Americans looking for a summer vacation destination have a dilemma on their hands as they ask, “Where am I allowed to travel right now?”
The Department of State issued a warning in March to all U.S. citizens against international travel, saying “your travel plans may be severely disrupted, and you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite time frame.” The CDC also warns against nonessential travel.
Besides warnings within the country, people traveling from the U.S. are banned in popular destinations around the world due to large spikes in coronavirus cases in several states.
The European Union is turning away American visitors, and Mexico and Canada have closed their land borders, but there are still some options available for those who are looking to travel.
“The biggest questions we are getting are ‘Where can I travel?’ and ‘Do I need to be tested?'” said Eric Hrubant, president of the travel agency Cire Travel, in D.C.’s Dupont Circle area.
According to the travel magazine Afar, U.S. travelers are being allowed in some Caribbean countries, Mexican states, the Balkans and African countries.
In many cases, international travelers are required to quarantine or take a coronavirus test.
“If you want to go somewhere very far-flung, such as Dubai — you can actually fly to Dubai right now, but you need to have a negative test to get on the plane,” Hrubant said.
According to Hrubant, one trend he is seeing currently is Americans wanting to travel within the U.S. to more rural areas.
“People want wide-open spaces,” Hrubant said. “They want to go to Wyoming, and a lot of places north and west, and be able to have fresh air and do activities freely.”
No matter where travelers may choose to go, they are strongly urged to study the local health regulations and know that restaurants and attractions may not be open to the public.
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