Author ∣ Advocate ∣ Journalist
One year ago, travel ended.
As COVID-19 consumed the planet, airlines mothballed their planes. Cruise lines docked their ships. Hotels closed their doors, some permanently. And under strict stay-at-home orders, millions of travelers canceled their vacations.
But on the pandemic anniversary, people are wondering: What did the virus do to travel? What will it still do?
Read more “Pandemic anniversary: Travel ended a year ago, but it’s back — sort of”
Is it safe to travel yet? People like Stephanie Wolkin want to know.
Safe for her means she can see her 97-year-old mother in New Jersey without infecting her with the deadly COVID-19 virus. Safe means she can find a way to make her annual trip to France this year, to make up for the one canceled last summer.
Read more “How do you know if it’s really safe to travel yet? It’s complicated.”
Travelers who refuse to wear a mask aren’t a new problem. But at a time when we’re so close to getting the pandemic under control, they’re an increasingly urgent problem.
“We’ve always had people who feel that the rules don’t apply to them,” says Adeodata Czink, an etiquette consultant who runs a company called Business of Manners. “So many months after the pandemic started, even people who normally behave have had enough of more and more restrictions. And they’ve just plain quit following any rules.”
Read more “What to do about travelers who refuse to wear a mask”
Can you travel without a vaccine? A lot of people are starting to wonder, and for good reason. Some airline and cruise lines have announced they will only serve inoculated passengers.
Most airlines currently allow passengers to fly unvaccinated. But some require a negative coronavirus test. Qantas, the Australian carrier, has announced that it will begin mandating proof of vaccination for international flights. Read more “Traveling without a vaccine? Here’s what you need to know”
If you like to cruise, you’re probably losing your patience by now. Last March, the cruise industry all but shut down and remained beached for the rest of 2020. Now, passengers are eager to know when they can take a cruise again.
In November, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, which defined the requirements for resuming operations in U.S. ports. Most major cruise lines won’t start their schedules until late spring.
Read more “When can we take a cruise again?”
