Travel Insurance Review

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Tips for Booking Holiday Travel in these Uncertain Times

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Animated gif of mobile phone and travel booking

The list of countries reopening to fully vaccinated international visitors in November grew longer this week, including:

As borders open and restrictions ease, the EU digital COVID certificate program has expanded. The digital certificate can be used to enter venues where it’s required like restaurants, museums, and bars. It is now open to all EU member states as well as 16 non-EU countries, including Israel, Morocco, and Panama.

Tip: Presenting the white CDC vaccination card is an acceptable alternative for American tourists.

With the holiday season approaching and restrictions easing up, demand for holiday travel is expected to be high. Regardless of whether you’re planning to travel internationally or simply across the country, here’s what you need to know about trip planning right now.

1 Don’t be afraid to book travel now

There are loads of reasons to book your holiday trips right now, and here’s why:

  1. Most flights can be changed – not refunded but changed – to a new ticket without paying fees. Basic economy tickets are the exception.
  2. Great deals are everywhere right now. The airlines are eager to get people traveling again, and tours with flights, cars, and lodging are on sale too.
  3. Demand for travel to the US is picking up and domestic locations could fill up quickly. 

Plus, it’s fun to have something to look forward to on the calendar.

2 Travel reward cards and loyalty programs help you save

Even the not-so-frequent and budget-minded travelers can reap the rewards of booking holiday travel right now. Here’s how:

  1. Airline credit cards with airport lounge access help you avoid overpriced airport food (especially helpful on a long layover).
  2. Travel cards that cover the cost of TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, or Clear memberships save you money and time waiting in security lines.
  3. Airline credit cards often include the benefit of free checked bags when you use the card to pay for flights (really helpful for families with lots of luggage).
  4. Hotel loyalty programs don’t charge resort fees for rooms booked using points. Many programs also offer additional discounts like the fifth night free when booking with points.

Pro tip: If you buy your airline tickets with points, and have to cancel the trip, you don’t have to go through the process of re-booking a new trip and paying the difference. The points are returned to your account instead.

3 Check the cancellation terms

As demand for travel picks up and inventory gets low, you’ll want to play investigative reporter with the terms and conditions for hotels and tours. 

Many hotels pose stricter-than-usual cancellation requirements over the holidays. You may be able to reschedule your stay instead of getting a refund, but that only works if you can schedule a later trip.

4 Consider ‘stacking’ your trips for extra reassurance

Trip stacking is a new trend that can give you some peace of mind. Stacking your trips means booking more than one trip within the same timeframe in the hope that one will actually happen. It’s a way to have a backup trip ready to go if your first preference doesn’t work out. Usually the first preference trip is more aggressive – like traveling internationally or taking a cruise – while the backup is often domestic and less likely to be canceled.

If you’re still on the fence and uncertain about booking your holiday trips now, you’re in good company. Prince Harry and Meghan haven’t figured out their holiday travel plans yet either.

Other interesting news

Volcano erupts – the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption on the Canary Island of La Palma disrupted flights this week and prompted evacuations.

Stop already – a list of 17 things flight attendants wish passengers would stop doing.

Tourist magnet – Canada rolls out a lure for frequent flyers by matching perks on Air Canada.

Group trip organizing – this new travel app designed for group trips just launched and they’re hosting a contest. If you’ve got a frustrating group trip planning story, you could win a paid vacation for you and, you guessed it, three of your friends.

Tired of the same four walls? Malta has opened applications for year-long digital nomad visas. 

What you need to know for fall and holiday trip planning

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Fall and holiday trip planning with a journal, tickets, and passports.

Summer is over and we’re officially in the travel shoulder season, so you might be wondering how to plan your fall and holiday trips.

Labor Day travel data is typically a good indicator of how busy the fall and holiday travel seasons will be. Overall, more people are getting on planes. Fewer than 4.2 million people passed through security on Labor Day weekend last year. This year, the TSA reported 9.2 million people shuffled through security checkpoints over the five-day Labor Day weekend. 

So, what does all of this mean for planning fall and holiday trips? Here’s what you need to know.

EU travel just got harder for Americans

Last week’s announcement from the European Union removing the US from its safe travel list caused confusion and worry about fall and holiday travel planning. This week’s news that the UK’s ‘traffic light’ travel system could be scrapped by October is giving American travelers a case of travel whiplash.

In the meantime, some EU countries got busy modifying their entry requirements:

  • The Netherlands now requires a 10-day quarantine for all US travelers (vaccinated or not)
  • Italy added the negative COVID test requirement (previously vaccinated travelers did not need the test)
  • Spain now requires either proof of full vaccination, a negative test, or proof of recovery from COVID (previously neither the test or vaccination were required)
  • Denmark banned unvaccinated Americans over the weekend (previously those with a negative test or proof of recovery were allowed in)

Belgium’s rules took a weird turn. US travelers are added to their red list, which says travelers have a high risk of infection. At the same time it whitelisted the US, so non-essential travel to Belgium is still allowed.

Other EU countries made no changes at all. Perhaps they’re waiting for October? There is also the lingering question of which European countries will accept mixed vaccine doses. 

Fall travel to Europe also just got cheaper

After a brief period of high travel demand, searches and bookings recently hit a plateau and started to fall, according to travel data company, Hopper. To keep travelers coming during the slower fall travel season, airfares are expected to drop below 2019 levels. 

Tip: The latest news from the travel deals company, TravelZoo, appears to confirm this expectation.some roundtrip flights between the US and Europe now cost less than $300 (basic economy).

Perhaps it’s time to consider train travel

Long haul flights are endurance events that are hard on the body. If you’re not currently a fan, or just tired of trying to figure out the rules, it may be time to look at trains instead. 

America has never had the luxury of lots of trains, lagging far behind Europe and Asia in routes and speed. Then came COVID, and more travelers than ever shifted their travel plans to trains where they can skip the dreaded middle seat and backed up security lines. A recent article schowcased the stories of US tourists who only travel by train.

Last spring, Amtrak’s ridership was up 86% over the same period in 2020 and it’s now reporting 65% of pre-pandemic ridership levels. Amtrak is also investing in high-frequency and long distance routes as part of a 3-year, $28 million refurbishment project that includes upscaling food and beverages, seating, lounges, and business centers to luxury levels.

Tip: The latest from Amtrak shows they’re willing to compete with the airlines by offering new travel packages for visiting coastal cities and national parks. 

Other interesting news

Can we get a global set of COVID rules already? Cries across the globe continue for a common set of rules recognizing vaccines and removing the need to quarantine travelers.

More arrests in Hawaii – Police on Maui island arrested a Rhode Island visitor for violating the state’s safe travel rules.

Solo travel for women – Take a look at the latest recommendations for women traveling on their own from AARP.

Caribbean resorts get creative – Luring travelers with offers of free travel insurance.

Can you really save by booking hotels last-minute? According to the travel nerd at Nerd Wallet, you can! By as much as 13-22%