The Travel Purveyor
The State of Travel – Spring 2021
Anyone who loves travel can tell you the last year has been...challenging. Rebookings, cancellations, trips postponed - it seemed like the frustration and disappointment would never end. But as the world begins to recover from the pandemic, travel will be in your future.
March 2, 2021
Since last March, the rules and restrictions of travel have changed almost weekly. I was on literally one of the last cruise ships to sail before the lockdowns, and while I had a couple of road trips to Colorado and Arizona, hadn’t ventured out further for a while, but things are changing now.
As of January 26th anyone arriving in the U.S. from an international airport is required to present a negative covid test taken 72 hours before arrival. What happens if you test positive? Do you stay in Mexico or some Caribbean island forever? Will travel insurance cover anything?
Meet the United States Virgin Islands or USVI – a territory of the US and the stop for my next travel adventure 🙂 Prior to the pandemic many of the hotels destroyed by Hurricane Maria were getting ready to re-open. I had sailed there a few months after the hurricane hit and you could definitely see an impact. Not many fish, barren coral, holes in the airport roof in Puerto Rico. They’ve come a long way since then and are even more ready to welcome travelers now that the restrictions have lifted.
St. Croix leads the way, having the most hotels reopening. I’ll be spending 4 nights here, before moving on to St. Thomas which I’ve seen before on shore excursions. This time I’ll be spending 3 nights at the Ritz, before moving for my last night to St. Johns. The thing I love the most about travelling to the USVI…. it’s Made in America: no passport is required and only a negative covid test is required for entry, not return.
We have all spent months trying to order take out or frequent small business when possible. You can do the same thing if you choose to travel now. Support American owned businesses and keep your money in America by travelling to the USVI.
By the time I take my trip to the USVI, I will have been three weeks out from receiving my second dose of the COVID vaccine. I have been and will continue to be a cautious traveler.
But I will travel. Whether it’s to one of these great options, or something off the bucket-list, I will travel.