Traveling To Europe This Summer

[xubrew]

Has anyone been out of the country, or specifically to Europe, since the pandemic has started to loosen up??

Airlines will sell you the flight. They don't care. Their only obligation is to get you to the gate. My concern is not being able to get in, or not being able to get back.

The issue is that whenever I've tried to research this, I can't get any consistent information. Alitalia will list a flight as being "COVID TESTED" and list a bunch of stuff that you have to do to get on it in order to avoid having to quarantine or isolate. The same flight on Delta's website has no such information or indication.

In short, my biggest fear is planning a trip, and either overlooking one of the details that are now in place because we are still under the unbrella of COVID and not being allowed to enter the country, or having to isolate for ten days upon arrival and just be stuck in a hotel that I have to pay for.

So, has anyone done this, and if so, what was it like?

[xu82]

I’m no help, I’m afraid, but I’ll look forward to responses. Our trip to Italy last fall was pushed into next spring. Hopefully by then this is just a bad memory.

[Muskie]

Has anyone been out of the country, or specifically to Europe, since the pandemic has started to loosen up??

Airlines will sell you the flight. They don't care. Their only obligation is to get you to the gate. My concern is not being able to get in, or not being able to get back.

The issue is that whenever I've tried to research this, I can't get any consistent information. Alitalia will list a flight as being "COVID TESTED" and list a bunch of stuff that you have to do to get on it in order to avoid having to quarantine or isolate. The same flight on Delta's website has no such information or indication.

In short, my biggest fear is planning a trip, and either overlooking one of the details that are now in place because we are still under the unbrella of COVID and not being allowed to enter the country, or having to isolate for ten days upon arrival and just be stuck in a hotel that I have to pay for.

So, has anyone done this, and if so, what was it like?

Have you contacted the American Consulate in that country? I would think they would have some guidance?

[xubrew]

Have you contacted the American Consulate in that country? I would think they would have some guidance?

Yes. They basically said "here's a couple of websites." The websites had conflicting information.

[paulxu]

As long as I don't have to visit you in Gitmo when you return. :)

[MADXSTER]

My son is heading to Senegal to live at the end of July. Will see what I can find out.

[xubrew]

For those that are interested, it was actually rather painless. It was a slightly bigger hassle than what it normally is, but not anywhere near the hassle and worst case scenario that I was expecting.

I booked what were called "COVID Tested Flights" to ensure that I wouldn't have to isolate upon arrival and/or upon return. All they required was proof of vaccination and a negative test within 48 hours of leaving. At the airport, they barely even looked at it. You showed it to them when you showed them your passport and they just kind of hurried it along the way they always do. After going through customs and getting on my final connecting flight in Rome to Venice, they didn't check it at all. The trains and busses weren't an issue either. Other than having to wear a mask while on board, they worked exactly the same way they always have.

Upon returning I needed a negative test within 72 hours, which was no problem. Again, they just looked at it when they looked at your passport and boarding pass. Once I got back into the United States, no one cared at all. I got on my last flight at JFK and they didn't even check my ID. They just scanned the boarding pass and let me on.

So....I was really anxious about the whole thing. I almost didn't go because I was so anxious and was basically talked into it by my friends who live over there. If you're anxious, I totally get where you're coming from, but it actually isn't nearly as bad as I thought. Not only did I have no problems, I didn't seem to encounter anyone who was having a problem. I didn't leave Italy the entire time I was there. We had planned on going to Greece, but figured it best to stay in one country the whole time. But, some good friends of mine who lived over there had been in Greece the week before, and had no issues.

So, in short, all it basically is is that you need one more piece of paper with you in addition to your passport when traveling. Nothing more.