Your weekly roundup of travel news is back! Despite the quickening pace of vaccinations in the US, the CDC still discourages travel. But that hasn’t stopped a couple of states from loosening their Covid-19 restrictions. We reported a couple of weeks ago that Vermont has waived its testing and quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors. . .New York has recently made a similar change. Visitors that have been fully vaccinated within the previous 90 days are now exempt from their testing and quarantine requirements. As of May 1, travelers to Maine will be permitted to visit the state without any testing or quarantine UNLESS they are coming from a state that is on the Maine CDC bad boys list. Pennsylvania has dropped its testing and quarantine requirements.
The District of Columbia is asking visitors to have a negative Covid-19 test prior to arrival, limit their activities for the first three days, then take a second test at the three to five day mark. If that test is negative, you will be free to move about the District. There are two exceptions: If you’re fully vaccinated within 90 days or have had Covid-19 and subsequently tested negative within the last 90 days. Those visitors can travel freely upon arrival.
Lastly, Hawaii is rumored to be changing its requirements from the current patchwork quilt that differs by island to a more uniform approach. We’ll keep our eye on that beautiful state’s requirements.
Internationally, there were only two countries that made significant changes recently. Belize has dropped its testing requirement for visitors that can show proof of being fully vaccinated at least two weeks prior to arrival. Guatamala is now allowing two exceptions to its testing requirement: If you’re fully vaccinated more than two weeks prior to arrival or have had Covid-19 and subsequently tested negative within the last 90 days.
And now, the rest of the stories. . .
Photo by Rodrigo Kugnharski on Unsplash
Armchair trip of the weekend: Starting this Sunday, March 14, Context Travel is offering live weekly virtual tours of Paris. The first will be “Classic Paris”, followed by tours of Montmartre and the Marais and Bastille neighborhoods on successive Sundays. We feel that Context tours are among the best in Europe and, for $31 (discounted rate available until March 14), this is a terrific deal. And if Paris isn’t your virtual preference, several additional virtual touring experiences will be offered soon, including Machu Picchu on March 21.
Take a few minutes and browse through Forbes’ list of notable new hotel openings for 2021. About half of the list are in the US; the rest are scattered around the world. You’re sure to find one in a spot you’re looking to visit.
Vatnavegur, Faroe Islands. Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
We admit to being a little stumped by fellow ET Stacey’s choice of the Faroe Islands among her Top Five Places to Visit Next. After a little research, we get it. Located halfway between Iceland and Norway, this autonomous territory, part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is wild and remote. The scenery is stunning, but you won’t be doing a lot of sunbathing in their cool, wet climate. The total population of the 18 islands that make up the Faroe Islands is about 50,000, but you’ll find twice that many sheep, so sweaters should be plentiful! Best of all, they have virtually eliminated (no new cases since January 26) Covid-19. . .you can read how they did it by reading this piece for The Guardian, written by their Prime Minister. Alas, they follow Denmark’s Covid-19 restriction rules, so US citizens are not currently permitted to visit.
How far back was the world’s oldest continuously serving restaurant established? You’ll find the answer to that along with oldest places to eat in ten other places on the globe in this Travel & Leisure article. Hint: It’s well over a thousand years. There are also links to the oldest restaurant in most every other country. The oldest dining room in the US is the White Horse Tavern in Newport, Rhode Island, founded by pirate turned restrauteur William Mayes in 1673. We wonder if they had the Lobster Mac and Cheese on the menu back then.
Travel site find of the week: We have grown to like the quirky Hey Nadine site, along with her synonymous YouTube channel. She’s funny, nerdy and very informative, and her videos are among the most watched on YouTube. Check out her video on Indian Wonder Women, as well as others from all over the world.
Allegheny National Forest, Clarendon, Pennsylvania. Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash
Are you ready to try Astrotourism? The good news is that you don’t have to be an astronaut to do so; astrotourists do their thing right here on planet Earth. It’s all about the observation of the night sky, and some states are working proactively to protect their view by limiting light pollution in their “dark sky places”. I’ve experienced the awesome wonder of the sky at night in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, where there isn’t nearly as much light as in urban areas. Just another reason to get away to experience something different, and kudos to those states with the foresight to preserve their windows on the universe.
Traveling solo can be a daunting experience. Here’s how four women have navigated their own courses all over the world, and discovered as much about themselves as the places they visited.
Barge Renaissance, Upper Loire Valley, France. Photo courtesy of bargeladycruises.com.
Did we pique your interest about barge cruising on the canals of France last week? Here’s more info about how barge cruising works and why it would appeal to many. Each cruise is unique, with themes ranging from 17th century chateaus to World War I and II battlefields to Burgundy wineries and vineyards. If you want to explore further, you may want to check in with the Barge Ladies at https://www.bargeladycruises.com/. They book barge cruises all over Europe. . .fellow ET Evan booked one for his family a couple of years ago in the Loire Valley on Barge Renaissance through the Barge Ladies and had a ”fabulous experience! Very relaxing. . .outstanding cuisine.”
Credit card offer of the week: American Express has some great referral sign-up bonuses available for their Gold Card. A referral bonus is when a friend (like TET!) sends you an “invitation” to apply for the card. Interestingly, the sign-up bonus can differ from person to person, but it appears that you’ll receive anywhere from 60-75,000 Membership Rewards points once you meet the $4,000 spending requirement in the first six months. PLUS up to $200 in statement credits on eligible purchases at select US home furnishing stores within the first 3 months. Try using my personal link; if you’re approved, we can both get rewarded, as I would receive 15,000 points as well. You should see offers for several Amex cards, but this Gold Card offer is very special. If you don’t get the 75,000 point sign-up bonus with my link, try the links at FrequentMiler.com.
If you’re thinking about a US trip this summer you’re going to have a lot of company. Here are some great small towns you may want to visit and avoid large crowds. One of the picks, Mackinac Island, is like stepping back 100 years in time, especially if you stay at the Grand Hotel.
Photo by Craig Washington on Unsplash
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, everyone, and here’s to planning (and going on) your next trip.