with the results in Times New Roman. It's like an old school printout from a mainframe computer.  It'd be so easy to fake along with printing your own vaccine card on card stock.  I'd guess a sizeable portion of travelers are just faking their docs.

 

Flying through Germany, I had to do the same. I am shocked at the documents lack of official look / feel. I had to tell the airline employee in Istanbul just yesterday that I don't need a covid test for Croatia travel, because I am vaccinated. He shrug and said ok. 

Every country that I have traveled to in the past month (4) required to sell paper proof of either vaccination or covid test even though I uploaded to their systems. 

[South Austin 52,736]

I’ve been in Rosemary Beach all week, and I’ve seen maybe five people out of the masses wearing a mask. Nobody is wearing masks in restaurants or grocery stores. Our group of three families have all been vaccinated so we’ve said fuck it and haven’t worn a mask since we left the airport. 

I’m going to New Orleans for Fourth of July weekend and figure it’ll be similar.

[kevwun 15,943]

New Orleans was already almost back to normal in the middle of March when we went.

[dcbc 14,570]

11 hours ago, South Austin said:

I’ve been in Rosemary Beach all week, and I’ve seen maybe five people out of the masses wearing a mask. Nobody is wearing masks in restaurants or grocery stores. Our group of three families have all been vaccinated so we’ve said fuck it and haven’t worn a mask since we left the airport. 

I’m going to New Orleans for Fourth of July weekend and figure it’ll be similar.

That was my experience on our DC trip.  Once we left VA, masks, and therefore, COVID, did not exist.  We're vaxxed and waxxed and our kids, at that point, were half vaxxed.  So we rolled in with the randoms.  Vaccine held up fine.

[Telegraph_it 3,374]

12 hours ago, South Austin said:

I’ve been in Rosemary Beach all week, and I’ve seen maybe five people out of the masses wearing a mask. Nobody is wearing masks in restaurants or grocery stores. Our group of three families have all been vaccinated so we’ve said fuck it and haven’t worn a mask since we left the airport. 

I’m going to New Orleans for Fourth of July weekend and figure it’ll be similar.

It’s been that way for awhile. We were staying on 30A in April and the only place that kind of required masks was some shops in Seaside. Now that Seaside charges for parking I doubt I go there anymore. It was nice not having to think about a mask at all  

I am 2.5 weeks from Jackson Hole and it cannot get here fast enough. I am already tired of this humidity and I won’t have to see it again until August. 
 

 

[Mo Horn 8,899]

YES!!!!!

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,246]

YES!!!!!

I am seriously contemplating the Greek Isles. Sifnos and one other one.

[midtown 3,348]

Awesome.  That means I should be able to get back to London for a soccer match this fall.

 

[Telegraph_it 3,374]

PSA: The Bahamas are open and so are the Tetons.  

 

[midtown 3,348]

Alaska airlines serving booze

Also a nice little argument across the isle about seat recline. Dude told the chick she should lose weight instead of complaining about seat recline..

[Reagan1k 3,026]

Testing done at resorts for return flights to US have become a joke.  They don't want positive tests showing up at their site, know most traveling US citizens are vaccinated anyway, and are just going through the motions to give a test to get tourists their paperwork to let them board US bound flights.

Last test I had they barely touched my nose, and it was the same for my friends.   Waved the swab close to the nose and printed a negative test.  Cursory box-checking at this point.   I started laughing and the nurse gave me a STFU look and waved me out.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Reagan1k

[kevwun 15,943]

We got tested in our hotel in Belize and all appeared to be on the up and up.  Uploaded our negative test to the united app and showed it at the counter when we checked in.  We changed flights in Houston and started talking to another couple when we were waiting to go through security.  They said they never uploaded their negative test and were never asked to show it to anyone.  Didn't see anyone checking when we cleared customs in Houston either.  I guess it's the honor system at this point.

Edited June 24, 2021 by kevwun

[Js1 85,782]

On 6/4/2021 at 10:12 AM, zman13 said:

Going to Mexico - easy

Coming back to the U.S - gotta do a covid test and some forms.

The airlines have to verify the covid test. The lines at the Cancun airport for that verification can be really long. A few weeks ago, we waited 1.75 hours in the JetBlue line to get our test verified. Made our flight with only 15 minutes to spare. 

What did your testing cost?   I know some resorts are offering it free/reduced by rolling the price into the room.  We are doing an AirBnB and they told us they can arrange for $50/person - but a lot of my googling looks like non-resort offered testing is like $150-$180 but I'm trying to get advice from some people who have been recently.

[Mo Horn 8,899]

35 minutes ago, kevwun said:

We got tested in our hotel in Belize and all appeared to be on the up and up.  Uploaded our negative test to the united app and showed it at the counter when we checked in.  We changed flights in Houston and started talking to another couple when we were waiting to go through security.  They said they never uploaded their negative test and were never asked to show it to anyone.  Didn't see anyone checking when we cleared customs in Houston either.  I guess it's the honor system at this point.

I'm guessing this will be the next thing scraped, especially if you can show your vaccination record. It may depend on the country of origin, for a while. 

[kevwun 15,943]

The going rate in Belize is $75 a test.  Their testing system is organized by the government.  Local clinics and doctors do the tests, but the government coordinates the appointments and collects the results.

[midtown 3,348]

13 hours ago, Reagan1k said:

Testing done at resorts for return flights to US have become a joke. 

Shit not in CR.    They went full on.   Nose and throat like she was trying to make a gay porno with the swab.  

[zman13 180]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

What did your testing cost?   I know some resorts are offering it free/reduced by rolling the price into the room.  We are doing an AirBnB and they told us they can arrange for $50/person - but a lot of my googling looks like non-resort offered testing is like $150-$180 but I'm trying to get advice from some people who have been recently.

The Cancun airport has a list of accepted testing labs:

https://sedeturqroo.gob.mx/ARCHIVOS/TABLA-1-C19-ING.pdf

We were in Playa Del Carmen and went to Amatista on 5th Ave. Took about 5 minutes to take the antigen test and they emailed the results later that night. It was about $20 USD each.