Travel Advisors do our best to help you navigate the world of travel. From planning the trip to helping with unexpected speedbumps like storms, strikes, lost bags, etc.. Covid has added even more hurdles with constantly changing rules and requirements. The reason to use a travel advisor has never been clearer. Much as we would like, we cannot control everything. If equipment failures or unexpected storms caused you severe strain prior to the pandemic, this may not be the best time for you to travel. There are more issues beyond traveler or travel advisor control then ever before. Think about your general disposition and either delay travel, or perhaps plan a different type of trip if needed.
Everyone and their mother has been cooped up for at least a year. Once things started opening up and the availability of vaccines expanded, everyone was ready to hit the road! That means places are crowded. We were making dinner reservations for a Hawaiian honeymoon months in advance due to limited availability.
I had clients in the Dominican republic make an unscheduled trip to the testing facility the morning of departure. They had to pick up their results in person because they were not received by the resort the day before as planned. Then they had to wait around for the only person in the facility who could retrieve them to come back to the office. While waiting, the clients heard people from other resorts with the same issue (test taken at their property but results never delivered). Thankfully they eventually got them and made their flights. Did I mention that we already had to relocate these clients due to a volcano and resort closure?
We prepare as much as possible by staying up to date with the rules and regulations but the rules are constantly changing. If the rules relax just prior to your departure, I recommend following the original rules, just in case you run into an employee still enforcing the stricter code. The testing windows vary wildly. Travelers need to pay close attention to the time frame for testing. 48 hours is different from a country that lists 2 days as the requirement. You also need to confirm if the destination requirements are based on arrival to that destination or departure from your home country. There’s lots of nuance that a travel advisor can help guide you through.
With less flexibility and more paperwork, there are more challenges with travel these days. However, if you can roll with them and know you have a trusty travel advisor to back you up should any challenges arrive, then start packing! You deserve (and will appreciate) a vacation!