Travel Briefs
Countries open to vaccinated travelers
As of press time, The following countries had opened or waived testing and/or quarantining requirements for vaccinated travelers. (A person is not considered vaccinated until two weeks after their final injection.)
No restrictions for Dominican Republic
On April 27, the Dominican Republic announced that it was removing all COVID-19 restrictions for incoming travelers.
France ends short-haul flights
In an effort to reduce air pollution, French lawmakers approved a plan to ban domestic flights along routes that can be reached by train in less than 2½ hours. Connecting flights along the banned routes from major airports are still allowed but are not able to be booked as stand-alone flights.
Madeira skywalk
At the top of Cabo Girão, a sea cliff on the south side of the Portuguese island of Madeira, visitors will find the glass-bottomed Cabo Girão Skywalk 1,900 feet above the Atlantic Ocean.
AA rebooks missed flights
As of April 20, American Airlines (www.aa.com) now rebooks passengers who missed their flights by no more than 15 minutes onto the next available flight at no additional cost.
Australia park changes
In Far North Queensland, Australia, in March, the Tip at Cape York (called Pajinka by the Aborigines who live there) was closed by the Traditional Owners, Gudang/Yahaykenu Aboriginal Corporation, due to visitor misbehavior and vandalism.
Viking Cruises daily COVID tests
Every passenger and crew member will be tested for COVID-19 each day, using a noninvasive, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) saliva test, during the maiden voyages of the Viking Venus, the newest oceangoing ship of Viking Cr
Rarotonga day tours
On Rarotonga, visitors can be regaled with the history and culture of the Cook Islanders on active day tours led by guides from Storytellers (Box 2130, Arorangi; phone +682 23450, www.storytellers.co.ck).
Vaccinated traveler openings
As COVID-19 vaccines continue to prove effective, countries are opening their borders to vaccinated travelers.
Private OAT tours
Private tours for 5 to 10 people (at least 13 years old) will begin being offered in 2022 by the tour operator Overseas Adventure Travel, or OAT (Boston, MA; 800/955-1925, www.oattravel.com).
Bike tour on BC train trail
Near the city of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, visitors can take a guided bicycle tour along an old train route, the Kettle Valley Railway, in Myra Canyon, crossing 18 hundred-year-old trestles and passing through two tunnels. The largest trestle is 721 feet long and 180 feet high.
Virgin Voyages requires vaccines
The cruise line Virgin Voyages (www.virginvoyages.com) announced on March 16 that it would require all passengers and crew to be vaccinated before boarding one of its
Trinidad cave tours
In Trinidad & Tobago, visitors can take a 3-hour guided tour of the Gasparee Caves on Gaspar Grande island, a 15-minute boat ride from Chaguaramas.
Canada bans cruises until 2022
Canada announced on Feb. 4 that it would ban ships carrying 100 or more passengers from its territorial waters until March 1, 2022. In addition, boats carrying more than 12 people are banned from Arctic waters. (This does not include boats operated for pleasure or hunting/fishing by Arctic residents.)
Northern Cyprus beach resort ‘opens’
Turkish soldiers removed barriers at the abandoned Northern Cyprus resort town of Varusha on Oct. 8, 2020, allowing visitors in for the first time in 46 years. The town, once famous for its beaches and luxury hotels, is now mostly ruins.
New Tokyo ferry
Designed for ease of access by passengers with limited mobility, a new ship in the Tokai Kisen fleet, the Salvia-Maru, began passenger service between Tokyo and the Izu Islands of Japan in June 2020.
Maldives resort bubble
Visitors to the Indian Ocean island nation of Maldives can enter a resort bubble, allowing them full access to all of the facilities and activities at their resort while protecting the country’s general population.
COVID testing in Mexico
At press time, three international airports in Mexico were offering rapid COVID-19 antigen tests for outgoing international passengers. A COVID-19 test showing a negative result must be presented by any traveler flying into the US, even a returning US citizen.
Japan stork tour
In Toyooka, Honshu, Japan, visitors can take the private “Oriental White Stork Observation Tour” to see the endangered birds in their natural habitat. Thanks to a captive breeding program, about 140 storks, once extinct in Japan, now breed in the area.
Anguilla resort bubble
The Eastern Caribbean island of Anguilla now offers a “Vacation Bubble” for incoming travelers.