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An Initial Re-Entry into International Travel

Smiling Sam

I posted most of this on another thread, but I decided having its own thread would make it easier for people to see my experiences at resuming international travel.

Myself, my wife, my sister-in-law, my niece and my niece's friend (I designated the trip my Charlie's Angels trip) decided to proceed with our Jamaica trip to an all-inclusive resort, that we had planned a year ago. All five of us were fully vaccinated.

We flew in on American from Tucson, with a stop in Dallas. Entry to Jamaica required completing an application online, agreeing to stay in the “Hotel Zone”, use only authorized transportation, stay at an approved hotel, and get an approved COVID test, with negative results within 72 hours of arrival. We passed all of these requirements. Upon checkin for our flight the agent checked mine and my wife’s COVID test result, but no one looked at the results of the other three people in our party. No one at American or TSA looked at anything else besides a passport and boarding pass. American has a strict masking policy that requires a proper mask be worn properly for the entire trip with the exception of short times when you might be eating or drinking something. Once on the flight to Jamaica we had to fill out a form that asked questions similar to the online form. Upon arrival in Jamaica and working our way through customs and baggage claim we had our temperatures checked and we were applied with mandatory hand sanitizer several times. When we handed the customs agent the form we filled out on the plane, I don’t know if she compared it to our online form or not. All went very smoothly.

At our resort we got the required COVID test for our return to the states( our 4th ones - you never get used to the cotton swab stroking your brain via your nasal passage ). Our results were available the following morning in the lobby of our building. The COVID test results were examined by the agent at the airport prior to issuing our boarding pass.

In addition, we had to fill out a ‘Passenger Disclosure and Attestation to the United States of America’ form that we turned in at the gate just prior to boarding. The form simply asks, ‘I attest that I have received a negative pre-departure test result for COVID ... during the 3 calendar days before departure’. Then you sign and date it.

At the resort they have implemented a lot of COVID protocols:
a) they clean everything often
b) masks are required for entry into restaurants, or when at a bar, but not at the beach or when actually eating or drinking
c) the staff wear masks all the time
d) buffets are done by the staff dishing the food you desire, no self serve
e) some restaurants are closed on a daily, rotating basis - a COVID concession
e) some aspects of the spa weren’t open, but most were

Beach, sea, and pools were great, as were the drinks and food. It’s an all-inclusive resort.

When reaching the states, in Dallas, everything proceeded as the return from any international trip, if you ignore the masking and social distancing.

**Even with all of the required testing and protocols I assess the week as a successful reentry into international travel. **

Hopefully, as time passes, international travel will return, little-by-little, to a less restrictive activity closer to what it was prior to the pandemic.

Hopefully this provides a few insights to people wondering what international travel might entail.

Comments

sevenseas

That is a good report. My question about international travel right now is how does it feel [and I ask this of myself in deciding when to travel] to travel somewhere that has so little access to Covid vaccine so far? As of only a few days ago, Jamaica only had 2.3% of its citizens vaccinated, and that came through the Covax program. Many Americans are lucky to be vaccinated compared to elsewhere. On the one hand, tourism-dependent destinations depend upon our dollars, and we are helping their residents economically. But the efforts to ensure our safety and our safe status so as not to infect residents draws considerable resources. I struggled with something somewhat similar when going on a cruise some years ago that was scheduled to stop in Labadi, Haiti shortly after Haiti's devastating earthquake. Ultimately we went, and all on the ship made donations of money and clothes and bought items at the straw market without haggling just to help them in a dignified way. But lying on the beach there while there was such suffering going on nearby was difficult. Covid is not the same, but not entirely different. As vaccinated Americans travel to places hard-hit, and without a strong vaccination program, I sense both good and bad. Did any of your traveling party have thoughts like this, or did you encounter others who felt this way? To be clear, I am not sure whether we should or should not, but wonder how this aspect entered into the experience at all, both from the traveler perspective, and the hospitality worker perspective. I am glad you had what sounds like a fairly enjoyable trip.

British

Most of the countries Tauck travels to are ‘poorer’ than the US, Covid or not.
Do I feel strange that my home in the US is almost three times the size of my home that I had in the UK? And I did not have to work, just my husband. I’m not sure I understand that anything has changed Covid or not.
The fact that so many Americans will not chose to be vaccinated is what troubles me.

Smiling Sam

sevenseas - Did any of your traveling party have thoughts like this, or did you encounter others who felt this way?

I certainly can't speak for the Jamaicans, but we did have conversations with some of the staff that we came in contact with. The porter, not sure if that is his title, for the building that we were in was happy spirited and he was very thankful that we had visited. He said that we were helping 'feed his family'. He said that he probably wouldn't qualify for a vaccination for two years. Another of the staff, that regularly provided drinks around the pool and near the beach, echoed those thoughts in a slightly different way. She said that she had two young kids at home and felt we were helping them out. She also appreciated us being there.

Whenever we visit all-inclusive resorts throughout Mexico (Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo), Central America (Costa Rica, Panama), and the Caribbean (Punta Cana DR, Jamaica) we always bring lots of ones, fives, and tens. We know that we are visiting 'poorer' countries than the US and we continually tip anytime any staff provides a service.

I sensed that Jamaica is trying to have life return to pre-pandemic days but is still a year or two away from achieving that. That said, Jamaica isn't the same as Haiti after its earthquake, or St Vincent now with its erupting volcano. Those are immediate, massive natural disasters. Those immediate, massive natural disasters aren't for tourists. They are for emergency personnel, and is done more via large health organizations or country-to-country aid.

Visiting pandemic stricken countries, if it can be done safely, is done more by tourists helping provide aid, in a far different way, through their tourism dollars, some of which go directly to the rank and file workers.

We had several things that we had to check, for ourselves, before we considered going forward with this trip.

One - all of our party had to be fully vaccinated

Two - the requirements for visiting Jamaica and returning to the US had to be easily accomplished. They consisted of the items I described previously. The Covid tests pre-trip and prior to return were both free and accomplished in 15 minutes each. The paperwork requirements were all completed easily and in probably 30 minutes total.

Three - the transportation and resort facilities that we would be accessing all had to have real protocols in place with respect to masking and social distancing.

We were able to check all three, such that we felt comfortable (but not without some level of doubt or risk) that we could proceed. Everything went per plan and so we had a very comfortable and enjoyable week. Things could have, like with any international travel, could have had some derailments. I recall returning from two different Tauck trips where airline hiccups forced us to spend an extra night in some location along our route home (once in Dallas and once in Toronto). I'm sure most people that have travelled a fair amount have had these types of experiences, some much worse that what I've encountered. Luckily this trip went without any hiccups.