Where CAN We Travel?

I won't be traveling right now, but I've been looking at places I could travel if I wanted. I had seriously considered a few destinations, but the thought of spending 4+ hours on an airplane didn't sound appealing to me. I know a lot of people are hoping to get out of the house and just get away, so let's look at where we can go instead of looking at all the places we can't.

Many destinations aren't open to us: The 27 countries in the European Union being the biggest, then the UK, Canada, Mexico, and the few states that require a 2-week quarantine when visiting. Here are the ones* that are open or will be open soon:

Antigua and Barbuda

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 7 days of your travel date. 

Aruba

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of your travel date, or those from select states can choose to take the test upon arrival at their own expense.

Bahamas

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 10 days of your travel date.  Starting 7/22, Bahamas will no longer accept travelers from the United States.

Bermuda

Travelers will need to provide two negative COVID-19 tests; one within 5 days of travel and one upon arrival.

Croatia

Though they are officially part of the EU, Croatia has decided to open it's borders to US citizens as well. Visitors must present proof of negative COVID-19 testing, proof of accommodation - you must book ahead - and also have a return tickets. If you are going for a family event - a wedding, funeral, or graduation - they must have an invitation, death certificate copy or an announcement.

Jamaica

Tourists will be subject to temperature checks and health screenings upon arrival. COVID-19 tests will only be administered on a volunteer basis for those that show symptoms or have elevated temperature and may be subject to quarantine.

Mexico

If you're thinking of a road trip, you won't be able to do so until July 21, as land borders are closed for the time being. States within Mexico all have individual open dates though, so check before planning your trip, as some are not open at all for non-essential travel.

St. Barts

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of your travel date. If you plan to stay longer than 7 days, you will need to be tested again on the 7th day. 

St. Lucia

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 48 hours of your travel date. They will also need to be temperature-screened upon arrival. Phase 2 is slated to begin on August 1.

Serbia

At this time, Serbia has no COVID restrictions or quarantine terms in place. 

Tanzania

While Tanzania has dropped all COVID restrictions, visitors will be screened at the airport and those with fever will be moved to secondary screening. They also advise against US travelers. Visitors will need to fill out a Health Surveillance Form to be turned in to Port Authority upon arrival.

Turkey

Turkey also has no restrictions in place. Travelers will be subject to airport screening, but there is literally no information about Covid or Coronavirus on the GoTurkey website. They do have something called the Safe Tourism Certification Program, but there is not one mention of the pandemic or the virus.

United Arab Emirates

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 96 hours of your travel date. If not, you will be tested upon arrival and will have to isolate until the results come back. Travelers must also have health insurance covering COVID-19 or sign a declaration agreeing to cover the costs of treatment and isolation.

Destinations open at a later date:

July 12

Barbados will be opening this weekend, though it doesn't look like Americans can get a commercial flight there until July 25th with JetBlue. Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of your travel date. If not, you will have to take one upon arrival at your expense.

July 15

French Polynesia

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of your travel date. Travelers who tested positive for the virus more than three weeks before their trip will have to show an “immunity certificate” as their proof.

Maldives

From the Ministry of Tourism report: "According to the guidelines, tourists are not required to pay an additional fee, produce a certificate or test result indicative of negative status for COVID-19 prior to entry into Maldives. Tourists who are visiting Maldives during phase 1 of opening shall book their entire stay in one registered establishment."

St. Maarten

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of your travel date. They will also need to be temperature-screened upon arrival. Those exhibiting fever or other symptoms will be administered a rapid test on-site, at the traveler's expense.

July 22

Turks and Caicos

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 5 days of your travel date.

August 15

Belize

Travelers will need to provide a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 72 hours of your travel date, need to book an approved accommodation, and register on the Belize Health app.

Other things you should know

Beyond knowing if you can travel to certain destinations and when you need to get a virus test, make sure you also do your research for places you plan to visit:

• Do you need to wear a mask inside, outside, on the beach?
• Do you need travel insurance? Can you get insurance that covers COVID?
• Is there a curfew in place?
• Are some cities better than others?
• How do the case numbers compare to where you live now? How are they handling the cases they have?
• Are the activities you want to do open? 
• Are there other restrictions in place that will make your trip unenjoyable?
• Will you be able to use public transportation?
• What hotels and other accommodations are open for your travel dates?

If you don't already have an up-to-date passport, you might have trouble getting one during all this. There's a huge backlog right now, meaning you're going to be far down on the list. If you're dead set on flying to an international destination, here are some tips to renew or apply for a new passport.

If you aren't sure if you should travel, then that might give you the answer you need. If not, Fodor's has a great article about travel during Coronavirus.

Make sure to do all your research before booking a trip anywhere. Ask yourself if the benefits outweigh the risks involved. You'll have to fly both ways to visit, which means sitting in close proximity to a potentially infected person (or persons) for hours at a time, and then again anywhere you go that's inside. 

Are you looking forward to a trip this summer? If not an international one, perhaps a road trip is more your speed, and don't forget your Coronavirus safety kit.

*All information current at time of posting. These countries can change their requirements at any time.

Putting Together Your Coronavirus Road Trip Kit

While a lot of people won't be traveling at all right now, I know plenty are dying to get out of their house and just see something new. Road trips and RV rentals are popular right now, so let's talk about making it safe, because Coronavirus is still out there y'all. In addition to your regular road trip items, you're going to need a safety kit. 

You probably have a lot of these things already, and in your bag or your car, but just in case, let's go over the necessities. Being safe right now and not spreading Covid should be our number 1 priorities, no matter where we are. 

Masks*

There are a lot places that have mandatory mask laws in place. Make sure you bring a handful for everyone. I am still doing my part for the environment, so I've invested in washable masks that I can put filters in (two coffee filters folded in half work just as well as a regular mask-grade filter). Eric and I probably have about 6-8 masks apiece, and I would bring all of those with me on a trip, so I always have a back-up, even when I am washing worn ones. *Also, remember that social distancing is still a thing even when wearing a mask. 

Antibacterial wipes 

I always keep some of these wipes from Savvy Travelers in my bag, but any wipes are good. I generally travel with a tub of Clorox Wipes. These can be used to wipe down your car interior and outside handles, ATM buttons, hotel bathrooms and remotes, rest area toilets, gas pumps, and also clean up spills. 

Hand sanitizer

I have a variety of sanitizers, including this fantastic spray sanitizer I picked up at Target from Olivia Care. Anytime we go anywhere and aren't going directly home, we spray both sides of our hands. I also spray anything I touch, so I'm not tracking germs places, like wearing gloves can do. Plus I'm not constantly throwing gloves away. Sanitizer is also great for when you go into a public restroom and there isn't any soap available.

Lotion

When you're frequently using hand sanitizer and washing your hands a bunch, your hands are going to get super dry, so make sure to keep a good moisturizing lotion on hand. Maybe bring a couple, so you can keep one in the back seat area, so everyone has access. 

Toilet paper

You never know what might happen when you travel and finding that the rest area you just walked into is out of toilet paper is not a fun thing at all. Bring a few rolls for emergencies. Also, people touch toilet paper and other surfaces, so bringing your own just makes good sense right now.

Paper towels

You probably already keep a roll of these in your car. I do, because accidents happen. I've also been in a lot of public restrooms and rest area bathrooms that had no paper products of any kind. Having gross wet hands is not...great. And using your pants as a paper towel is garbage. We've all been there though. You probably want to keep one with you any time you get out of the car, so you don't have to touch suspect surfaces, like sink taps, bathroom doors, etc.

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Bottled water

I either bring a gallon or 2-liter bottle full of water. It can be used to clean up messes, to clean hands, for hydration (don't forget about your pup if they're along for the ride), and any number of other situations.

Seat covers

I hate public restrooms, and right now they are higher up on the list of danger zones than eating inside a restaurant. If you're worried about cleanliness, especially at rest areas, you might want to carry a pack of seat covers when none are available in the stall for you. I highly recommend FannyPac. They are affordable, large, and come in a small package, so they aren't going to take up much room. 

So, my suggestion for those of you heading out on the road is to have an in-car pack and a "go bag" for anytime you get out to use a restroom. That way you don't have to run in and scope things out before you decide if you need stuff or not, especially if you really gotta go. Be prepared, be safe, and have fun.

Will you be taking a road trip this summer?

How I'm Spending My Fourth of July

Happy Independence Day, Everyone! Today's a day I'm taking off to do some me things and also to do some good. With gatherings discouraged and Covid becoming more of a problem than not, we'll be staying home and doing some reflecting of what this day should mean.

If you're also looking for ways to finish out your weekend, I've got some ideas for you. Yesterday we spent some time watching Hamilton on Disney+ (I've been waiting for the perfect time to subscribe, and this was it). We had watched a bootleg recording right when the pandemic and stay-at-home started, which was actually very good, and I was glad I was able to see both, because I saw things in that recording than in this official recording, but this sound was much better and I could see facial expressions.

I'll also be watching some other things that feature POC and give me a bit of a history lesson (I say bit, because even large things in our history only seem to be a drop in the bucket). Some things you might want to view:

• Just Mercy (iTunes, Amazon Prime, Vudu, FandangoNow, OnDemand)
• Selma (iTunes, FandangoNow)
• Antwone Fisher (FandangoNow)
• The Hate U Give (iTunes, Amazon Prime, FandangoNow)
• Strong Island (Netflix, YouTube)

“We’ll never be free until we end slavery.” -Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton

I'll be donating more to Black Lives Matter and other social justice organizations. If you can, here are some to choose from:

• Black Lives Matter 
• Equal Justice Initiative
• Campaign Zero - If you want police reform like the rest of us, this is dedicated to a 10-point plan to reduce police violence.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Community Bail Fund - ActBlue chooses 38 different bail funds that you can choose where your money goes or have them split your donation equally between them.
• Fair Fight - Help fight voter suppression in areas that are predominantly POC.
• The Foundation for Black Women's Wellness

If you don't have money to donate, you can still make a difference by playing games and streaming music. Check out the links on BLM Carrd.

I wanted to help the protesters and people who are fighting the best way they know how, so I donated money to Philando Castile's cousin who owns a vegan restaurant in Minneapolis and hands out free meals to protesters. VegNews has a great article and link to the restaurant where you can donate on Paypal. Make sure you send it as a gift, so he gets the full amount of your donation.

We didn't forget about LGBT folx during Pride Month, plus we're always fighting for their equality as well. If you'd like to focus some of your money that way, here are some wonderful organizations:

• The Sylvia Rivera Law Project - SRLP helps folx to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.
• The Marsha P Johnson Institute - This Institute works to defend the lives of Black trans people and fight for their human rights.
• The Trevor Project
• The Human Rights Campaign

I encourage you to learn more Black and LGBTQ history, because we have been severely mislead by whitewashed and cis-gendered history books. I realized all my education ended in this manner "...and then the Civil Rights' movement happened and everyone was equal with voting rights, etc." or "...and then slavery ended!" Nobody thought to tell us all the gory details that happened after that, because racism and modern slavery are still being fought against. 

If you have children, now's the perfect time to fill in some gaps of their education. Create a book "club" where you each buy a different book, read it and talk about it with your family/kids, then pass it on to another family, until you've read all the books, and you haven't spent a fortune on them. At the end, you can pass them on to others to spread the knowledge.

I'd also like to end with this, because I'm hearing so many people crying about statues being pulled down, removed by the city, or vandalized. I never once learned anything from a statue that I remembered after I walked away. Also, books and museums exist for us to learn history. In fact, if these statues were removed and we replaced them with tiny historical libraries/museums, I think we'd learn a lot more. 

I hope everyone had a great 4th and doing their best to stay happy and healthy. Remember, we're still in a pandemic. Wear a mask to keep others safe, wash your hands, and keep your parties small and physically distanced or online. We already have been banned from the UK and Europe, and several states have quarantine orders for visitors, so if you want to travel anytime soon, we need to do our best to get our numbers under control and prove that we care about everyone, not just that we can go eat in a restaurant.

How are you spending your weekend?