The COVID pandemic brought the global travel industry to a standstill. Despite restrictions and warnings, some travelers are packing their bags again and heading to regions that promise safety and a vacation from COVID.
After long lockdowns and isolation, even daydreaming about travel is a welcome respiteImage: picture-alliance/S. Papadopoulos
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Escaping the COVID blues
The COVID pandemic brought the global travel industry to a standstill. Despite restrictions and warnings, some travelers are packing their bags again and heading to regions that promise safety and a vacation from COVID.
Image: Nikolai Okhitin/Zoonar/picture alliance
Iceland
The island in the North Atlantic with its waterfalls, volcanoes and glaciers is ready for tourists. Nature lovers and adventurers can travel there, subject to coronavirus regulations. Iceland is one of the few countries in Europe that allows entry for vaccinated people and people who have recovered from COVID-19 infection without the need for testing and quarantine.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Trumpf
La Palma, Spain
The Canary Island of La Palma is also almost COVID-free. Tourists traveling from Germany could theoretically enter with a negative PCR test, but La Palma is currently not well served by airlines, as it is part of Spain, a high-incidence country. For those returning from the island, stricter entry rules apply. Hoteliers and letting agents are hoping that the situation will improve from March on.
Image: Katja Kreder/imageBROKER/picture alliance
Zanzibar
Travel restrictions for Zanzibar were lifted as early as June 2020. Travelers from most countries can enter without a PCR test, entry form, or quarantine needed. On the island, which belongs to Tanzania, there are no restrictions, restaurants are open, and parties and concerts are being held. At the end of March, Lufthansa for the first time plans to offer direct flights to the island of bliss.
Image: picture alliance / blickwinkel/M
Rwanda
Tourists go to Rwanda to see mountain gorillas. A negative PCR test must be presented on entry, and a further test done locally. After seven days in quarantine, tourists are then allowed to go on safari to see the gorillas under strict hygiene conditions. The precautionary measures have proven effective. The African country has never been listed as a risk area by Germany's Robert Koch Institute.
Image: Felipe Dana/AP Photo/picture alliance
The Seychelles
The archipelago off Africa's east coast beckons with white sandy beaches, turquoise blue sea and lush palm trees. Since January, anyone can enter the country if they have a COVID vaccination certificate and a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours. There is no need for quarantine. The vacation can start immediately. However, as the Seychelles are a risk area, returnees will have to quarantine.
The Indian Ocean island nation has seen rising infection rates since December and is considered a risk area. The Maldives have been sticking to their entry policy from July 2020. Tourists can enter with a negative PCR test, but their stay remains limited to the pre-booked resort. Given the luxurious facilities of the hotel complexes, tourists are quite willing to accept these restrictions.
Image: Sergi Reboredo/picture alliance
Thailand
Low infection rates mean that travel to Thailand is only discouraged, not warned against. Upon arrival and at their own expense, travelers must undergo 14 days of strict quarantine in a government-approved isolation facility (usually a hotel) and complete several COVID-19 tests. Only then can they move freely within the country.
Image: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Aruba, Dutch Caribbean
Work at your laptop before jumping into the pool, or vice versa? If you can't stop working, you can "work from home" in faraway countries. Travel operators in several countries, like the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba (pictured) have recognized the opportunity and offer working holiday options for remote workers. Here too, of course, current coronavirus restrictions must be heeded.
Dubai was considered COVID-free as recently as December, but since January 24, it's been considered a high risk area. The Gulf emirate had brought influencers and celebrities to the country and tourists followed, after pictures of carefree pool parties went around the world. Now bars and pubs are closed, limits apply to shopping malls and restaurants. And when they return home, quarantine awaits.
Image: Udo Bernhart/dpa/picture alliance
Cruises
The cruise industry is wooing customers back by offering the greatest possible safety. This means lower occupancy rates on the vessels, social distancing on board, mandatory wearing of face masks, daily temperature checks, controlled shore excursions avoiding direct contact with the general public. But this relaxation comes with restrictions, because the coronavirus also knows how to travel.
Image: Jens Büttner/picture-alliance/dpa
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In Germany, the current advice is to avoid traveling as much as possible. In view of the development of the pandemic, the German government asks people to avoid "all non-essential professional and private travel, especially tourist travel, including travel abroad," and strongly advises against taking any cruises. It is a recommendation but not a ban.
During a pandemic, the desire to travel suddenly takes on a moral aspect. Dreams of sun, sand and all-inclusive fun have lost their innocence in the age of COVID. Most Germans are abiding by the coronavirus rules and staying at home, avoiding any health risks.Bookings for the summer have seen a sluggish start, with Germany and Europe so far the favorites for the 2021 summer season, and long-haul travel still rarely booked. Unlike pre-pandemic days, there are now very practical hurdles to overcome when planning a trip, and they want to be factored in: PCR tests, entry regulations, quarantine regulations, and other COVID mitigation restrictions upon arrival, the regulations for the return trip to Germany including mandatory testing and quarantine.
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COVID-free does not mean safe
For those seeking a vacation abroad, safety during the trip and at the holiday destination have become central aspects in the choice of destination. Countries with low infection rates suggest safety and are therefore highly sought after.
Among them are countries that appear confusingly carefree: Travelers to Zanzibar, for instance, have the impression they are back in a pre-COVID world: no face masks, no curfews, no keeping distance or complicated entry restrictions. Photos of happy people enjoying pools and beaches have been shared widely, contrasting sharply how most people are living in the pandemic era. Other countries, such as Thailand and the Seychelles, are trying to ensure as safe a stay as possible with targeted entry rules, mandatory testing and quarantine, hygiene measures and distancing rules on site.
But even if you have found a safe country, the risk remains. A destination that is considered safe today may no longer be so tomorrow. The situation on the ground can change abruptly, making the return trip difficult or even impossible. Vacationers are well advised to inform themselves before starting their trip and to protect themselves as much as possible. For example, if you deliberately book a trip to a high-risk area, you cannot assume that you will be able to cancel the trip free of charge at a later date. There are also different cancellation policies for package tours and individual travelers.
Travel abroad in 2021 will cost more time and money
Those who have resolved all these questions for themselves must also be prepared to invest a lot of time and pay the price. After all, traveling abroad involves quarantining both in the vacation country and often after returning home. Entry rules vary, but most countries subject visitors to quarantine for five to 10 days. This can be quite expensive, depending on local regulations. In Thailand, for example, travelers would need to shell out around €1,000 ($1,200) for ten days of hotel quarantine; in a luxury resort this could easily run around €4,500.
Venice without mass tourism
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For travelers originating in Germany, several days of quarantine will also be required upon their return. The decisive factor for the return is whether the traveler has been to a risk area, a high-incidence area, or an area with a COVID virus variant. This is coupled with differing entry regulations, testing requirements and quarantine conditions.
Only those entering from a risk or high-incidence area can be cleared on the fifth day after entry at the earliest. The option to shorten quarantine does not apply to those entering from a virus variant area. The travel industry is pushing to make it easier for people with a vaccination card to travel. In Europe, Denmark and Greece are pushing for such a regulation. However, an international rule is still a long way off at the moment.
Travel in 2021 may therefore become more burdensome, more time-consuming, and, therefore, more expensive — but not impossible. The desire of Germans to go on vacation remains unbroken. According to a recent tourism survey conducted by the Hamburg-based Foundation for Future Studies (FFS), one in two Germans would like to go on vacation this year. One in five even wants to pack their suitcases more than once. A third is still undecided and continues to wait for developments. Some are already bold enough to venture off and take a break from the COVID blues, not shying away from the time, expense and risk involved.
