Many people are longing to travel as freely as they did before the pandemic. For a long time, countries were simply off limits. Myself and my partner had planned a trip to Morocco for January of this year which was cancelled. We bought very affordable tickets through Air Canada back in September, not realizing that Air Canada had a temporary moratorium on flights to the country. We were able to purchase tickets for what, we realized later, would have been a couple of weeks after the moratorium lifted. We paid a deposit and got an itinerary (through Roaming Camels) and booked a food tour (through Maroc Mama). It seemed set, and we couldn’t have been more thrilled to follow up our trip to Tahiti the previous year with this one.
Then came the email from Air Canada. Our flights were cancelled and we could request a refund. We got the amazing price for flights based on flying out of Las Vegas, which we were already planning to be in for a work event. We considered rescheduling, but didn’t for a variety of reasons. Getting back to Las Vegas for a different flight would have added in more expense, and would have disrupted some other plans we had. So, we got our refunds.
I got the tickets to Tahiti for about $600 per round trip, which is less than half of what the tickets normally cost. I got the tickets to Morocco for $400 round trip, from Las Vegas, which is also less than half of the typical cost. I got these thanks to a website called Scott’s Cheap Flights. I’m a premium member, which costs $50 a year, and if you want the really great deals on flights, I urge you to become a member too. Just a couple of days ago, Scott sent out an email outlining the countries where travel restrictions have been lifted, and I wanted to share it with you. Start your travel planning!
Countries that have been open for travel for a while:
- Maldives
- Tahiti/French Polynesia
- Cambodia
- Sri Lanka
- Nepal
- Guam
Countries that have announced reopenings in the past few weeks:
- Australia: Open February 21
- Fiji: Reopened February 2
- Philippines: Reopened February 10
- India: Reopened February 14
- Singapore: Open February 21
- Malaysia: Expected to reopen by March 1
- Vietnam: Expected to reopen by March 15
- Indonesia (including Bali): Expected to get rid of mandatory quarantine by April 1
- New Zealand: Reopening for Americans in July. Right now quarantine is still required, but there are hopes it will be scrapped
What about traveling to Japan right now?
In late 2021, Japan was close to easing travel restrictions, but omicron caused that to be put on hold again. But now, Scott Cheap’s Flights reports that covid cases in Japan have peaked and are quickly dropping. Japan no longer requires a mandatory quarantine upon arrival. the country is still not opening its doors to tourists, but this is an improvement in the situation. Scott reports: “Last month, I officially predicted (with 60% confidence) that Japan would reopen for vaccinated Americans no later than August 31. I stand by that forecast, and if anything might boost my confidence level to more like 75%.”
Let us know where you are itching to travel to once you can safely travel again!
