Like an archaeological dig with a thousand pieces slowly and painstakingly pieced together, we are discovering the image of Covid-19. For anxious travelers there’s definitely more hope than ever, but one big piece, India, dangerously eludes our grasp.
Vaccine passports requiring every single traveler to have her own cell phone, natural African herd immunity and a dangerous virus fuse in India are all center point.
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The April 2 CDC easing of travel recommendations for fully immunized Americans is being misreported and misconstrued. It’s definitely a positive step for those anxious to travel as well as a clear indication that America is moving towards pre-pandemic normalcy but it’s hardly the “landmark move” for travelers being reported abroad.
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Traveling to Africa this year? Tanzania, South Africa, Egypt? Start right now looking for the perfect mask. If you find the perfect fit, when wearing and when not wearing glasses, travel to Africa later this year can achieve a level of acceptable safety. But it will not be like it was before the virus.
EWT’s safaris later this year include South Africa, Egypt/Jordan/Israel and Tanzania, so this blog refers mostly to those destinations. Here’s what I see coming for all EWT travelers.
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On January 25 President Biden issued a travel ban on the UK, Ireland, Brazil, most of Europe and South Africa. What does this mean?
For travelers with confirmed arrangements to any of these places this summer or later: nothing. You should disregard the notice, except that you should not make any additional arrangements – such as changes in your itinerary, airline reservations or extensions. For persons who were planning yet confirmed arrangements, you now need to wait.
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This blog is for old people who want to travel to Africa or similar places. Since old people are often spunkier and certainly smarter than young people, young’uns wouldn’t be wasting any time reading it, too. Just get your macchiato or Glenfiddich, whichever relaxes you best, find a rocking chair or bean bag then take a deep breath. Some brain scratching required.
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Travelers beware. As vaccinations ramp up and we all rush to get the shots you might be leaving yourself in the cold if you plan to travel abroad, especially to remote places like Africa.
Vaccination will come much later to developing countries even as the virus continues to rage there. Authorities will require travelers arriving from abroad to prove they have a valid vaccination.
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This morning alone I glanced at dozens of emails from lodges and hotels offering the normally high end-of-the-year season for less than a third of its cost only a year ago!
In one remarkable case the super luxury company Sanctuary Retreats – one of my favorite vendors – offers December specials for a quarter of their former price!
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Kenya reports 3,458 Americans have so far entered the country as “tourists” this year. Down from a normal 225,000 Americans annually. The 3400 seems high; the statistic is tentative.
Following Moderna’s announcement this weekend of a second highly efficacious vaccine, my internet cable was cut by workmen but not until a ridiculous number of clients contacted me about booking flights. My reply? Patience. The time has not come yet.
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Hey, You Northern Hemispheric Dude! Remember when spring turned to summer and for brief periods you forgot about the virus? Unmasked walks and picnics with friends?
Despite that not being such a good idea, your friends on the other side of the world are going through that right now, and just like you they’re pretending.
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Today Southwest Airlines cited an airline industry study to justify unblocking all its middle seats. That leaves only Delta Airlines that still blocks middle seat sales.
The study was published early this month and went unnoticed, because it’s not even a study. It’s commentary on internal airline studies falsely substantiated by a scientific study that disavows providing “any evidence of safety” regarding air travel.
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The most important electoral group in our current election is … travelers. I’m not crazy. I’m just old. (Beating around the bush is terrifying.) America has only two years after the election to craft its survival, and travelers could tip the scales.
I’m not talking about ditching Trump. A wave of anti-Republican voting to the very basement of down-ballot voting is necessary for America to survive. The wicked wizards who stole the Republican ideology have to be annihilated.
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Patience, travelers. Chafing at the bit leads to rash decisions. Rash decisions in travel lead to lost money and terrible experiences.
Waiting is not a traveler’s forte, but without it now you could doom your traveling future.
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The President’s incompletely known virus situation this weekend drove the media to explain “viral load.” This provides travelers excellent information for predicting when they might be unshackled.
Viral load is the “amount of virus in the blood.” As a critique of the President’s irresponsible behavior, and as an indicator for travelers, we need to understand it.
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Would you book this company? If you were a travel agent like EWT would you send clients to a wholesaler who solicits you with the above message?
Before I answer note this is only one of dozens of such ads coming daily now mostly from what had been upmarket travel companies.
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When Americans might travel to sub-Saharan Africa is covered in two reports available today, one from a consortium of American scientists and one from the South African government.
I remain personally convinced that our travel abroad will be dictated by when we are vaccinated and for most EWT-type travelers this will be in the first few months of 2021. The South Africans disagree on two fronts. First, they believe they can provide safe tourist services before a vaccine is available, and second, they do not project American travelers will be vaccinated before July, 2022, at the earliest.
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