Traveling Internationally In The Time Of COVID

Like others, back in the summer of 2020, I was thinking that this whole COVID thing would be under control by year end. People were talking about the return of live shows by Christmas. Good God, were we delusional. Warped by a deafening lack of information and skewed optimism, I bought a ticket to Ireland and the UK that fall, planning to travel in April. Needless to say, we were wrong about everything and when my flights were canceled months before the trip, I picked a random date for rescheduling, once again assuming that by year’s end, we’d at least have some clarity on life and travel in the pandemic. I was partially right.

As I type this, I’m on a train, hurtling through the Irish countryside on a cool November morning. The fields to the right are covered with frost, Go To Blazes are cranking in my airpods and I’m en route to the second stop of my trip. This is as good a time as any to break down the rigours of international travel in the time of COVID. If you’re planning a trip in the coming months, my hope is that you will find these observations helpful:

1. Nobody knows the rules.
   You used to roll up to the airport with your passport and ticket and off you went. Now, depending on where you’re going, you need to familiarise yourself with a suite of regulations from a host of different entities. The airports are unambiguous - wear a mask unless you’re eating or drinking. Check. But each airline has its own rules, too. Some require that you download an app like Verifly in advance of the trip; you enter your passport info, flight information, COVID documentation, contact information, etc. When you’ve got the documentation filled out, the app generates a QC Code that you use to board. Other airlines require you to complete a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) online with basic flight and COVID info. Every country has different rules, as well. For example. if you’re vaxxed, Ireland doesn’t require a negative COVID test to enter, but in the UK you’re required to get one within two days of arriving. You need to arrange the test before you travel and add the confirmation number to your PLF.

2. When it comes to COVID testing, err on the side of caution
   Even though Ireland didn’t require me to provide a negative COVID test upon arrival — or take one while here — I scheduled one anyway. Why? See number one, above. Just because the Irish government has a COVID policy doesn’t mean the woman checking you in at the US airport knows it. More on that later. For the eye-watering price of $299, I took a rapid COVID test the day before I left so I’d have proof in case anything changed.

   To enter the UK, you’ve got two days to take one and prove you’re negative or it’s into quarantine you go. Helpfully, there are Express Test sites in the terminals at Heathrow. So I scheduled one for when I landed at Heathrow. I got off my plane, followed the signs to ExpressTest and took my test before leaving the airport. I received my test results 20 minutes later, in the cab to the hotel.

   While I was writing this, the US changed it’s entry requirement again — you now need a negative COVID result within one day of travel, regardless of vaccination status. I searched for “fit to fly” PRC tests near my London hotel and scheduled it within the allotted time. I was actually lucky to get a slot at this pharmacy - I checked back a day later to change the appointment time and the whole day had been booked.

   Get as much info as you can before you leave as to what each country requires. Then do the math as to what your testing window is and sort out your test as early as possible so it’s one less thing to stress over.

3. The PLF
   For contact tracing purposes, it makes sense that countries would require a PLF, which airlines ask you to submit within 2-3 days of travel. You can’t submit them early - the system will look at your flight info and shut you down if you’re outside of the window. The larger problem is, like the COVID test, every country has a different spin and it’s largely down to the airlines to enforce those policies, which seem to change on a weekly basis. The system is fraught with potential for human error.

   On my departure flight, I was scheduled to connect through Heathrow. The airline kept sending me emails reminding me to fill out a PLF for “your Ireland trip,” and “your UK trip.” But of course, there was no UK trip - it was a connection point. The Heathrow website clearly states that if you’re only connecting through, you needn’t submit a PLF. I called the airline to confirm, and they said that Heathrow was correct and their own emails were misleading - I’d only need one PLF for my final destination. Then I arrived at the gate in San Diego, whereupon an airline representative shot me down for not having a PLF for both Ireland and London. It’s madness. I had to retreat to a corner of the check-in area, pull out my phone, passport and itinerary and fill out a second PLF at the gate.

4. Digital COVID certs - the pros and cons
   Europe is way ahead of the US in this regard. In the States, we get a flimsy card on which the vaccinators hand-write the dates and lot numbers of the vaccinations. It’s the most easily-forgible document in the world, by the way, and god forbid you lose yours. You do get an email confirmation after each dose but no QC code or anything like that. In Europe, they all have apps with QC codes when you’ve been fully-dosed. When you enter a restaurant or bar, you just flash the app on your phone, the host or cashier scans your code and you walk in. Many places will simply eyeball your code without scanning you in. I have a photo of my vaccination card as backup and that’s what I used to get in everywhere. Of course, for all anybody knows, that could be an image I found on the Internet. Nobody cross checked my card with an official ID. In a couple of places I was required to handwrite my name, email and phone number on a slip of paper before sitting down with my coffee or lunch. I could have written Mickey Mouse with an address of Magic Kingdom and nobody would have noticed. And do I really think I’d receive a call if somebody tested positive? How would the restaurant even know? Digital COVID certs and contact tracing only work if they’re meaningfully enforced, which is the case in a minority of places that I visited.

5. Masking
   Once you enter the airport, it’s mask-on all the way through to your hotel room. Which really isn’t a big hassle anymore. Funny how quickly you get used to it. Plus, when you’re eating on the flight you can take a break. In California, masks are recommended but not required by most businesses for people who are vaccinated. Like the rest of the world, nobody’s checking vaccination cards at the supermarket. Right or wrong, the old honour system prevails. In Ireland, you’ve got to wear a mask anytime you’re indoors in public, with the exception being restaurants, where you can remove your mask at your table. Outdoors most people are mask-free but a significant portion of people still wear them. In London, most people are maskless. Even on the Tube where signs and PA reminders state that masks are required to use public transportation, nearly half of the people on the platforms and on trains weren’t wearing masks.

The world is still figuring this all out and unless or until countries and airlines settle on a unified approach, the obligation is on the traveler to learn and comply with the rules. I’m really happy that I went ahead with the trip but make no bones about it - traveling internationally in the time of COVID is a slog. You’ve got to really want it. Do your research before your trip and continually check for updates until the day you leave.