How to travel to Europe now, to plan the trip and and do’s and don’ts? Here’s my experience based on our trip departing next week, along with important travel tips for Europe (and these can be helpful, too, for overseas travel in general). Here is Part 1 of my odyssey. Part 2 will be my first person experience once there.

Throughout the pandemic, I’ve traveled several times, as I say to friends, “being flexible and bold but not reckless”. We canceled a major trip to Africa for last July, but have done a trip to Mexico, Philadelphia, and a few staycations (you’ll read about the most recent to Naples next week).  This upcoming trip to Europe is miles beyond any other in the challenges, but I’m betting on it being well worth the rewards once there.

The trip was booked in early April with frequent flyer miles, trying to get the best possible deal. Not surprisingly, long haul fares are increasing rapidly now, though intra European flights are still pretty cheap. Our arrival city (Istanbul) and departure city (Madrid) were both booked. We knew we could go to Turkey, a fave, since they have been open to US travelers since the start of the pandemic with the exception of during the recent Ramadan. So, together with a guide used in the past, we set about planning our trip there. After that, our itinerary was wide open since the places on our wish list – Italy, Spain and Greece, were closed to US travelers.

A google alert set for each of these countries allowing US travelers helped monitor the openings regularly. There was no movement until a few weeks ago when the European Union announced that countries could open. Destination #2,  Greece (Crete),  opened shortly thereafter, so we booked our stay, including air and hotels. The flights on Aegean with Turkish Airlines changed several times, with several being canceled and replaced. In all cases, only hotels and flights allowing cancellations were booked.

Through a google alert about travel for US citizens to Greece, we discovered you need a special form filled out before arrival. Then, the day you arrive in Greece you a get a QR code that you need to show at the airport. Had we not gotten that google alert, it’s doubtful we would have known about the form. (Just in, intel from a friend who is now in Spain. Spain is also requiring a health form).

Spain opened up next, so we booked a stay in Madrid, but still no word about Italy except that US travelers on Delta and American that require pre Covid testing are allowed in. We’re waiting.

So here we are about a week from departure with all legs of the trip accounted for except the one to Italy. Six days are open. Right now our trip ends in Athens with no flight booked to Rome or Rome/Madrid.  Hopefully we’ll be able to travel to Italy; if not, maybe stay in Greece.

Stay tuned for my first person account of what it’s like once you’re in Europe these days.

In the meantime, here are  useful travel tips:

If you want to book using frequent flyer miles, there’s an excellent service called Points Pros that will get you the best value for your miles and best flights.

An easy to use app that keeps track of all your travel plans makes a huge difference. I swear by TripIt. You put all your flight and hotel information there. They advise you when your trip is about to depart, any delays,  which baggage claim for your luggage and more. Plus, you can easily share your itinerary.

Definitely sign up for google alerts for places you’re planning to travel. With the fast changing requirements, it’s essential to keep abreast of what is happening with government regulations.

For flights on non-US carriers, it’s best to book with Expedia, Booking.com, etc. (or with a live travel agent) as you’re better assured of getting a customer service rep  to talk with if you have issues. For instance, we had a credit on a Tunisair flight from last July and tried the airline with no luck to find out when it would expire. Thankfully it was booked on Expedia who helped out.

Even if you’ve been vaccinated, your destination might still require a Covid-19 test 72 hours in advance, so be sure to check.

I am a great believer in insurance of all kinds. Plus, a former client is a major travel insurance provider.This is the first time I haven’t bought travel insurance, which may or may not be the right decision. Several reasons: since our itinerary was up in the air it was difficult to put a price on the total out of pocket. Plus, everything booked allowed cancellation, so we were looking at limited financial liability. In terms of medical evacuation, we subscribe to MedJet Assist. For the annual cost of a few hundred dollars,  if you need to be hospitalized internationally or domestically – 150 miles or more from home – Medjet will arrange medical transportation to a home-country hospital of your choice for inpatient care. All you pay is your membership fee. Note that some credit cards include some travel insurance and medical evacuation.

Love to hear from you if you have personal experiences to share.

That’s it for now!