There are decidedly two “camps” in the travel world right now. Those that want to get on a plane and go RIGHT NOW and those that don’t want to travel until it feels safer to do so.
In this article
This article will address none of that, however.
If you live in the United States and already know that you are in the first of those two camps, this article is to help you narrow your options. And as of right now, it would appear you have three likely options.
I would like to note, though, that everything in the world as it relates to COVID-19 remains wildly in flux. One outbreak in any of the locations I’ll discuss below, or new outbreaks in the US, could change everything. A country I mention below could later implement restrictions on where tourists can come in from. Long story short: Make sure you know the policies of any airfare you book as well as of the hotels. And also look more into what kind of COVID-19 related policies there will be so you know how your trip may differ from the same trip in more normal times.
Remember, you’ll most likely have to wear a mask on the plane and, most probably, indoors wherever you travel to.
Here are three countries that are actively planning to welcome Americans in summer 2020.
Summer 2020 in…. Iceland
Iceland will be requiring an on-arrival COVID-19 rapid test and will force you into a mandatory 14 day quarantine if you are positive, but beyond that Iceland currently plans to welcome American tourists from June 15th, 2020
Iceland has had only 10 COVID related deaths, so as long as the rapid testing works and they keep the COVID out, you’re likely to feel pretty relaxed. Not to mention the fact that you head to Iceland to be outdoors, where COVID-19 transmission is much less of a concern than somewhere you would spend a lot of time indoors breathing recirculated air.
I loved Iceland and highly recommend snowmobiling on a glacier (I called it Glaciermobiling, but they don’t ;-))
Summer 2020 in…. Greece
On July 1st, Greece plans to be welcoming tourists from the world over. While Athens during COVID wouldn’t be my cup of tea, it certainly seems like a great time to hop over to one of the Greek Islands. That said, you will have to land in Athens for screening before continuing on.
Don’t expect much in the way of nightlife (I don’t expect there will be any) but a socially-distanced beach holiday with al fresco dining still sounds nice.
And I’d bet you can find a solid deal on the Newark to Athens fifth-freedom route on Emirates.
Mykonos or Corfu sure sounds nice right about now….
Summer 2020 in…. Mexico
Los Cabos intends to be the first beach region to “open up” – starting sometime this month. But Mexico, generally, is saying July is when we can expect to widely visit touristic areas.
Riviera Maya and Cancun should be close behind. The Mexican reopening plan seems a bit loosely assembled at this time, so I don’t think I’d try to book a trip there just yet as we await more concrete information, it’s one to keep top of mind if Iceland and Greece aren’t doing it for you.
The US Border Remains Closed to Non-Residents
Please make sure you know the rules that apply to you when you leave the country, so you can be sure you’ll be allowed back. For example, foreign nationals that have been in Greece in the prior 14 days won’t be allowed entry to the United States. US residents, however, may still return via one of the 13 designated arrival airports.
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Boston-Logan International Airport Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Illinois
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Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
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Detroit Metropolitan Airport
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Daniel K. Inouye International Airport
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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
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John F. Kennedy International Airport
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Los Angeles International Airport
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Miami International Airport
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Newark Liberty International Airport
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San Francisco International Airport
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
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Washington-Dulles International Airport
Where are Americans Definitely Not Going This Summer?
Most places, unfortunately. the UK has a 14 day quarantine about to be announced that would exclude much of Europe but include those that have been in America. Most of Asia, like Hong Kong, Singapore, etc won’t even allow people from the US to transit their airports at present.
And Australia / New Zealand, having essentially eradicated coronavirus, will likely open border to each other later this year – and nobody else.
So with all of that said, are you booking summer 2020 travel?
Let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.
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