What, Me Worry? Travels and Travails 2021-22

[alexikeguchi]

We were talking about housekeeping at hotels at some point. Here's an interesting article about it from the POV of housekeeping:

Housekeepers struggle as US hotels ditch daily room cleaning

HONOLULU (AP) — After guests checked out of a corner room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort on Waikiki beach, housekeeper Luz Espejo collected enough trash, some strewn under beds, to stuff seven large garbage bags.

apnews.com

That reminds me of this scene in Blue Crush where the aspiring surfers working as housekeepers had to clean up after the Pro Bowl. I wondered why anyone would take a vacation in paradise and turn their living space into a pigsty, but I guess it happens.

 

[MacMadame]

We've stayed in hotels five times since things opened up in CA all with limited housekeeping. IME, even if you try to be very neat, the trash cans fill up and things get grungy. One of the housekeepers mentioned that it was much easier to clean the bathroom every day than once every 3-5 days. Unless you just never use your bathroom, even neat people have this issue.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

Yeah, I mean hotel trash cans are REALLY small? So if you throw anything more than a tissue away (like a take out container), your trash is full.

 

[mikey]

I leave the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and put the full trash can out in the hallway every night.

 

[MacMadame]

That doesn't solve the issue of soap scum building up in the shower or the countertops getting grungy though.

I don't like people in my hotel room when I am not there but I also don't like doing chores on vacation or living in grunge. It's a tradeoff and I prefer cleanliness to privacy in this case.

 

[sk8pics]

I tried out one of the proctored emed tests this morning and it went fine. Biggest issue was propping up my iPad so the proctor could see the test kit and me. I’m glad I did it, because now I know what to expect. And I was negative, so hopefully I stay that way…

 

[MacMadame]

Something to think about when traveling. (This happened to both me and my husband.) Think ahead of time about what you will do if you are on vacation and you get a notice you had close contact with someone with covid. If you are at home, it's easier to do things like isolate, if you feel that's necessary. It's harder on vacation.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Airlines step up push to get U.S. to drop international COVID-19 testing rule

U.S. airlines are stepping up their efforts to get the Biden administration to end COVID-19 pre-departure testing requirements for international air travel.

www.reuters.com

Airlines continue to step up their lobbying efforts to get the international testing requirement dropped. In absence of that, I'm hoping there's a Trump-appointed justice somewhere who can restore our freedoms.

American Airlines (AAL.O) Chief Executive Robert Isom said on Friday at a conference the testing requirements were "nonsensical" and were "depressing" leisure and business travel.

Airlines say many Americans are not traveling internationally because of concerns they will test positive and be stranded abroad. International U.S. air travel remains down about 14% from pre-pandemic levels.

Isom, who met with politicians in Washington on Thursday to discuss the issue, said 75% of countries American serves do not have testing requirements. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires travelers to test negative within one day before flights to the United States.

"We're really frustrated and this is something that is damaging not only U.S. travel but it just doesn't make sense," Isom said.

He noted testing rules do not apply to people crossing U.S. land borders and noted the Boston Red Sox baseball team in April flew to Toronto to play the Blue Jays - but rode a bus home to avoid the testing requirements.

The Biden administration looks ridiculous - out of touch, out of step, likely out of mind. Throughout the pandemic, he's been fighting yesterday's war. This disastrous presidency can't end quickly enough.

 

[skategal]

After arriving back home to Canada yesterday from a vacation in the USA, I can testify that the pre-test requirement is useless.

We were almost the only people we saw who were masking in indoor spaces while we were in the USA (California too where I’m sure masking is higher than in R states.)

Plenty of folk (especially kids) going around sick sneezing and coughing as well.

So I’m not sure what the point is for the pre-test requirement? Especially when the USA has pressured other countries (Canada) to drop their requirements and they have done so.

Eta. I’m a follow the science pro-public health person but this rule is now nonsensical.

 

[Tesla]

Airlines step up push to get U.S. to drop international COVID-19 testing rule

U.S. airlines are stepping up their efforts to get the Biden administration to end COVID-19 pre-departure testing requirements for international air travel.

www.reuters.com

Airlines continue to step up their lobbying efforts to get the international testing requirement dropped. In absence of that, I'm hoping there's a Trump-appointed justice somewhere who can restore our freedoms.



The Biden administration looks ridiculous - out of touch, out of step, likely out of mind. Throughout the pandemic, he's been fighting yesterday's war. This disastrous presidency can't end quickly enough.

Easy for you to say because you aren’t living here, so you aren't in danger of losing your freedoms. Sod off with your Trump v. Biden bullshit. How about "I hope there is a judge who will reconsider the testing requirement"? There. Fixed it for you.

 

[sk8pics]

My friend driving me to the airport on Friday texted me today and said she was outside walking with a friend last Wednesday and the friend tested positive on Saturday. Sigh. She's vaccinated but only one booster. She took a PCR test today at a pharmacy and somehow got one that makes you wait TWO days for results. I don't know why she didn't take an at home test right away, she told me she has a few around. She has no symptoms so I'm probably willing to drive with her. She also told me she'd wear a mask.

 

[Lara]

@sk8pics Keep the car windows open if possible and wear N95, you’ll likely be fine.

ITA the testing requirement is pointless now and should have been dropped same time as Canada. I’ll take some wrongheaded / misguided policies over the alternative anytime, but I’m honestly surprised there hasn’t been more pressure to lift it.

 

[Theoreticalgirl]

Just returned from a vacation in Southern California and have to say masking was MUCH better there than I expected. Definitely better than Philadelphia, for sure. Absolutely no one but me masked on my flights—one of which included an unexpected 7-hour layover in a very crowded DFW airport.

I started taking a daily test a couple days leading up to my trip and am still testing now that I've returned (almost out of the window), so I can say I'm pretty amazed that I haven't caught the crud.

But I was incredibly cautious with anything I did (indoor masking, outdoor masking if social distancing wasn't a guarantee, staying outdoors, etc). I was expecting to catch it on my trip, but I'm more likely to get it now that I'm back home.

 

[PRlady]

I didn’t wear a mask on my flights for the most part, and was rewarded with my usual cold-into-bronchitis which is still hanging in there. My feeling is that if I’m particularly sensitive to dry air on airplanes, I either wear a mask every time to prevent all sicknesses or take my chances because I hate masks, but masking specifically for CoVID when I do often get sick from other things is ridiculous.

 

[allezfred]

Masks for me on all plane journeys for the foreseeable future. It’s a no brainer.

 

[MacMadame]

Masks for me on all plane journeys for the foreseeable future. It’s a no brainer.

Given the industrial HEPA filters on planes, I don't think it's a no-brainer at all.

 

[sk8pics]

Given the industrial HEPA filters on planes, I don't think it's a no-brainer at all.

You’re still at risk from people seated nearby, so I agree with wearing a mask, for now anyway.

 

[allezfred]

Given the industrial HEPA filters on planes, I don't think it's a no-brainer at all.

I can trace the times I have gotten sick after being on flights to an exact passenger I was sitting near. HEPA filters aren’t going to stop you getting sick from people like that. Plus the filters are turned off when boarding and disembarking.

 

[MacMadame]

I'm not saying not to wear them. I'm saying it's not a no-brainer. I would take mine off once the plane was in the air, personally. And there are arguments either way.

 

[Miezekatze]

I'm 43 years old and have lived without ever wearing a mask for 41 years, so I've returned to that behavior now, unless of course masks are mandated somewhere.

think it's pretty normal that the majority of people go back to not masking on long flights.

But then I also don't have the goal to never ever in my life catch any cold or something again, it's not of particular more interest to me than pre covid.

 

[allezfred]

I guess people could go back to not washing their hands either. May as well get all the viruses and be done with it. 🤷‍♂️

 

[MacMadame]

People have already gone back to not washing their hands.

 

[Deleted member 221]

People have already gone back to not washing their hands.

I'm glad I am no longer forced to excessively sanitize my hands. The forced use of hand sanitizer is extremely rough on my hands.

 

[MacMadame]

I'm glad I am no longer forced to excessively sanitize my hands. The forced use of hand sanitizer is extremely rough on my hands.

I voted in person today (usually I do it by "mail" but I messed up my ballot) and they offered me masks (I had one on), those gloves they used at the doctors on the way in and hand sanitizer was everywhere. I did take a bit after I was done but I thought that was a bit excessive given that we now know that Covid is mostly spread in the air.

I wash my hands as much as I ever did and I get sick as much as I ever did (which is not much). I assume, now that I'm WFH, I'll get sick even less.

That said, I think I will keep wearing a mask in certain situations just like they do in Asian countries because why not do things better than prior generations did? If I can not give out my cold and not get any colds for years and years, that works for me.

 

[Barbara Manatee]

My niece and her husband have been quarantined in a Budapest hotel for 2 weeks after catching covid on a river cruise. Today they're finally negative and able to come home. Too bad Viking booked them flights to Midland, Texas instead of Midland, Michigan.

 

[MacMadame]

My niece and her husband have been quarantined in a Budapest hotel for 2 weeks after catching covid on a river cruise. Today they're finally negative and able to come home. Too bad Viking booked them flights to Midland, Texas instead of Midland, Michigan.

This is why my parents didn't go to the Galapagos. They were afraid to get stuck in Ecuador when it was time to come back.

 

[Stefanie]

U.S. drops COVID testing for incoming international air travelers

 

[kedrin]

About time!

 

[alexikeguchi]

U.S. drops COVID testing for incoming international air travelers

So excited! I will be returning from Oman via an overnight connection in Doha just a couple days before the 90 day reassessment, so I am now assured I will no longer have to worry about getting an antigen test observed by someone 8-11 time zones behind me but still time stamped the right day, or paying hundreds of dollars to get same day PCR results.

 

[once_upon]

It appears Viking Cruise line is no longer requiring/doing on board Covid testing. If testing is required prior to boarding is yet to be announced.

The only thing official I've seen is a letter posted by a current traveler, so it only reference on board testing.