International travel experiences under Covid

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neb

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#296190 28-May-2022 18:04

Anyone been on an international flight recently and have any experiences/advice to share? Anything to watch out for? How are they handling masking on planes during meal times? Do they stagger meals so everyone isn't unmasked at the same time? Anything else to be aware of?

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#2919798 28-May-2022 18:48

Not flown abroad since pre pandemic but have Queensland and Hawaii in August.

USA, GB and about half of the EU countries have dropped airline mask mandates.

Air New Zealand still require pre departure test.

In finding it very hard to keep up as its constantly changing.

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#2919828 28-May-2022 20:25

My wife went to the UK about a month ago. No problems with the flights or transit in Singapore. The biggest problem was getting the tests and documentation required to get back into NZ within the quite tight deadlines. The rest of the world has learned to live with covid, the NZ requirements for testing and certification can be difficult to meet. My wife said she wouldn't bother going overseas again until they're gone as it was way too much hassle. The changing requirements and the way they're interpreted different is an issue.

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#2919833 28-May-2022 20:56

If we're counting Australia as international, then I've just come back from a work trip.

Forms and declarations to be filled in for both countries. Australia done via an app (annoying) or website NZ done via a website which works great on mobile. Annoying to do these and a little time consuming. Asks for details of flight, vaccination status, etc.

Check-in takes a lot longer, and customs/immigration about the same for me. Mask mandatory throughout the airport and at all times on board - but could be taken off while meals were served. Couple of people left them off after eating but most followed the rules. Meals all served at once with no changes to service.

The pre-departure test requirement to come to NZ is annoying, but easy enough to do.

Airport shops are still mostly closed, as are a lot of the food places. But there are some that are open.

neb

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#2920339 30-May-2022 12:20

Currently sitting in the lounge. Most people aren't wearing masks, presumably treating it as a cafe. Beforehand there were people wandering around the airport without masks or with masks under their chins, but probably no more than you'd see at the mall.

No-one asked for my vaccination certificate or proof of all-clear Covid test. It's possible the former is linked into the passenger record system in some way, but I can't imagine the note from the chemist who did the RAT test is.

If you see someone with their mask sitting under their nose there's a 99% chance it's an old white guy. And that's not taken from a sample size of just two.

JY

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#2920359 30-May-2022 13:23

Travelled through 17 states in the USA late January thru March (before I was allowed back home). I'm back here in the US again at the moment for three weeks.

Only change on the US documentation side was that in Jan I had to fill in extra forms for California before arrival, that's not needed now. But your international vaccine pass will be absolutely be inspected as will your negative supervised test result that must be taken no more than one day before departure, plus your CDC declaration. For the test you'll need your passport to stop people trying to get a sub to take it for them (the test staff told me that happens a lot). And don't forget your ESTA unless you have a visa.

Be aware that some of the tests can come out positive more than 30 days after you've had COVID, so if you've had it recently and don't want to risk being denied boarding best get a test a few days in advance of your actual pre-departure test in case just in case you have to get a medical certificate instead. You'll still need a second test the day before but then you'll know you'll pass. Just adds to the cost if you have been sick.

Flights to the USA are really full at the moment and prices are really high. Back in Jan they were at bargain prices and the planes were only a third full.

Right now you still need a mask in airports and on planes. That might have changed, I'm on a domestic flight to SFO tomorrow so will see. Some states are quite conservative, you need a mask indoors in say Boston but not in Texas. Pharmacies (CVS and the like) often need masks to get in. A lot of serving staff still wear masks. Only a few people here wear masks outside.

You need to think about mask wearing for your own protection. Getting COVID here could be a nightmare while travelling as you'll need to rest up someone to recover and you will not be able to board your flight home until the tests are clear which could take a couple of weeks. The costs of a missed flight and extra accommodation might not be covered by your travel insurance - your mileage may vary.

For the return home, to meet NZ requirements I know that there are a couple of testing stations at LAX and probably also at SFO. Just need to turn up 4 or 5 hours early to find the place and get a test, but you must book online to reserve a test. The testing places are before you go thru security. Not 100% what the current NZ requirements are to get home, so you'll need to check online.

Enjoy your trip.

Scott3

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#2920366 30-May-2022 13:34

Got back to NZ a few weeks ago from our first post pandemic trip to visit family.

Way more expensive than pre-pandemic
Most flights seem full of close to it.
Check in is slow - lots of stuff to check.
Philippines was still closed to tourist's (I was allowed in as the spouse of a citizen), so check this out.
Philippines is pretty much back to normal, but with masks, and the odd vaccine requirement (no body questioned my NZ pass).
Auckland airport was deserted for our departure flight. Basically only one duty free store and vending machines open. No cafes / restaurants etc. Assume this has changed now. Other airports felt normal. Long queue for coffee in Singapore etc.
Bunch of paperwork to do. Use one of the checker website's to verify you tick every box. i.e: www.airnewzealand.co.nz/covid19-international-travel We missed that we needed to fill out long form's to transit sydney on the way back, so had to do them in a panic in the check in queue at the airport. Not ideal.
I got covid-19 eairly on in the trip, then passed it to the rest of my family so we had to delay our return. Thankfully mild symptoms for all the adults, and child got over high fever in 24 hours or so.
My symptoms appeared about 3 days after travel, so suspect I was infected during my travel (or a day or two either side).
Everybody takes their masks off at the same time to eat on the plane.
Have some serious money in reserve. Most travel insurance covers covid-19 illness treatment, but not covid-19 disruption.
Airline we were booked to come home on, had no availability for the 2 weeks the date we wanted to come home. They are going to refund us as it is due to medical reasons which is great (cira $2200), but they take 6 weeks to process. Booked flights on workable dates with another airline. $4500 one way for three people to get home from asia.

Of course get all the normal travel stuff right - enough validity in your passport, Travel insurance etc.

But as long as you expect stuff to be slow & expensive, do all the paperwork, and have a plan for if you get sick, you will be fine.

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JY

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#2920372 30-May-2022 13:42

+1 on the travel health insurance. The old standby of just jumping on the first flight home when you get sick isn’t going to work. A couple of hours in a decent US ER is going to cost you a couple of grand.

neb

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#2920379 30-May-2022 13:53

Sitting on the plane with no check of vax status or RAT test result. And I found two people with their masks below their nose who weren't older white guys, one was a guy in his forties so presumably in training, the other was an older woman.

Not wanting to pick on that demographic, which I'll be part of too at some point, but what is it about not covering your nose with the mask that's so difficult?

Oh dear god, just looked at the person sitting to my left, who had their mask on properly when they sat down but have now pulled it down off their nose. Guess what demographic they are?

neb

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#2920381 30-May-2022 13:55

JY: +1 on the travel health insurance.

Yup, and choose based on Covid coverage rather than cost or convenience. I was pleasantly surprised that Southern Cross gave at least some coverage rather than excluding everything.

Beccara

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#2920383 30-May-2022 14:04

Anyone got any specific recommendations for a supervised RAT test in Dubai? Ideally one you can book in advance?

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martyyn

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#2920394 30-May-2022 14:32

Family and friends who have travelled between NZ and Europe in the last couple of months have said flights are typically more expensive, fly less often, are usually full and mask usage on planes is pathetically low. If you need to change your flights don't expect to be able to pick and choose and expect to pay for the privilege.

Europe isn't so much "living with it" as "don't care anymore". YMMV.

Mind you, there were loads of people at Wellington airport each time we were there with no mask/under the nose, so it's not just everywhere else.

The requirements for our son to enter Sweden changed multiple times in the days before his flight, so keep up to date as much as you can. The initial restrictions meant he could only fly into Stockholm rather than directly into Gothenberg which added another 6/7 hours to the journey.

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Handle9

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#2920433 30-May-2022 15:23

Beccara:
Anyone got any specific recommendations for a supervised RAT test in Dubai? Ideally one you can book in advance?

RAT isn’t a thing here. PCRs are available everywhere. The place I go to usually has results in under 4 hours and costs around NZ$40

Feel free to PM if you need more information.

dan

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#2920435 30-May-2022 15:26

Scott3:

Got back to NZ a few weeks ago from our first post pandemic trip to visit family.

Philippines was still closed to tourist's (I was allowed in as the spouse of a citizen), so check this out.
Philippines is pretty much back to normal, but with masks, and the odd vaccine requirement (no body questioned my NZ pass).

how about the 30K USD covid insurance your suppose to have for phillipines did you have this?

Scott3

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#2920473 30-May-2022 16:20

dan:

Scott3:

Got back to NZ a few weeks ago from our first post pandemic trip to visit family.

Philippines was still closed to tourist's (I was allowed in as the spouse of a citizen), so check this out.
Philippines is pretty much back to normal, but with masks, and the odd vaccine requirement (no body questioned my NZ pass).

how about the 30K USD covid insurance your suppose to have for phillipines did you have this?

Short answer is yes.

We had a fair stack of paperwork at check in. I saw other traveler's with clear files.

We got a relitively cheap policy with 1cover (less than half the cost of getting travel insurance from the airline). The policy wording was modified to specifically include covid-19 related medical care. (over-riding standard pandemic exclusion).

My reading of the policy was that our disruption wasn't covered, due to failing our pre-departure test (a border restriction to enter NZ). With hindsight, possibly we could have gone to a doctor, and seen if they would deem us "unfit to travel" becuase of a illness needing immediate treatment. But that would have been a long shot, our illness was mild enough not to require immediate treatment.

Exclusion clause:

Should note in the last few days, Philippines has lifted a bunch of travel restrictions, including the travel insurance requirement:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1175295

Beccara

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#2920541 30-May-2022 17:40

Handle9:
Beccara:

Anyone got any specific recommendations for a supervised RAT test in Dubai? Ideally one you can book in advance?

RAT isn’t a thing here. PCRs are available everywhere. The place I go to usually has results in under 4 hours and costs around NZ$40

Feel free to PM if you need more information.

Hmm this is going to be interesting then, We'll be coming back thru in early July but have just recovered so I suspect a PCR is going to pick us up as positive still

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