Almost 2 years in and we are still dealing with the effects of Covid. There are so many different protocols on where you can travel, what is needed to be able to travel, entry and re-entry protocols and rules. To say my job is just booking travel now, is wrong, it involves a lot more research on how I can assist and communicate to my clients the necessary information required for traveling.
As of October 30th, the Canadian government mandated that all travelers from a Canadian airport or VIA train or Rocky Mountaineer train must be fully vaccinated. This new rule is strict and there is no way around it. For people that are concerned about traveling, this should provide some extra relief knowing that everyone on the plane is fully vaccinated. Also, to return to Canada, no matter where you are traveling from, you must have a negative COVID PCR or RT-LAMP test taken within 72 hours of your departure. Please keep in mind that these rules are as of now, but can change at any time.
Air Canada just partnered up with Switch Health and if you are an Aeroplan member you can now order at home tests. Antigen tests for traveling to certain countries, like the USA that require a negative test prior to arrival and RT-LAMP tests that are allowed to be used for a negative COVID test back to Canada. These tests are administered with the use of your phone (with a camera), government ID, QR code and calling into ASMO (Switch Health online portal) to take the test and then upload the results. It seems pretty seamless, I will be trying it out when I travel to France in December, so stay tuned as I will let you know how it all worked out.
With our lovely Canadian winters upon us sooner than later, now is the time to start thinking about your warm getaway. Things are booking up very quickly for 2021 and 2022 and with the ease of travel restrictions, Canada lifted the ‘avoid non-essential travel to all destinations’, as of recent. This changes the course of medical insurance coverage as well. Something else that I am constantly learning about.
Please reach out to me if for all your travel needs.