Welcome back to Philip James Travel!
Did I get you with the subject line, “DO NOT TRAVEL!”? Well, if you heard earlier this week that the US Department of State increased the number of Level 4 travel warnings to encompass 80% of the world, you might be a little confused as to why you’re simultaneously hearing that more and more destinations are opening their borders to US travelers. For all the things we Americans did not handle well throughout the last 14 or so months, the one thing we do seem to have gotten right is vaccinations. This makes us a desired and badly needed resource to so many nations that have been starved of our travel dollars for so long.
So where can you go internationally now and in the short term? You’re able to go to Greece, Croatia, Iceland, Peru, Morocco, Turkey, and several nations in southern and central Africa just to mention a few. Is it okay to go? That depends on your own personal comfort level and your willingness to be an intrepid traveler, and of course the necessity of being vaccinated and being tested in advance of your trip and possibly one or more times while in-destination, and again prior to returning to the states. Convenient? Truthfully not really, but how ready are you to get some new stamps in your passport and experience new things outside our borders?
Personally, I’m ready! And on Monday, I’m putting my money where my mouth is and hopping aboard my first flight in more than 14-months. Destination? Turks and Caicos. It’s not exactly Nepal, but I’m nevertheless very excited to experience this new-to-me destination and to get a boots on the ground (or sugar-white sand) feeling for what it’s like to step outside our borders. Turks and Caicos require a multi-step process for visitors to go through to enter their Caribbean island nation; and without any difficulty or much inconvenience, I’ve navigated it all quite easily. Stay tuned as I unfold more of the process and the experience in next week’s newsletter from The Palms Resort on Grace Bay.
As the world continues to open up to American travelers who’ve been fully vaccinated, there will likely be a few digital health passport apps that one ideally can use to seamlessly present proof of your vaccination status as well as COVID test results in the form of a QR code. A few to watch include CommonPass, IATA Travel Pass, and VeriFLY that work with various airlines. I’ll share more about this later as these apps develop and come into common usage.
Hotel Inspiration: Ocean House Watch Hill, Rhode Island. If you're ready, here's a fantastic option you can travel to right now!
Thanks for reading this week, especially if you’re doing so on your busy Saturday. I really do look forward to sharing my trip with you next week, so please stay tuned. Additionally, I’m just about to announce a very special “come with me” travel opportunity. If you’re ready to go somewhere abroad, but would rather the comfort and safety of traveling with your travel advisor, I’ll have some great news for you. Let’s build some excitement together!
-Philip
“I would rather own little and see the world than own the world and see little of it.” Alexander Sattler, Author and Photographer