Vacations tend to always be something of a chore: airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rental, then getting and packing the right clothes. BUT when there is an epidemic raging across the globe, a large number of other factors come into play. Eileen and I had a river cruise canceled due to the virus. My wife had two trips cancelled this past year because the country they were going to visit locked their borders and you weren’t allowed entry. If somehow, you did manage to get into the country, you had a two-week quarantine period added to your existing travel schedule. So, your one or two-week trip turns into three to four, with all the added expenses of hotel, food, and staring out the window for those two weeks! Not what most would consider an enjoyable time!
Our son and friend decided to challenge the norm and head off to the Turks and Caicos (T&C) islands. They had checked with the US State Department and the T&C Embassy on the rules during the crisis. In order to gain entry, they had to show proof they had not tested Covid positive five days before arriving on the islands and then a similar requirement to get back into the US. They also had to show proof of international health insurance should they become ill. The hotel they stayed at in Grace Bay was all-inclusive and included swab testing for their return flight. Test results were back within 15 minutes!
They were strategic in their food selection and were able to eat at all the restaurants offered by the resort. Some were only open on certain days and others required a reservation. They had to call at 7 a.m. to get into the Sushi place one night. At the sister property, they were able to convince the staff to give them a table even though they didnât have a reservation. All the food was decent to good. Pizza became their everyday, late-night snack as the restaurants closed early and no food was available after 9-10 p.m.
If it requires that much extra planning, why go? Well, it was cold and snowy here but not there. It was in the 80âs and sunny for most of the trip with a short rain shower on two of the afternoons. Much better than the Chicago weather where all you could do was build snowmen or women!
Since the trip was more rest and relaxation than sightseeing, they spent most of their time at the beach or with other water activities. They enjoyed snorkeling, swimming, or watching iguanas as they cruised around the other island. A very laid-back time, oh, and a lot of rum punch!
What do they wish they had done more of? More excursions and snorkeling. There wasnât enough time to see all the sea life, so, another day or two would have made it even more enjoyable.
Since Turks and Caicos is an archipelago of 40 low-lying coral islands in the Atlantic, there are an extensive number of scuba-diving sites, including a 14-mile barrier reef.
While the trip was short and sweet, they do hope to be able to return and spend more time there. Travel is starting to change, thankfully for the better, but still check with the country you plan on visiting and make sure youâre prepared should things change while youâre there. A relative and her family just went to the Bahamas and had to test negative in order to fly and gain entry into the country.
You may have heard about a Vaccine Passport. A digital document that contains a record of a traveler’s COVID-19 related health data. It includes whether they have been vaccinated or tested negative for the virus that causes it or recovered from the virus. Travel industry trade groups, airlines, and other organizations are developing so-called âvaccine passportsâ to make it easier to navigate changing rules. Most are in the early stages or are only used for certain destinations. Unfortunately, right now there is no standard for the passport. The airline trade group is developing an app called Travel Passmeant; another group will introduce CommonPass. Of course, the government wants in on the action, and privacy groups are fighting it. Regardless. Let’s hope we can all travel safely in 2021.
