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Travel Tips

EU to Discuss Reinstating Travel Restrictions on US Citizens

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The Delta Variant has continued to spread across the country and the globe. The United States’ COVID cases have increased exponentially in the last few weeks, with the majority being those who are unvaccinated.

On the European Union Black List

Yesterday Bloomberg News reported, “The European Union will likely discuss reintroducing travel restrictions on visitors from the U.S. next week amid rising coronavirus case numbers. The U.S. has breached the threshold to be included on the list of non-EU countries that enjoy unrestricted travel into the bloc.”

Though not news we welcome, it is what we expected given our current situation. We certainly believe the EU will make the decision to take the United States off their list of countries that can travel without restrictions to EU countries.

Exception for Those Vaccinated?

Non-vaccinated travelers most likely will not be allowed to enter the EU even with a negative COVID test result. Vaccinated travelers may still be able to enter given they show their proof of vaccination, and perhaps even a negative COVID test result.

However, this decision is still up in the air. The European Union has been urging the US to allow vaccinated travelers into the country, yet the US still bans all non-essential travel. So will the EU allow vaccinated travelers to set a good example – or because their tourism industry desperately needs vaccinated Americans? Or will they reciprocate by banning all Americans. We think it most likely they will allow vaccinated Americans into EU on non-essential travel … but we will know more soon.

COVID Test Required?

I recently traveled to Iceland in June with my husband and a COVID test was required even though we were both vaccinated. It was a very small addition to our entry into the country and did not delay our plans at all. Just after going through customs, we entered another line to get a COVID test. The healthcare workers were quick and efficient. We then rented a car and drove to our hotel to wait for our test results as we ate breakfast in our room and rested from the overnight sleepless flight. We each received a text with our negative COVID results after a few hours and headed out the door to start exploring the beautiful city of Reykjavik. This is one possibility for the EU.

Our best guess at this time is the EU will allow vaccinated Americans into the country for leisure travel, possibly with a COVID test required. Of course, if a ban is reinstated for all US travelers, we would most likely reschedule our planned European tours scheduled for the coming months.  

We will be watching this news closely and will provide an update as soon as we can.  

Please stay safe out there!

Make It Easier To Travel After Covid 19 Pandemic

7 Things To Do Now To Make It Easier To Travel After COVID-19 Pandemic

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We’ve been cooped up inside for months just itching to travel as soon as it is safe. Though some destinations have begun to open up to tourism, it will be some time until we can travel as freely as we once did. But don’t fret, even though you may feel like you are in traveler limbo, research has shown that just planning and anticipating a future trip can significantly boost your happiness levels.

To help you be as ready to set sail as soon as the coast is clear, we’ve compiled a list of to-do’s that you can complete now to make it easier for you to travel after the COVID-19 pandemic:

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The Future of Travel Webinar

The Future of Travel in the time of COVID-19

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As we’ve been making decisions on canceling or postponing tours and creating safety procedures for when tours resume, Taste Vacations’ founder and owner, Allan Wright, dove into a massive amount of research of all things travel and COVID-19 pandemic. The result was a useful compendium of information on travel during the pandemic. We will present this information to any and all travelers in a free webinar:

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Belgium Travel Tips

Belgium Travel Tips: Know Before You Go

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What Belgium lacks in size (its about the size of the state of Maryland), it makes up for it in beautiful architecture, intriguing culture, complex history, legendary beers, and delectable cuisine.   To give you a little background and to help you have the most enjoyable trip possible, check out a few factors that are useful to know before you go:

Belgium Travel Tips:
LANGUAGES SPOKEN IN BELGIUM

Due to Belgium’s complex history, it has three official languages. If you are in the northern Flanders region, the top language is Flemish Dutch.  In the southern region of Wallonia, most people speak French. In a smaller region in the east, German is the main language. Even though English isn’t an official language of Belgium, it is still spoken by 55% of its people. The city of Brussels is considered bilingual as many languages are spoken there – and it’s home to the European Union headquarters and NATO. Check out our additional tips on how to travel to a country where you don’t know the language.

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Lisbon Portugal Street

Portugal Travel Tips: Know Before You Go

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Portuguese have a rich cultural heritage and are known for being friendly and welcoming to travelers. Portugal is one of Europe’s oldest countries and offers exquisite cuisine, delectable wines, and breathtaking coastlines. To give you a little background and to help you have the most enjoyable trip possible, check out a few factors that are useful to know before you go:

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