International PCR travel test kits
Looking for recommendations for a COVID test kit to take on the B, Z and SA tour. I would like to purchase one that allows me to make my TeleMed appointment in advance. Thanks so much to all of you experienced travelers for your advice on this. I am also curious to know what price range I should expect when buying an insurance policy to supplement the Guest Protection policy I purchased through Tauck. Tauck’s $1,000 trip delay does not seem at all sufficient should I have to quarantine for a week in Cape Town. USAA quoted me a price of $2,800, but I am hoping to do better than that because I have to start saving for my next Tauck trip in 2024 (she says optimistically!)
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I don’t think you mean trip DELAY, you mean trip Interruption at least until until the end of the tour, then I have no idea what the term is. Trip delay is for the start of a trip being delayed.
The hotel you stay at in Cape Town, the One and Only, should be able to help you out locally with testing. How about emailing the Concierge to ask . I assume you think Tauck won’t want anything to do with your testing since you are staying on for a week. You can ask them to be sure. You may also need more general insurance because I think Tauck has some sort of rule where if you stay on longer than three days, their insurance doesn’t cover all your trip. If you are over 65 and have Medicare, the insurance will be different than if you are under that age where your regular health insurance may cover a mishap.
If you booked Tauck insurance after July 2021, the amounts are more generously than insurance before e the Pandemic. If an original tour was canceled or you delayed it into the next year, I think you are stuck with the old insurance amounts of coverage, but all this needs checking out.
Thanks again, British. Posted on this site erroneously, but I really appreciate your detailed response. Unfortunately, I booked this trip in June 2020 so Tauck only covers $1,000. I added another insurance plan that will cover $250 in expenses per day. I should be fine. The concierge at the One and Only has also been helpful. I don’t think I will quarantine there, but I think they will help me find a reasonable place for however long I need one. Happy Travels! Rebecca
Hi Ladybombay - I used the FlexFlow covid test when I recently travelled to Europe. The proctored testing only cost $20.00. I did this w/Azova. They proctor other tests so definitely make sure the one you have is handled by them. I know Abbot is not as they proctor their own. This is their site for their contact info: https://www.azova.com/get_support.html. The site for the ihealth testing that they gave me the is athomevideo.azova.com. I guess they have different sites for which test is used.
I believe you are correct about the delay covering if you have to quarantine. The interruption is for your flights. I know some have mentioned using Allianz for a supplement to the guest protection by Tauck, but I went thru AON to supplement my Switzerland trip last year. The cost was only $49.00 and it added an additional $2000 to trip delay per person. The number I called for this was 866 808-7356 and I believe it's TVPPLUS for the add on insurance. I am not sure if this is still the same so you could contact them to discuss. The site was www.aontravelproplus.com and I had to enroll online. I did need a Tauck reservation ID for the AON extra insurance. I don't know if the price has changed, but I'll definitely be looking into adding insurance if the test requirement is still in place when I take a Tauck tour in November of 2023, next year. I hope it's not!!
Enjoy your trip!
You may not have an option where you quarantine. I don't know how it works but our two friends who had to quarantine after Treasures of the Aegean and just got back a week ago, did not have a choice. The non-Tauck positives from the Wind Star went to one hotel, while our friends and the other Tauck people who tested positive went to another- a Marriott property in the port of Piraeus, not the Grande Bretagne, also a Marriott property centrally located in Athens, where we started the tour.
Kathy, thank you for that wealth of wonderful information. I will check out both options. I do hope that by the time you travel in November, 2023. The PCR requirement will be history!
You will not need a PCR test, only an antigen rapid test. Flowflex and BinaxNow AG can be used with a tele-proctor. Just do a simple internet search for eMed or Navica..
BTW, don’t wait until the end of your trip to test. Take extra home (non-proctored) tests with you and use them throughout the trip. You would rather know earlier than later if you’re positive and have to change your travel plans.
Today's news no more PCR test needed to enter US
DONE!!!
Yes, no more antigen test required. Great news.