The whole world is reopening. Where are you heading next?

Flying over in America

After two years of staying home and quelling the travel itch just looking at pictures from past travels, the wait seems finally over. Tourism industries all over the world are eager to get restarted and destinations are sprucing up their attractions to welcome visitors once again.  Surely, your travel list must have swelled over the past two years with must-visit/revisit places. Time to warm up your gallivanting muscles and exercise your travel skills which are unsurprisingly a bit rusty from lack of use.

Admittedly, it would be nice to see even the places you’ve been to previously to see how the 2-year hiatus has changed things around.  While the pandemic has brought a lot of problems, it was not entirely without benefits.  For a lot of places around the world, the two-year break was a time to rebuild, even reimagine and reboot.  Minus the trample of the daily crowds, even the most popular destinations got a reprieve and much-needed rest.  Natural attractions have had a chance to recover to their former glories.  It would certainly be interesting to travel and see the world again with fresh eyes.  First off, it would be a good idea to book your travel with an airline that connects you to a lot of places with a minimum of fuss which is what Emirates flight booking is all about.

Visit more places in Asia

So near yet so far – it’s a common sentiment among Philippine travelers during the pandemic.  Maybe, it’s time to visit (revisit) our Asian neighbors.  Besides, it would be a good gesture towards helping restart their respective tourism industries.  Instead of watching K-Pop, finally do some Seoul searching in Korea; visit the temples in Kyoto, Japan; backpack in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; go beaching in Bali, Indonesia; explore the trails of Chiang Mai; be a culture vulture in Goa, India; hike in Gunung Mulu, Malaysia; or camp out in Siem Reap, Cambodia; among many possibilities.

It pays to check out up-to-date travel regulations.  Cambodia, Maldives, and Sri Lanka are open to fully vaccinated tourists with no quarantine requirements while Malaysia and Vietnam are following suit this March 2022.  While open to international tourists, Thailand and Singapore visitors have travel lanes and quarantine schemes.

Time to hike off to Europe

With Iceland and Norway having the most relaxed travel rules in the EU, taking in Viking history in Reykjavik; visiting the Pingvellir National Park; seeing the fjords in Geirangerfjord, or whale watching in Tromso are all incredible things you can now add to your travel itinerary.

As restrictions are slowly easing for a lot of the other EU-member countries, it’s worthwhile taking stock of the many possibilities that Europe has to offer.  Maybe a visit to Provence this coming April/May (or the lesser-known but otherwise charming alternative, Uzes) could be in your France bucket list.  Ditto Medieval Rothenburg in Germany; the Acropolis & Parthenon in Athens; or hiking the Dolomites in Italy.  The list can be endless, really.

EU travel requirements – Most of the countries in the EU have relaxed their entry rules with the increased vaccination rates but you have to do diligent research first before embarking on a trip. Some countries such as Belgium base their entry rules on the traveler’s status and not his/her country of origin.

Denmark, one of the first EU countries to ease restrictions, permits restriction-free entry even to travelers from outside the EU/Schengen Area with a caveat: the pass holder should be vaccinated with one of their accepted vaccines.

Some like France require a booster shot for one to gain access to cultural/public spaces (something to note if you’d like to take full advantage of dining out and visiting museums).  Others like Greece currently require a pre-entry test on top of a vaccination/recovery pass.

Also take note that some countries such as Cyprus will only honor EU Digital COVID Vaccination/Recovery Certificates as issued by an EU or Schengen Area country or a third country affiliated with the EU DCC.

Take off to the USA

After two years of waiting, that hiking trip to Yosemite or sightseeing travel to Yellowstone National Park is now possible.  Not inclined to huff and puff outdoors?  Head off to New York, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles instead for leisure shopping, dining, and nightlife.

US Travel Requirements – All air travelers from age 2 and up, regardless of vaccination status or nationality should show negative viral test documentation taken within a day of flight departure to the USA.  This is applicable to all including U.S. citizens, permanent residents, foreign nationals.  For those who’ve recovered from COVID-19, a document attesting your recovery within 90 days before your flight accompanied by a letter from a public health official or licensed healthcare provider that clears you for travel are required.

Best to plan ahead

Before you plan any trip, it goes without saying that you ought to check on a few things:

  • Updated travel restrictions at the place of your destination for the duration of your trip;
  • Check the issuance date of your vaccination pass to see if it’s still valid for your country of destination;
  • For those who have recovered from Covid-19, check when your recovery pass was issued. The average allowable limit for EU  countries is within 270 days after vaccination;
  • Unvaccinated/unrecovered travelers are subject to testing in a lot of places; some also require a quarantine period after arrival.

Traveling in the new normal means looking at the details and having a contingency plan in place.  So don’t cram your schedule and allow a lot of flexibility in your itinerary.  That way, you won’t get needlessly overstressed and actually enjoy your travel.  One more thing: it also bears reminding to book your flights with prudence and choose Emirates flight booking.  It pays to go with an airline that expands your possibilities and connects you with more places globally.