Travel Briefs

A map of Australia that shows the COVID-19 travel restrictions for each state and territory, and which is continuously updated, can be found at www.australia.com/en/travel-alerts/australian-travel-status-map.html.

The map only shows rules regarding travel within Australia. At press time, Australia’s borders were closed to all foreign travelers aside from New Zealanders.

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A new-model shin kansen (bullet train), the N700S, began operating on the Tokaido Line, between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, on July 1. The line is on the Japan Rail system, so a JR Pass can be used.

The train’s engine creates less noise and vibration than previous models, and cabins have softer lighting. Each seat has a power plug to recharge electronics plus the ability to fully recline. The N700S also has battery backup, so it can continue to operate, at lower speeds, in case power...

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Leaving from Reykjavík, Iceland, the “Eyjafjallajökull Super Jeep Tour,” operated by Arctic Adventures (+354 562 7000, adventures.is), takes guests to the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, which last erupted in 2010, while also visiting Gígjökull Glacier and Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss waterfalls.

The tour, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., includes pickup and drop-off at each guest’s hotel or certain other locations in Reykjavík plus a driver, a guide and a picnic lunch. Offered year...

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To view ancient indigenous rock art in the upper peninsula of Queensland, Australia, visitors can take either a jeep or helicopter with Jarramali Rock Art Tours (Laura, Queensland, Australia; phone +61 402 805 821, jarramalirockarttours.com.au).

Featuring carvings and paintings over 20,000 years old, the rock art location is accessible only to members of this tour, guided by one of the Traditional Owners of the land, who will narrate stories depicted on the rock.

Guests on 4-...

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At press time, ITN could confirm that the countries listed below had reopened their borders to foreign travelers or had scheduled reopenings. This list may not be complete. Travel restrictions have been included here in each case, if known. Note that, though a country’s borders may have opened to travelers, flights may not yet be available from the US.

(Note: For updated information on border and travel restrictions worldwide, see the “Interactive Coronavirus [COVID-19]...

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made changes in airport security line procedures.

Visual cues placed on the floor will help passengers follow social-distancing rules. Facial covering is recommended but not required. (However, some airlines require it on board.) At the travel document podiums, passengers will scan their boarding passes on the readers themselves, then hold them up for the TSA officers to visually inspect them.

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On May 19, the European airline EasyJet announced that more than 9 million online customer accounts had been compromised in a hacking attack dating back to January. Information stolen included email addresses and travel histories. At least 2,208 customers also had all of their credit card information stolen. EasyJet said that by early April, they had notified each customer whose credit card information had been stolen.

Due to concerns about COVID-19, on May 14 Seychelles banned cruise ships from docking at the port in the capital city, Victoria, the only cruise port in the country, until at least 2022. At press time, Seychelles had recorded only 11 cases of COVID-19, with no deaths.