What, Me Worry? Travels and Travails 2021-22

[sk8pics]

I always find the air frigid and the first thing I do on a plane is shut off the blowers.

I used to do that but now I turn the nozzle on and point it right at me to help reduce the chance of infection. I just put a sweater on.

 

[KCC]

The air wasn't blowing on me - it was just really cold.

 

[once_upon]

Our plane from Venice to Atlanta was frigid. I had a long sleeve shirt, jeans and a blanket on and my nose was still cold to touch.

 

[once_upon]

Day 5 off the ship and Day 2 from flying home covid tests are negative.

Planning on testing again on Monday (Day 7 off ship and Day 5 off plane).

 

[sk8pics]

Negative at home tests this morning. So I’m all packed to leave tomorrow!

 

[sk8pics]

I seem to have made it to and from Albuquerque without contracting covid. No symptoms, negative RAT this morning. Yay!

 

[once_upon]

14 days post leaving ship and 12 days from International flight home (11 hours on plane) - home tests at various times all negative, no symptoms. Only need vaccination records entering Spain and embarking ships.

Despite all the hysteria about loss of freedom, needing to show immunization status entering restaurants, venues, etc. did not encounter any of that.

Will see what happens in October when we go to Toronto for a week.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

14 days post leaving ship and 12 days from International flight home (11 hours on plane) - home tests at various times all negative, no symptoms. Only need vaccination records entering Spain and embarking ships.

Despite all the hysteria about loss of freedom, needing to show immunization status entering restaurants, venues, etc. did not encounter any of that.

Will see what happens in October when we go to Toronto for a week.

I spent a week in Alberta last week and was never asked for immunization status at any restaurant, bus tour, etc.

 

[skategal]

Yeah nowhere in Canada is requiring proof of vaccination once you are admitted through the border.

You have to upload it to the CanArrive app before you get to the border and that’s it.

 

[once_upon]

I spent a week in Alberta last week and was never asked for immunization status at any restaurant, bus tour, etc.

Yeah nowhere in Canada is requiring proof of vaccination once you are admitted through the border.

You have to upload it to the CanArrive app before you get to the border and that’s it.

Yeah, I don't think there will be any real restrictions.

I consider showing/uploading vaccination status to be like needing yellow fever, typhoid or other vaccine requirements to enter some countries. No big deal.

 

[genevieve]

Is frigid air in the plane cabins part of the upgraded air filtration system? I wore long sleeves and was still freezing.

I wish! I find flights unbearably hot. I always travel in my lightest shirt, and the first thing I do is turn all the blowers on full and toward me - this is the only part of masking on planes that is worse now. My flight to Singapore in May got chillier in the middle - maybe they turn the temperature down while passengers are sleeping? - but I remember how stuffy it was at takeoff, and Singapore Air doesn't have any air controls at the seats.

 

[Deleted member 221]

I’m (thankfully) not aware of anywhere in Europe that is still checking vaccines.

A few countries are stubbornly holding out on mask rules, and some are already preparing to bring them back in the fall.

Over the weekend, I took a train from Italy to Switzerland, and the entire train ripped off masks in unison the second the train crossed into Chiasso.

Some of the remaining mask rules are confusing and nonsensical. I did not know, until I flew this past weekend, that certain airlines still require masks even when not required by the origin or destination countries. Those airlines have permanently lost my business.

 

[once_upon]

I kind of doubt that EVERYONE the very SECOND you crossed the border whipped off masks

Some may intentionally find the airline that requires masks.

 

[allezfred]

Over the weekend, I took a train from Italy to Switzerland, and the entire train ripped off masks in unison the second the train crossed into Chiasso.

Did everyone cry out in unison “Hooray! Down with tyranny!” as well.

Some of the remaining mask rules are confusing and nonsensical. I did not know, until I flew this past weekend, that certain airlines still require masks even when not required by the origin or destination countries. Those airlines have permanently lost my business.

Which ones out of interest?

 

[On My Own]

I’m (thankfully) not aware of anywhere in Europe that is still checking vaccines.

A few countries are stubbornly holding out on mask rules, and some are already preparing to bring them back in the fall.

Over the weekend, I took a train from Italy to Switzerland, and the entire train ripped off masks in unison the second the train crossed into Chiasso.

Some of the remaining mask rules are confusing and nonsensical. I did not know, until I flew this past weekend, that certain airlines still require masks even when not required by the origin or destination countries. Those airlines have permanently lost my business.

Why does it bother you to wear a mask? You're making it sound like a hijab or something.

 

[once_upon]

Why does it bother you to wear a mask? You're making it sound like a hijab or something.

Do you really have 2.5 years to listen to his rehash of it?

you could find more productive things to do - like watching paint dry

 

[Deleted member 221]

Which ones out of interest?

I believe all Spanish airlines, including Iberia and Vueling, even if they're flying to and from destinations outside of Spain that don't require masks.

Do you really have 2.5 years to listen to his rehash of it?

you could find more productive things to do - like watching paint dry

Even I agree with this.

On a separate note, the [email protected] travel chaos has resulted in airlines needing to halt all sales out of many airports due to passenger caps. There's talks that the caps will continue until next summer. The flights that they are selling are insane -- e.g., £500 each way for flights that often cost £50.

One of my smarter moves was booking all of my travel for this year, up to and including Thanksgiving, in December 2021 / January 2022.

 

[On My Own]

Does anyone even know what motivates Louis to say what he says, it's all so strange. Does @Louis know? How do you even book flights a year in advance, what if bad something happens?

 

[Deleted member 221]

How do you even book flights a year in advance, what if bad something happens?

You rebook or get a future travel voucher. Most of the airlines had flexible policies for flights booked last winter and spring, with no change fees, etc.

 

[hanca]

How do you even book flights a year in advance, what if bad something happens?

Well, if you are dead, you will not want to travel anyway and you will not really care about the money you are losing for the ticket.

 

[Miezekatze]

Does anyone even know what motivates Louis to say what he says, it's all so strange. Does @Louis know? How do you even book flights a year in advance, what if bad something happens?

Hmmm, my friend and I want to attend Europeans in January and usually I would buy the flights now, so not a year in advance, but certainly 6 or 7 months in advance. Seems normal to me? When you want to attend an event at a certain point of time and buy tickets, you also want to be sure to have a flight?

Due to Covid we are unsure when the best point of time would be, because everything seems to unstable with flying noways.

I just assume prices might go up close to the event, but then I don't expect a run for flights from Germany to Helsinki in January, so I think we'll just wait until fall with both event tickets and flights, just booked a hotel so far that can be cancelled anytime for free.

At the moments prices look ok to me, we're eying at using Finnair and not Lufthansa.

 

[On My Own]

Hmmm, my friend and I want to attend Europeans in January and usually I would buy the flights now, so not a year in advance, but certainly 6 or 7 months in advance. Seems normal to me? When you want to attend an event at a certain point of time and buy tickets, you also want to be sure to have a flight?

4-5 months is perfectly understandable for international flights I guess, especially if you have clear plans about where you'd need to go (like Europeans with its confirmed venue + very little likelihood now that it'll be cancelled due to COVID pandemic measures). It's just stunning to me to plan it nearly a year in advance like for Thanskgiving 2022 in December 2021 lol.

Maybe he's just an incredible businessman because it worked out for him expenditure-wise lol.

 

[PRlady]

@Louis might be the most experienced traveler on FSU now that Tinami is gone. If you understand the airlines Byzantine policies and have points to use, you can be George Clooney in the movie about airline miles.

 

[MacMadame]

Hmmm, my friend and I want to attend Europeans in January and usually I would buy the flights now, so not a year in advance, but certainly 6 or 7 months in advance. Seems normal to me? When you want to attend an event at a certain point of time and buy tickets, you also want to be sure to have a flight?

I always wait until the price drops into a known low price. (IOW, I don't necessarily wait for the lowest price but I do wait for one in the ballpark.)

 

[Miezekatze]

I always wait until the price drops into a known low price. (IOW, I don't necessarily wait for the lowest price but I do wait for one in the ballpark.)

That sounds good, but I fly very seldomly (maybe every 4 or 5 years) , so I find it really hard to even say what are low prices and since Covid and the Ukraine crisis I find it even harder to say what would be a good price for flying to Helsinki in winter

At least when I took a look last week, the prices for direct flights from Frankfurt to Helsinki seemed "normal" to me.

I'm just a bit wary to choose Lufthansa because they seem to be on strike constantly at the moment Of course I can't know though if Finnair is in good shape post-Covid.

 

[On My Own]

That sounds good, but I fly very seldomly (maybe every 4 or 5 years)

Is it because it's very convenient to take a train across Europe?

 

[once_upon]

It sounds great to pre-plan flights a year out - which we do when booking cruises - it that case it is up to the cruise company to partner with airlines. But we don't usually get flight options until they begin to ticket, about 4 months prior. We cannot upgrade until we have tickets. Plus we buy trip insurance in case something comes up requiring us to cancel.

Those are the one year out trips we plan. Most of are trips less than 3-4 months and take a lot of work to figure out best tickets options. Over the last week, I've been trying to get tickets for weekend with @purple skates and @suep1963 . It took a lot of work on my part to figure out best prices and best flight options.

I have about $400 in credit with Delta, but to use it for that trip, Delta's tickets prices were still, $200 more than discounted Expedia tickets for United. Expedia tickets are usually the basic, basic - no leg room, no carry on allowed. However, I did go to United site and upgraded to premium economy for additional costs. Still $200 less than my discounted Delta.

That's in the US. Louis has greater knowledge of traversing both US and European and Asia flight scheduling/prices.

 

[MacMadame]

That sounds good, but I fly very seldomly (maybe every 4 or 5 years) , so I find it really hard to even say what are low prices and since Covid and the Ukraine crisis I find it even harder to say what would be a good price for flying to Helsinki in winter

I use Google Flights. They will tell if a price is high or not and when the best time is to buy. It's all a prediction, of course. But it gives you an idea.

I'm buying tickets now for a birthday present in Oct. I have Google Flight alerts that tell me when the price goes up and down. And I am looking on the Capital One site because I have reward points there and they also tell me when a price is good or not. (They are saying I should wait for the price to be $310 but I will probably pull the trigger as soon as it goes under $350. Plus its points so if I have to buy the ticket at $400, well, it's not costing me out of pocket.)

 

[purple skates]

It sounds great to pre-plan flights a year out - which we do when booking cruises - it that case it is up to the cruise company to partner with airlines. But we don't usually get flight options until they begin to ticket, about 4 months prior. We cannot upgrade until we have tickets. Plus we buy trip insurance in case something comes up requiring us to cancel.

Those are the one year out trips we plan. Most of are trips less than 3-4 months and take a lot of work to figure out best tickets options. Over the last week, I've been trying to get tickets for weekend with @purple skates and @suep1963 . It took a lot of work on my part to figure out best prices and best flight options.

I have about $400 in credit with Delta, but to use it for that trip, Delta's tickets prices were still, $200 more than discounted Expedia tickets for United. Expedia tickets are usually the basic, basic - no leg room, no carry on allowed. However, I did go to United site and upgraded to premium economy for additional costs. Still $200 less than my discounted Delta.

That's in the US. Louis has greater knowledge of traversing both US and European and Asia flight scheduling/prices.

My flight was twice as much as last year. It is what it is. I’m just glad I got to use both last year’s and this year’s reward voucher.

 

[Spikefan]

I’ve been wearing masks on my flights since I started flying again and have not been sick on vacations. Decided for this most recent short flight not to wear one. Two days later, sinus infection and miserable with one day left of trip to go. I will not be letting that happen again. Guess it was a good lesson that masks do work, at least for me and travel.

I’ve tested twice and negative but will be wearing a mask until I get home.