NEXT AVENUE - SPECIAL SECTION
I’mVaccinated: Where Can I Travel Now and How? By Judy Colbert Talk to almost anyone who's been vaccinated for COVID-19 recently and you hear about their travel plans, some more adventurous than others. Seventy-eight percent of people in a January 2021 American Express Travel survey said they want to get away this year to relieve stress from the pandemic. And a T-Mobile survey found that 68% of grandparents plan to travel in 2021, often because they've missed seeing their grandkids during the pandemic. But it isn't really safe to go anywhere just yet. Many foreign countries have serious pandemic problems and restrictions for travelers, though European Union countries will start allowing in vaccinated American tourists this summer. Right now, though, it's best to consider booking vacations domestically, if you'll travel at all.
Here are some ideas for traveling safely in the U.S. in 2021 and the best way to do it.
Ask questions. Before booking lodging or transportation, find out what the company's COVID-19 cleaning procedure is, whether there's a vaccination and face mask policy and what happens if you decide to cancel.
Book flights soon. Airline ticket prices have already shot up since March after months of steady declines. According to the travel booking app Hopper, in early February, the average price for July airfares was $278. Recently, it was $293. Travel experts expect fares to continue rising in coming months and that airlines will charge premiums for last- minute bookings. Buy travel insurance. Since the COVID-19 situation is so fluid and standard travel insurance likely won't cover coronavirus-related trip changes, consider buying what's known as Cancel for Any Reason travel insurance for this year and into 2022. Most policies offering this feature will generally reimburse you 75% of your travel costs, according to the InsureMyTrip website.
Consider mostly outdoor vacations. That's because you're safer from contracting the coronavirus outdoors than indoors. RVC Outdoor Destinations offers 13 pet- and family-friendly outdoor vacation properties in naturally beautiful environments from Yosemite National Park in California to Lake Raystown Resort in central Pennsylvania. You can stay in an RV, if you have one, or in one of the property's cabins and cottages, yurts or tents. Each resort has a convenience store; fitness center; free cable and Wi-Fi; a pool; golf cart, bike, kayak, canoe and boat rentals and accessible options.
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