Covid
Have trip booked to Italy in May. For those who have recently done a Tauck Italy tour, have you experienced Covid yourselves or within your group while on the tour? Just curious if there are a lot of cases. With the new variants, am starting to question if it's "safe" to travel within a large group and be in such close quarters together--bus, etc. Concerned about having to leave the tour and be in isolation who knows where.
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As far as I know, there are no rules in Italy to go into quarantine and no rules to say you cannot get onto a plane and go straight back to the US, only guidelines. People with newly diagnosed Covid on one of our fours did that. You can wear a mask and it is up to others to protect themselves.
I can’t tell you about Covid in Italy. We were there on a Tauck trip last May. At that time there was still Covid testing requirements to return to the US. I tested negative prior to our return to the US and to my knowledge everyone else in the group was negative.
This past August we were on a Tauck trip to Ireland and the story is a bit different. We arrived in Dublin a day early and toured around the city on our own. The next day we attended the welcome dinner. The following day was our first touring day with a tour in the morning and the afternoon on our own. Back at the hotel I started to have a sore throat and felt a bit crummy. We travel with a small digital thermometer, so I took my temperature and it was 101. We also brought some covid tests with us so I tested myself and it was positive.
I probably could have continued with the tour since my symptoms were fairly mild. I have had worse colds in my life. We dropped out of the tour on day one.
I should also mention that I have had all the available vaccines and wore a mask in all the crowded places. I believe I got infected in one of the airports or on one of the flights going to Dublin. August was extremely crowded everywhere.
I think Covid is something we have to live with now. I am discovering that the people who have not had Covid are in the minority.
According to today's Washington Post,
The "new variant, XBB.1.5, is quickly becoming the dominant strain in parts of the United States because of a potent mix of mutations that makes it easier to spread broadly, including among those who have been previously infected or vaccinated."
XBB.1.5, pegged by the World Health Organization as “the most transmissible” descendant yet of the omicron variant, rose from barely 2 percent of U.S. cases at the start of December to more than 27 percent the first week of January, according to new estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 70 percent of cases in the Northeast are believed to be XBB.1.5."
I contracted Covid last Wednesday. We were supposed to leave for Nuevo Vallarta today. 4th year in a row we had to cancel this January trip. On Paxlovid since Thursday and no symptoms. Banished to the bedroom with wife living on other side of the house. I get a tray of food 3 x a day. Oh well, better than feeling really sick or worse. Have to keep smiling.
Does anybody know, if new vaccines are coming out, or if we should revaccinate with existing vaccines once we get past 18 months from previous vaccination, etc. I’ll be to that point when my next Tauck trip, to South America, comes up in October.
I see my doctor tomorrow for my yearly Wellness check and I will ask him, but I thought I’d put the question to the forum.
I applaud your attitude, BSP51, and am glad to hear you are asymptomatic.
Thank you!
We were in Italy in September. Got through our trip with no reported cases. I think the last Italy tours finished in October, so there are no recent tours to compare to. When we went, masks were required on public transport (not on the Tauck bus). On a funicular, there was a sign requiring masks, but many people (including many obvious tourists), ignored it. Masks were supposed to worn on flights originating in Italy, but Swiss did not even mention it when we boarded our departing flight. Not sure what the requirements are now or what they will be in May.
My advice: Go on your tour. COVID is likely to be with us forever, at some level. Wear N95 or KN95 masks in any crowded indoor space including airports, museums, and train stations. Limit your social contacts for at least ten days before departure. We got COVID from our granddaughter on the way to the airport on a previous trip. Now we do partial quarantine before each trip (wear masks when shopping and avoid crowds and close contact).
My fifth shot was Sept. 8, 2022. Got Covid Sept. 26. Just had a physical, and was advised, I should revaccinate 3 weeks prior to my May 1 tour. Who knows……..
To get back on track with my original post, has anyone recently experienced covid on their trip or had others do so, and what happens to you if that occurs? Has this been happening a lot recently?
See my recent trip review regarding COVID on our tour: https://forums.tauck.com/discussion/16396/northern-spain-the-rioja-valley-and-madrid-a-brief-report/p1
CarolP, in our European tour in September, 8 of 22 ultimately got Covid. The first ill person declined to mask. We got sick on departure day and did not feel well enough to travel. Covid hit us more like the flu than a cold. We chose to isolate in our European city for 5 days prior to returning home. On the plane lots of people were coughing. We missed a second tour due to our illness. We just did not have the heart to join an even smaller tour knowing we had Covid, even if we felt up to it. We had two travel insurance policies that ultimately paid up our expenses. We got official Covid testing at a clinic near the hotel, and arranged for telephone appointments with our home doctors to document our illness for insurance purposes.
This was actually the first time that my husband and I got any type of illness while traveling, and it was our 8th Tauck tour.
My personal opinion is that I am no longer afraid of dying of Covid and plan to continue to travel. But being sick with anything while on a trip is not fun. It was annoying and inconvenient at best. It took 3 weeks before I totally felt well and got my exercise tolerance back up. My husband did better. We also did not qualify for Paxlovid in Europe, despite being older.
I would consider it common courtesy to put on a mask whenever possible if you are sick, especially in an enclosed space. I find it remarkable that Tauck and other touring companies say nothing about this, especially for Covid where droplet particles can linger in the air, and it is so contagious. It is one thing to be sick while at home, but a lot different to be sick while travelling.
The greatest thing for us about Tauck is all the intelligent, interesting people we meet! I enjoy learning new viewpoints from people all across the country. It is so great to get to know you all! We have met some of our dearest friends on Tauck trips.
But just as I trust my fellow group travelers to be at the bus on time every day, I also would really appreciate it if you wore a mask indoors if you are sick. A mask in the airport and on the plane until take off would probably also help. I know it is your vacation too, and it is up to me to protect myself, and I certainly will. But please think about it.
~~Wan--But just as I trust my fellow group travelers to be at the bus on time every day, I also would really appreciate it if you wore a mask indoors if you are sick. A mask in the airport and on the plane until take off would probably also help. I know it is your vacation too, and it is up to me to protect myself, and I certainly will. But please think about it.~~
Very well said! Thank you.