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Many Americans won't fly abroad because of COVID-19 reentry test, TPG surveys show

MULTIZ321

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bnoble

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We skipped a trip to Norway because my daughter had a short turnaround to S Africa for work. She didn’t want to have to pack for both trips just in case she turned up positive after the first and couldn’t get back.
 

emeryjre

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Stopped me from going to Harborside in Bahamas in late February.
 

CPNY

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Stopped me from going to Harborside in Bahamas in late February.
That’s a shame, testing at the Atlantis is super easy and convenient. If you tested positive I think you just stay in your same room until you test negative.
 

kozykritter

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COVID stopped me from flying, not the tests. Not everyone wants to take that added risk. Individual decision. They surveyed TPG readers not the general US population so one would expect a more liberal and enthusiastic attitude towards travel under any conditions.
 

dmbrand

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This might explain why the US immigration lines are so short. We flew into Atlanta on Saturday, middle of the afternoon, from Cayman Islands and there were more agents and airport staff than passengers. Probably will keep some airline traffic down, which might not be a bad thing right now. Many airlines don’t seem to have enough pilots/airline staff to keep up with all the tourism.
 

emeryjre

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That’s a shame, testing at the Atlantis is super easy and convenient. If you tested positive I think you just stay in your same room until you test negative.
The rest of family did not want to risk having to take extra vacation time from work. Went to Marco Island instead.
 
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noreenkate

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That’s me vaccinate boosted and dusty passport. — I really really wanted to celebrate my 50th birthday at Disneyland Paris especially for the 30th anniversary celebration. Until re-entry testing is removed I am to nervous about getting stuck.
 

geist1223

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We have been Vaxed and now Double Boosted. But even when we only had the 1st of 2 original Vaccine shots we traveled by air to Mexico. We have driven to Canada prior to any Boosters.
 

klpca

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My BIL & SIL are on a Mediterranean cruise now (maybe Seabourn) and one of them recently got Covid while on the cruise. They are now in separate cabins and the one who is positive (and pretty ill) has been isolated inside their cabin for 5 days and has missed every port except the first one. So in addition to dealing with testing to get home, covid has pretty much ruined their vacation. It definitely gives you pause because this trip required multiple flights and was not cheap. And now they have the fun of getting back in to the US.

Our trip to the BVI's required 3 negative tests in 9 days (cost was over $500 for us) and after that we decided to stay closer to home for awhile. It was expensive plus you have the added anxiety of needing to test negative each time. There are easier ways to travel so maybe people are just choosing eliminate an unknown.
 

Talent312

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It seems we were actually fortunate to catch Covid recently.
A positive test and recovery letter from our docs means that
we can reenter the U.S. for 90 days (mid-July) without a test.
... Not that you want Covid, but our cases were mild.
 

"Roger"

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I can understand the reluctance to take a chance on a positive test. I just came back from a trip to Spain and Portugal (a tour group for the Duoro River) and admit that I was very nervous about my (and my wife's) covid test the day before returning. There were several members of our tour that had previously tested positive and a few more were added during the day before testing arranged by my tour company. Isolation in a hotel room would not have been fun at all, plus we had a number of important events on our schedule the week we were to get back (and fortunately have).

On the other hand, I would not be happy flying back on an airplane knowing that some of the passengers had tested positive. If I were to suggest any change, I would have the number of days before you can return shortened from ten to five (what most countries you to isolate) or seven (Portugal's requirement).
 

dmbrand

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Cayman has strict quarantine if testing positive. If we would have tested positive, they attach monitoring devices, and pcr test individuals to leave quarantine, with fines up to $10,000 for violations. Our resort would have charged us an additional $350 for cleaning if we were positive. It didn’t stop us from going, but we brought along our home test kits to test prior to the official one to depart. I had a plan B in mind, but it wasn’t necessary. I think the natural salt water nasal irrigation from snorkeling all week long took care of any worries. :cool:
 

Beach57

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I am currently in quarantine in Jamaica after testing positive for pre-departure this past Friday (was supposed to return Saturday). My husband was negative, but chose to stay with me. Apart from two solid days of a runny nose and middle ear fluid, I have been okay. We are well into our fourth day. Being very active people, we jog back and forth within the 25 foot room. The resort takes insurance out on every guest, so our food and lodging is thankfully covered. We have other travel insurance because there are expenses associated with this delay.
This is no picnic, but would not deter me from traveling again. To note, I am very careful about wearing a mask at home, but did not do so here (nobody wears one). What I will do, however, is get my second booster before embarking outside the US again.
 

dmbrand

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@Beach57 Hope your quarantine goes quickly. The jogging in the room has me smiling. Hope you have Netflix as well. lol. We don’t hold back on travel either. We were always in open air during our activities and dinner on Cayman, do you have any idea where you might have been compromised?
 

VacationForever

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We are both fully vaccinated and double boostered and we are not concerned about COVID as we mask up when we are around crowds. I was one of a handful of passengers to wear a mask on my flights to and back from California last week. We have been discussing going to France to go on a river cruise or a Collette land tour but the situation with Russia is a bigger concern for us than COVID. We surely don't want to be in Europe if the war spreads and as it is, it already greatly upsets us.
 

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I have no idea where I picked it up from. I’m from New York, and it’s rampant there, but I was symptomatic six days later. Who knows?
Last night, there was a wedding reception right near our room. We couldn’t see anything, but the reception music was great. We went out on our balcony and danced. Making the best of it!
 

Beach57

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@Beach57 Hope your quarantine goes quickly. The jogging in the room has me smiling. Hope you have Netflix as well. lol. We don’t hold back on travel either. We were always in open air during our activities and dinner on Cayman, do you have any idea where you might have been compromised?

1.5 days left!
 

JudyH

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We have a deposit on France/Spain photography trip May 2023. Hope the red tape improves. Will get a booster or two before the trip.
 

Passepartout

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We are currently in London for 4 nights, pre cruise to Norway. We flew in yesterday, masked when we were in crowds, boarding, etc. Nobody in London seems to care. We are just trying to be safe before we test on Friday before boarding. It wouldn't do to test positive then. We'll test again before flying home next week.

As faithful readers may remember we did a Spain land & Bordeaux river cruise last Aug/Sept and all went well.

Assuming we pull this one off safely (or not), this will use up all the flight cancellations and future cruise credits we accumulated since Covid began in early 2020.

London seems like, well, London. Busy, Expensive. Lots to do. We're off to the British Museum today. A little rainish, so indoors is the call today. A Michelin star food tour tomorrow. Stonehenge Saturday.

Tally Ho!
 

lgreenspan

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I can understand the reluctance to take a chance on a positive test. I just came back from a trip to Spain and Portugal (a tour group for the Duoro River) and admit that I was very nervous about my (and my wife's) covid test the day before returning. There were several members of our tour that had previously tested positive and a few more were added during the day before testing arranged by my tour company. Isolation in a hotel room would not have been fun at all, plus we had a number of important events on our schedule the week we were to get back (and fortunately have).

On the other hand, I would not be happy flying back on an airplane knowing that some of the passengers had tested positive. If I were to suggest any change, I would have the number of days before you can return shortened from ten to five (what most countries you to isolate) or seven (Portugal's requirement).
We are planning on traveling to the Canary islands ( Spain) with a lay over in Lisbon Portugal. I am reading conflicting information on weather a covid test is required for vaccinated travelers. Is a US vaccination card all that is required or will I still need a test?
 

Passepartout

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The cruise to Norway came off smoothly. The pre-cruise stay in the East End was wholly wonderful. Kinda Jack-the-Ripper territory. Now it's safe and foodie heaven. We did a walking food tour. Wonderful!

The cruise on Celebrity Silhouette was great as usual. No surprises. During our day excursions int Norway, I picked up a bug. I knew we'd be testing before flying back to the US, and other than a runny nose, I felt fine. Friday was the last day, andy cold was not abating, so I called the clinic onboard. After the usual 'where have you been and who have you been with', they sent a nurse to swab our noses. Results were back in an hour (negative!! YAY), and since it was, there was no charge!

We shared a car to Heathrow with another couple.

The BA flight to Phoenix is delayed 2 hours so far, and that will blow the final flight home for today.

Who says travel isn't still an adventure?

Jim
 

"Roger"

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We are planning on traveling to the Canary islands ( Spain) with a lay over in Lisbon Portugal. I am reading conflicting information on weather a covid test is required for vaccinated travelers. Is a US vaccination card all that is required or will I still need a test?
I really can't give you a definitive answer either. I flew directly to Spain and fulfilled their entry requirements. Portugal accepted the fact that Spain had accepted me so I did not have to do anything further to enter Portugal. If I had flown directly to Portugal, the entry requirements were tougher. Given that you have a layover in Lisbon, I don't know what to say.

You might check with your airline. They will require you show proper proof in order to board your plane.

Here are the entry requirements to the two countries. Note the form that you need to fill out online for Spain.

For entry into Portugal:​
All travelers ages12 and over must bring proof, such as the CDC Vaccination Record Card, indicating full COVID 19 vaccination (14 days since receiving the final dose).​
All travelers age 12 and over, including vaccinated travelers, must bring proof of a negative NAAT (including RT-PCR) Covid test taken within 72 hours of boarding your flight to Portugal, or a negative antigen Covid test taken within 24 hours of boarding your flight to Portugal. This must be shown when boarding the flight and also at border control upon arrival in Portugal.​
For entry into Spain:​
All travelers over the age of 12 must bring proof, such as the CDC Covid Vaccination Record Card, indicating full COVID 19 vaccination (14 days since receiving the final dose). If more than 270 days have passed since the final required dose of the initial vaccination, travelers must show proof of having received a booster shot at least 14 days prior to arrival.​
All travelers are required to submit a Health Control Form within 48 hours prior to arrival to Spain. This form can be filled out online at https://www.spth.gob.es/.​
 

Talent312

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Passepartout

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The cruise to Norway came off smoothly. The pre-cruise stay in the East End was wholly wonderful. Kinda Jack-the-Ripper territory. Now it's safe and foodie heaven. We did a walking food tour. Wonderful!

The cruise on Celebrity Silhouette was great as usual. No surprises. During our day excursions int Norway, I picked up a bug. I knew we'd be testing before flying back to the US, and other than a runny nose, I felt fine. Friday was the last day, andy cold was not abating, so I called the clinic onboard. After the usual 'where have you been and who have you been with', they sent a nurse to swab our noses. Results were back in an hour (negative!! YAY), and since it was, there was no charge!

We shared a car to Heathrow with another couple.

The BA flight to Phoenix is delayed 2 hours so far, and that will blow the final flight home for today.

Who says travel isn't still an adventure?

Jim
To add on to the original post:
The 2 hour delay from Heathrow to Phoenix meant missing our ongoing flight to Boise. So when I was rechecking bags after Customs, the American Rep there gave us paperwork showing we had a pre-paid hotel (but no voucher) and would have a Lyft back to the airport the next morning. The crummy hotel said they had no shuttle (they did but the driver had gone home) so we took a taxi. The hotel took my credit card for 'incidentals'. By morning, they BA had cancelled the hotel reservation and the Lyft to the airport. Our ongoing flight was now to be on Alaska.

The hotel said they were trying to get the room paid by somebody but us. At the airport with all our bags, Alaska said we were not in their system, and we had to go to another terminal to see American- who held the original reservation. Soooo, I got a luggage cart, Paula in a wheelchair, a first-day-on-the-job pusher, off to find a train to terminal 4. We got there, found an assistance desk at American, escalated the problem to managerial level and stood there for 3 hours. Our tickets were NOT sent to Alaska after we missed the American flight home. The best they could do was put us on Alaska on Monday. This fiasco had started Saturday afternoon! American put us in a Hilton Garden Inn where the flight crews stay. I got word that BA had eventually paid for the room in the crummy hotel and refunded the charge to me. We got vouchers for $24 for meals for 2 days, and 2 'no guaranteed' seats On Alaska's Monday afternoon flight. We were originally on First or Business class on American. But no more.

So with the original booking on American, we actually flew American First class to Heathrow. Then BA Business class Heathrow to Phoenix, and Alaska (regional Horizon) in the last row home. The beauty of these airline alliances is that they ALL have a reasonable deniability of blame. We are fully trip insured, with $250pp per day of trip delay. It isn't, though a check for missing a flight, you have to show receipts/vouchers to mitigate the claim, but at least we had the coverage, so didn't have to sweat the odd meal or taxi ride.

Now, I find myself having to weigh the benefit of travel against the possibility (probability, really) of difficulty, delay, risk of illness or worse.

At this stage of life, in our eighth decade, and having traveled extensively for six of them, there aren't a whole lot of 'golly, gee whiz' sights to see, and maybe it might be time to throttle back a bit and enjoy the ride.

OTOH, after we get rested up and whip the yard back into shape, we might just find something we just need to see one more time.

Jim
 
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