Where to Travel During Covid in 2021 (Without Quarantine)

ARTICLE |"Where Can I Travel During Covid This Summer?" Is The Question Being Asked By Almost Everyone Right Now. Here's Some Helpful Answers and Ideas for You...

WHERE TO TRAVEL DURING COVID IN 2021 (WITHOUT QUARANTINE)

(Updated May 25th 2021) There's so much pent-up demand for travel, many people have already dusted off and packed their suitcases, in eager anticipation of their next trip!

Although the pandemic hasn't ended, it has sufficiently slowed in many countries, to the extent that travel is opening up again in some places. The big questions that everyone seems to want the answers to are, firstly,

Where can I travel during covid?

Where can I travel to this Summer?

Which countries will allow us to enter?

The good news is... unless you live in an area that's still fully locked down like India or Australia, you have some options.

OPTION 1: STAY LOCAL

The easiest option is to stay local, within a reasonable driving distance of your home. Before you dismiss this idea because you're used to going to exotic places, remember these are unusual times! For the first time in their lives, countless people are asking friends and family for suggestions about "vacation ideas near me" during covid.

I encourage you to have an open mind, and look at your surrounding region through fresh eyes, as if you were a tourist coming in from out of town. There’s an ancient Chinese proverb that says, “There’s no scenery in familiarity,” which means we often don’t see the amazing things that are around us, because we’re so used to 'seeing' them. At one time I lived near Legoland, which attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, but I'd never been there!

Wherever you happen to live, it’s likely that people from other areas regularly choose to travel there and explore it, because it appeals to them. So, consider getting a local guidebook from your library or a bookstore, and keep an open mind in discovering what your State or the surrounding states (or counties) have to offer you, within a reasonable driving distance. You’ll be amazed at what you can discover! You could even make it a family project to research and come up with ideas and options. Some families have invested in camping, caravan or RV equipment for the first time, and they're enjoying the advantages of not having to get on a plane.

OPTION 2: FLY SOMEWHERE

If you love the jetset lifestyle and you're determined to get on a plane and go somewhere further afield (which I totally understand and respect), it's quite possible that your first or second choices of destination, or your usual favorites are out of bounds. The reality is much of the world is still off-limits at the time of writing.

Since these are unusual times, you will need to be flexible in your expectations of where you can go. Fortunately, there are some great tools that make it easy to find the best deals from your local airport(s). For example, you can use the open-ended search function of Google Flights (www.Google.com/flights). If you enter the dates you’d like to travel, then input your local airport in the ‘from’ box but leave the ’to’ box blank, Google will show you a map view of all the places you could travel, along with prices for those dates. It’s a great way to leave your options open and discover some interesting places around the country, or even further afield!

Similarly, Skyscanner.com has a similar function. Enter your local airport in the 'from' box, and in the ’to’ box, select ‘everywhere’ to show all available flights for your chosen dates, in order of price. The key is to have an open mind and the spirit of adventure, to discover somewhere new!

Once you've found and noted a few flight options, use www.EntryRestrictions.com to check and keep track of entry restrictions and requirements worldwide. It's a handy resource that's updated daily: www.EntryRestrictions.com.

3 Countries That Are Already Open...

Consider Croatia

If you’re feeling adventurous, one of the most stunning places in Europe that’s open to visitors from all over the world already is Croatia. The ancient city of Dubrovnik is like walking into a Game of Thrones movie set, and there’s officially three ways you’re allowed to enter the country: (a) be fully vaccinated for at least 2 weeks before you travel, (b) prove that you’ve recently recovered from covid, or (c) take a PCR covid test before you travel. That's the type that needs to be sent to a lab, so you'll need to prepare and book that well in advance, or order a home PCR test kit from a company like Vault. Thes test still needs to be sent into a lab, but at least you can take the test at your convenience, and it's typically cheaper than using one of the drive-thru or walk-in clinics. More details on the various types of tests and where to get them, here.

To be approved to enter Croatia, besides the tests you just need to fill in a form, available at https://entercroatia.mup.hr/ More good news! Delta Airlines just announced that, in view of Croatia opening itself up for visitors, for the first time, they’ll be offering a non-stop flight from JFK from July 2nd 2021. https://news.delta.com/delta-debut-new-service-croatia-summer. As for the rest of Europe, it remains to be seen which countries will open their borders again this Summer. It looks like France most likely will, so others will likely follow suit.

Glorious Greece

On May 15, 2021, Greece opened its borders to vaccinated or those who've tested negative for coronavirus via a PCR lab test. United Airlines will resume its routes from their New York Newark hub to Athens on June 3, and from Washington, D.C. to Athens on July 1.

Delta Air Lines will resume its route from New York to Athens on May 28 and they'll be starting a new route between Atlanta and Athens on July 2.

Incredible Iceland

Both Delta and United Airlines are also introducing new routes to Iceland, which reopened to fully vaccinated foreign visitors on March 18. United will commence flights to Reykjavik, Iceland from Newark on June 3, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport on July 1.

Delta currently flies from New York to Reykjavik, and will also start flying there from Boston on May 20, and Minneapolis on May 27.

Here's a complete list of countries that are currently open to visitors:

🇦🇱 Albania - No entry requirements.
🇦🇲 Armenia - Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina - Negative covid test.
🇭🇷 Croatia - Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
🇨🇾 Cyprus - Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
🇬🇪 Georgia - Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
🇬🇷 Greece - Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
🇮🇸 Iceland - Proof of vaccination.
🇮🇹 Italy - Negative test and you must take a covid-tested flight.
🇽🇰 Kosovo - Negative test.
🇲🇪 Montenegro - Proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
🇲🇰 North Macedonia - No requirements.
🇷🇸 Serbia - Negative covid test.
🇹🇷 Turkey - Negative covid test.
🇺🇦 Ukraine - Negative covid test.

Opening Soon:
🇲🇹 Malta - June 1
🇪🇸 Spain - June 7
🇫🇷 France - June 9

Q: Have you booked a Summer trip yet? What concerns do you have? Any ideas you'd like to share with other travel pro readers? We’d love to hear from you - please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments. We value your feedback! Also, we always love and appreciate it when you share this website with your friends and travel buddies - thank you!

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