Coronavirus
Special Report
2021
Coronavirus
Special Report
2021
Catch-22 Testing Rules
At-home Coronavirus testing should be getting easier, especially for flyers. But it's getting more complicated.Joe: Lone Rangers
Old line: Who was that masked man? New answer: Business travelers. The mask mandate remains in effect.Bernstein: Opening Jitters
What does news that the EU plans to reopen mean to me? Visitors, at long last! I've been waiting for them.Joe: Nobody Asked ...
I can answer questions, but often the answer is no. No, I have no idea what the EU is doing with borders.
Joe: Risky Business
Traveling now is about balancing the risks and rewards of the road. And, yes, everyone's mileage will vary.
Tactical Traveler Briefing
Airlines pour new routes into Greece. Marriott extends some Bonvoy credits. When will business travel return?
Day-by-Day: 4/24 to 4/30
Europe plans to reopen its doors, but cautiously. The CDC says U.S. cruises will resume by summer.McGarvey: Stay Masked
We definitely need passengers to stay masked as all of the U.S. airlines begin to carry more flyers.
Joe: This Ain't Normal
The travel media pushes the narrative that things are getting back to normal on the road. They're not.
McGarvey: Anti-Travel
International travel will rebound soon. Assuming the anti-vaxxers don't screw it up for us.
Joe: The Lost Year
A year ago we hit rock bottom. Fewer than 100,000 travelers flew each day. Have we learned any lessons?
McGarvey: Quo Vadis
Ask travelers if they expect to get back on the road and they say yes. It's more a statement of desire than a fact.Allen: 25 Questions
All I wanted to do was plan an Africa trip. It led to 25 questions and more complexity than you can imagine.Danto: Call It Travel Detox
I admit that the detox from business travel and frequent flying this last year was likely a very good thing.
Joe: Scenes From a Stay
It was America's epicenter of Covid-19. Now New York City seems like a place slightly out of time and out of place.
McGarvey: Travel Boycotts
Travel "boycotts" are rarely effective. That's mostly because boycotters are all mouth and little action.Barnett: Rapacious Rentals
Car rental prices have skyrocketed and travelers are being quoted hundreds of dollars a day. Here's why.Joe: April Fool's For Real
A full year into the pandemic, travel is beginning to seem like April Fool's for real. Read this and forget it.Tactical Traveler Briefing
March was travel's best post-pandemic month. American, Alaska Air upgrade rules. Delta stops blocking seats.McGarvey: Covidiots
About 80% of a luxury travel agency's clients said they would refuse to get a vaccine this year. They are idiots.
Joe: Leisure In, Business Out
The airlines are going all leisure all the time. Why? Vacation travel jumps, but business travel is grounded.
Bernstein: No Tulips Twice
Seen Keukenhof in the Netherlands, the park with millions of tulips? Not last year--or this one.Rowell: Britain v. Europe
It may be possible to travel to Britain this summer, but flying to continental Europe probably will not be wise.Baumbich: Chicken-s^*#
I hate the chicken-s^*# inner dialogue shenanigans I play with myself since COVID-19 struck.Joe: What Is in Your Wallet?
The pandemic scrambled wallets, too. It's time to check if you're carrying the right card--and see if these fit in.Tactical Traveler Briefing
Norwegian clone may fly transatlantic. Alaska Air dumps some Hawaii flying. The many airports named Orlando.McGarvey: Fees Still Stink
Some things never change: Resort and destination fees are still wrong yet the lodging industry keeps charging them.Pucci: Focus on Connecting
I'm trying to focus on finding ways here at home to connect with people and places in far-off destinations.
Joe: Thinking About Travel
We are all ready to travel now. Thanks to economics--the world can't afford another year of lockdown--we'll do it.
Joe: Vaccineland Adventure
I've booked airports and convention centers and hotels. Not for travel, but in a frantic search for a vaccine.
McGarvey: Cusp of a Boom
Thanks to vaccines, are we on the cusp of a boom in travel, including business travel? Unfortunately, probably not.
Joe: Everything's Broken
Everything--planes, airlines, even Tiger Woods--seems broken even though we know better times are ahead.
Tactical Traveler Briefing
Masks-for-members returns at a lower price. Newest hotel bonus promotions. United enters Boston-London fray.
McGarvey: Travel Influence
Social influencers are getting many hits--and lots of blowback--for their travel antics. Do you care?Bernstein: Tired Brussels
Here in Belgium, we're tired of all the COVID-19 restrictions and horrified by the rising death toll.Joe: Cancun Cruz
Ted Cruz shows us how to become the most hated and reviled frequent flyer in one easy lesson.Tactical Traveler Briefing
A cheapened JetBlue launches code-share with American. United delays return to JFK again. And much more.McGarvey: No Rebound
When will business travel rebound? Or maybe the better question is: Will business travel ever rebound?Pucci: Testing Is Yesterday
Testing for travel is so yesterday. The new hotness is vaccinations. That'll be the path back to travel confidence.Allen: Travel Planning Hell
After mostly living in a cave for a year, I've been through travel planning hell to confirm two 2021 trips.
Joe: You Asking Me?
We're in an odd place a year into the pandemic and answers seem to be elusive and conditional.
Allen: The Blur of News
Covid generates a blur of perplexing news. It's hard to keep up, especially if you try to plan international trips.
Joe: Stinking Vaccine Apps ...
To travel again, we'll need testing and vaccines--and proof of same. But the market for health apps is fractured.
Bernstein: Brussels Blues
Eleven months of lockdown has left Brussels, Europe's capital, a quiet, colorless city for expats and visitors.Allen: Laughing at Planning
The powers that be must be laughing at my ongoing battle to plan a trip back to the Kruger in South Africa.
Joe: Nobody Asked Me, But
Brutal airline earnings, plunging wine sales, seditionists on a plane, scummy airline lawyers and more.
Tactical Traveler Briefing
Global hotel industry and U.S. airlines are gushing cash. Sunny Southwest. TSA sex crimes. And more.
Pucci: Old Travel News
Use online reviews and guidebooks? Proceed with care. Most are outdated, reflecting pre-pandemic realities.Joe: Travel Politics
Like it or hate it, travel is about politics. At Joe Sent Me, we cover travel, so we cover politics, too. Get over it.McGarvey: Unpack
Word of advice: Unpack. There's every sign that the revival of business travel will be slow--and not in 2021.Joe: Norwegian's Fall
Norwegian Air Shuttle coulda been a contender. It had (one good) class. But it gets a one-way ticket to Palookaville.Tactical Traveler Briefing
Testing is coming. Confusion, too. The DOT okays the American-JetBlue deal. Airlines lock down Washington.McGarvey: Wallet Watch
What's in my wallet now? Even I was stunned. My go-to cards are no longer tied to airlines or hotels, but retailers.
Joe: It'll Be Better, Not Great
Travel in 2021 will be better, not great. And it's important to know how much has changed on the road.
Tactical Traveler Briefing
Alaska Air adds two more long-haul California routes. Sonesta grows to 1,200 hotels. Chao bails on the DOT.
McGarvey: Platinum Perks
Amex Platinum may still be worth the $550 fee. I found numerous perks. But Amex doesn't volunteer information.Allen: Expect a Better 2022
I expect a better travel year in 2021, but I admit it's looking like 2022 before it's anything like "normal."Allen: 2020 Was Fun (Kinda)
Pandemic aside, I'm happy and a little surprised that my 2020 wanderings were mostly fun and enjoyable.New Year Briefing
The terrible 2020 numbers. Emirates' premium economy. A "Velcro" hotel in San Francisco. And much more.Danto: Good Riddance, 2020
Good riddance to 2020, the worst year in most of our lifetimes. If 2020 was a car, it would be a Pinto.
What the CDC Suggests ...
As we reach double-digit percentages of Americans fully vaccinated, the CDC has guidelines for social interaction. It is not the good old days, but it's progress. Click here for complete details.
Vaxes, Masks, Testing, Oh My!
After nearly two years of ad hoc rules for travel dating to the earliest moments of the Coronavirus pandemic, the CDC has finally issued a unified list of procedures for flying.• CDC on Domestic Travel
• CDC on International Travel
• CDC on Covid-Positive Travel
• CDC on Travel-Testing Procedures
• CDC on Travel and Masks
Quality Masks, Special Prices
A Joe Sent Me member has produced high-quality, reversible, washable cloth masks since the pandemic's early days. He's offering members special prices on a range of fashionable colors. Click here to claim four-packs for just $12 including taxes and shipping.
David's Virus Diary
David Rowell's diary about Coronavirus and how it's changing our lives--and our lives on the road.• January Entries
• February Entries
• March Entries
• April Entries
• May Entries
• June Entries
• July Entries
• August Entries
• September Entries
• October Entries
• November Entries
Rowell: Piling on J&J's Jab
Why has the Johnson & Johnson jab, which is 1,000 times safer than oral contraceptives, been withdrawn?
At Home on the Road
David Danto usually writes a travel blog. But now he's working from home and blogging from his metaphoric basement about travel--and how to productively work from home.JANUARY, 2021
• First Week of January
• Second Week of January
• Third Week of January
• Fourth Week of January
FEBRUARY, 2021
• First Week of February
• Second Week of February
• Third Week of February
• Fourth Week of February
MARCH, 2021
• First Week of March
• Second Week of March
• Third Week of March
• Fourth Week of March
• Fifth Week of March
APRIL, 2021
• Second Week of April
• Third Week of April
• Fourth Week of April
MAY, 2021
• Second Week of May
• Third Week of May
On the Road Again: May 20
After more than a year of pandemic semi-isolation I am now back on the road. But I didn't intend it this early.On the Road Again: May 27
You won't get daily housekeeping now. But there are silly partnerships with cleaning companies and door stickers.
At U.S. Airports
While international airports rushed to get testing in place, U.S. airports hung back. Now they are moving individually--and a former airport-spa chain has remade itself as a testing company.• Alaska Airports
• Boston (Terminal E & C)
• Burlington, VT (Garnet Health)
• Chicago/Midway (Parking Level 3)
• Chicago/O'Hare (Two locations)
• Cleveland (Ticketing)
• Dallas/Fort Worth (Terminal D)
• Denver (Concourse B)
• Ft. Lauderdale (Terminal 3)
• Grand Rapids, MI (Economy Parking)
• Hartford, CT (Baggage Claim)
• Honolulu (Baggage Claim 31)
• Houston/IAH (Terminal 4)
• Los Angeles (Terminals 2/6/Intl.)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul (Terminal 1)
• New York/JFK (Terminal E)
• New York/LGA (Terminal B Parking)
• Newark (Terminals B & C)
• Oakland (Two locations)
• Orlando (Terminal A Atrium)
• Philadelphia (Terminal E)
• Phoenix (Terminal 4)
• Pittsburgh (Concourse A)
• Portland, Maine (Level 1)
• Portland, Ore. (7000 NE Airport Way)
• Salt Lake City (Concourse A)
• San Diego (2357 Airlane Road)
• San Francisco (International Terminal)
• Seattle-Tacoma (Central Auditorium)
• Tampa (Main Terminal)
• Tulsa (Concourse B Baggage Claim)
• Washington/DCA (National Hall)
• Washington/IAD (Baggage Claim)
At Canadian Airports
Since the early days of the pandemic, Canada has had more stringent testing rules. Airports have been quick to react.• Calgary International
• Montreal-Trudeau
• Toronto/Pearson
• Vancouver International
Test and Fly
Airlines were slow to adopt Covid tests. As the pandemic dragged on, however, carriers began offering testing programs to encourage travel.• Air Canada
• Alaska Airlines
• American Airlines
• Delta Air Lines (Italy)
• Delta Air Lines (Netherlands)
• Hawaiian Airlines
• JetBlue Airways
• United Airlines
• WestJet Airlines
Strange Days Indeed
You can't travel freely within the United States anymore. Many states still have testing and quarantine rules mask and gathering-size strictures, too. The CDC has gathered the rules at a one-stop site that you can search by state or zip code. Click here access the system.
Border Barriers
The long, open land borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico are closed to all but non-essential travel. Click here for Canada rules and here for Mexico rules.
Island-by-Island
The sprawling region of smallish islands has gone it alone. Each country has its own rules.• Anguilla
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Aruba
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• Bonaire
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Curacao
• Dominica
• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Guadeloupe
• Haiti
• Jamaica
• Martinique
• Montserrat
• Puerto Rico
• Saba
• St. Barth
• St. Eustatius (Statia)
• St. Kitts & Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent and Grenadines
• Sint Maarten/St. Martin
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos
• U.S. Virgin Islands
Global Restrictions
Coronavirus has forced most nations to impose entry restrictions. Here are links to places where you can research the "new normal" of travel.• CanITravel.net
• CDC Travel Recommendations
• Europe Travel Rules
• IATA Travel Regulations Map
• SchengenVisaInfo.com
• Tourist Board Directory
• U.S. State Department
• WendyPerrin.com
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