This Week in Travel- February 12, 2021

Happy Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day weekend!  Today is also the beginning of the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac calendar.  In our previous lives, this was a great weekend to get away, but not so much this year.  We invite you to think about future travel plans this weekend, with our weekly roundup of travel related stories to get you going.

Here are the Covid-19 related changes for destinations for US citizens we’ve been following:

• Georgia (the country, not the state) announced they would be allowing visitors to enter without quarantine if they have proof of having received the complete vaccine regimen https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2021/02/10/travel-restrictions-vaccine-georgia-europe/.
• The Seychelles and Jordan now have the same policy, although vaccinated visitors will still need a negative test taken within 72 hours or departure.

We first reported to you about potential US domestic travel restrictions in last week’s weekly roundup.  The New York Times reported earlier this week that conversations within the Biden administration were ongoing.  Yesterday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki appeared to downplay it:  “No decisions have been made around additional public health measures that would change domestic travel,” according to Reuters.  Which means, of course, that restrictions could be put in place any day now.  Stay tuned.

We received an interesting email today from Hunter Lewis, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine magazine.  He’s been involved in conversations with industry insiders about adding a vaccine passport component to Clear, a touchless digital ID service used by airlines and entertainment venues already being used by the state of Hawaii as part of its Covid-19 regulations https://thepointsguy.com/news/clears-health-pass-hawaii/.

According to Lewis, “Clear has joined other companies in a network known as CommonPass, a vaccine passport app and “global trust network,” as one executive has called it, that collects, manages, and displays your health information, including vaccine testing and immunizations, upon check-in. Other networks partnering with airlines and travel companies include the International Air Transport Association’s travel pass and AOKpass.”  Clear is fairly expensive ($179 per year), but frequent travelers love it, since it provides access to the front of the line, bypassing even the TSA pre-check aisle.  We’ll keep watching this developing story as well.

And now, the rest of the stories. . .

Florence, from the Piazzale Michelangelo

Armchair trip of the weekend:  When we visited Florence in November 2019, we did a guided tour with Context Travel, a European based firm.  The group tour of Medici Florence was great, and since it was off-season, we were the only people in the group!  Since the pandemic struck, they have moved online in a big way, and they offer numerous live virtual tours as well as “courses” consisting of 3=6 weekly sessions.  Cost is usually $35 per session, and they’re very well done and worth the price.  You can explore topics ranging from Archaeology to World War II, on five of the seven continents (nothing in Antarctica or Australia, yet).

I ran across this article from a few months ago about the opening of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum (USOPM) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The concept and content development for the museum was done by fellow Clevelanders (and TET subscribers) Kathy and Dennis Barrie. Their company, Barrie Projects, has developed museums and traveling exhibits based on themes ranging from the history of rock and roll to pro football to international espionage to the Mafia.  Their latest effort is a state of the art collection of everything Olympic and Paralympic, utilizing RFID technology to provide a tour customized to the visitor’s preferences and interests. You’ll be able to participate in interactive exhibits and view their collection of Olympic torches, as well as reliving countless Olympic moments.  Colorado Springs, also home to the Air Force Academy, is a beautiful city that would certainly lend itself to a long weekend trip.

If you’re thinking about exploring one of our National Parks this summer, here’s a great listing of hotels from Conde Nast Traveler that you can book using points that are relatively (within an hour) nearby.

Since we’re right in the middle of Black History month, here’s a list of some great places to learn more about the sacrifices and contributions of Black Americans.  You could also learn about the history of the Underground Railroad in Hudson, Ohio (self guided tours available from the Hudson Public Library) as well as a drive-by of a house that John Brown, a leading abolitionist, built and lived in during the 1820’s.

Delta is keeping their middle seats unoccupied through at least the end of April.

Credit card sign-up bonus of the week:  American Express just announced some great promotions for their Amex Gold card, for both the personal and business versions.  The various offers range from 60,000 to 75,000 points, plus referral bonuses, plus up to $250 in cash back or credits.  It’s a bit confusing, but, as usual, our friends at Frequent Miler do a great job of sorting it out for us https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-find-the-best-amex-gold-bonus/.   Amex Gold is a middle tier card ($250 per year) that gives you the same Membership Rewards points as its big brother Amex Platinum.  The Gold card benefits aren’t nearly as comprehensive, but at about half the cost, it’s a great card to use to generate valuable Membership Rewards points.

As one of my favorite musicians, Jimmy Buffett, is fond of saying, “We’ve got a lot to drink about.”  If you agree, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail might be just the trip to plan.  Here are some of the “must see” sights.

Travel video recommendation of the week:  Rick Steves is replaying and narrating some of his best loved episodes on his live Monday Night Travel series.  You can sign up to be part of the “viewing party” at his website.  You can also go back and watch the recorded versions on that same page.  Rick is always interesting, and his shows are well-produced and beautifully shot.

Lastly, for your future future travel planning, Popular Mechanics reports that “Scientists Are Pretty Sure They Found a Portal to the Fifth Dimension.”   We think it’s worth signing up for the site just to read more about it.  Assuming they don’t mean the 60’s era group, The Fifth Dimension.  Ok, now we have to provide you with one last link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajgeaOt_HTQ

Perhaps this is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius?

Please let us know how you like this roundup by leaving a comment below.  Have a great weekend, everyone, and thanks for being a part of The Exceptional Traveler community!