In early 2020, when I wrote my last article for Alexandria Living, I would have never predicted we would still be talking about whether it’s safe to travel. Like the restaurant industry, tourism has really suffered through this long year of COVID-19.
I have canceled rebooked and canceled again, in a never-ending pattern that repeated all year, but I do see some sunshine on the horizon with the vaccines rolling out. And people are tired of staying home and need a change of scenery and something to look forward to.
I was fortunate to go to Costa Rica on a fully hosted trip with the tourism board in early December. Even though the destination itself does not require a negative COVID test, as an extra precaution, everyone in my travel bubble of eight — six travel advisors, a private guide and a driver — were all tested within 72 hours of arrival.
We wore masks on our small bus, while touring outside, in all indoor spaces, and until our food came at (mostly open air) restaurants. And each one of us tested again after being home for four days. That is responsible and defensive travel and the new “normal” in foreign lands.
And if you are looking for a COVID test for travel purposes, Preston’s Pharmacy in Arlington and Merrifield has a very efficient system in place. I’ve used both locations and was quite happy with the options. You can book directly on their website and unless you are seeking same-day or overnight results, they will bill your insurance.
My best piece of advice is to purchase travel insurance and book through a travel advisor. A good travel advisor will sit on hold for hours to make sure you receive a refund or future travel certificate. Travel advisors last year learned valuable lessons discovering which travel suppliers are financially solvent, have flexible cancellation terms and which ones have taken care of their travelers.
Maybe you could navigate the waters by yourself before this, but it is now a quite complicated ball game.
So, where can you go if you are seeking a different view of the sunset in the very near or near future? The national parks were a big hit in 2020 and RV rentals were impossible to come by. Did you know there are 62 national parks? This trend will continue in early 2021 until more borders open for travelers from the United States.
If you are willing to leave the country, but are hesitant to stay on property at a resort, there are very nice villas around the globe and sometimes these are much more economical because they have a full kitchen (and pre-stocking of groceries and alcohol can be arranged). You can have your own pool and chef services are available to book if you don’t want to cook on vacation.
And most of the Caribbean islands are open for travel (with varying degrees of COVID testing required, as well as travel insurance requirements), as is Mexico. In Europe, a few non-Schengen countries are welcoming Americans, such as Croatia and Montenegro. Turkey, too.
And what is your dream destination, when the world is again your oyster? Maldives is tops for a romantic destination, “glamping” is still hot and land trips to Alaska's Denali National Park might be preferable to a big cruise ship. Culinary and wine travel and wellness travel are still making a big splash, as are expedition ships in Antarctica, and Rwanda for gorilla-trekking.
In the meantime, I’ll be leaving on a jet plane in the very near future, fingers crossed!
Judith Suthar is a luxury travel specialist with Cruise Planners. Visit her website at joyfuljourneyllc.com.
