Vaccines and Smiles. What everyone wants to know.
What do you see for the next trip? Will we need to be vaccinated? I get asked these this questions all the time. I ask our contacts these same questions.
The answer is, we really don’t know. However, I have read a lot of what others have speculated and I’m working to stay current on requirements for the countries we plan to visit.
Each of us can stay current with the website goisrael.com to see the most current conditions. As of this writing, only citizens and permanent residents are allowed into the country unless in exceptional cases. Currently, there is no published date of when this will be changed.
While this sounds like dire news for those of us wanting to go to the Holy Land, we see more countries opening to vaccinated tourists daily. Yet, many tourists are still required to show a negative test to return home. Many other countries may require only a negative test for a short visit.
Tourism specialists in Israel see things changing toward the summer and expect tourism to open slowly. This may mean some restrictions with vaccinations or testing. As well as mask wearing at Holy sites.
Some of our friends have scheduled and sold out pilgrimages in the fall of 2021! We will watch their progress closely and adjust as needed as we continue with our pilgrimage.
Looking forward…
Many travel experts see a vaccine passport of sorts to expedite travel. Some airlines, such as El Al are rolling out programs such as testing at the airport prior to boarding to keep their clients in the air.
What the future holds is in God’s hands. We will continue to prepare our itinerary and move forward with the trust that God has paved a way for us to travel this next pilgrimage. Never have I felt more connected to the pilgrims who traveled centuries ago who started planning with so many unknowns!
Keep watching the blog and Instagram @TravelTipswithTina for more travel tips as we continue to monitor the ever changing requirements for vaccines and virus testing.
