Vaccinated South Africans are itching to leave the country and are ready to explore new destinations.
While it is an exciting time to venture abroad, international travel does require much planning, especially as the world navigates Covid-19.
A Twitter user named Nonhle Beryl shared a thread for people travelling internationally for leisure based on her personal experience.
She advised that eager travellers visit their destination's Ministry of Health and/or Travel Department website to familiarise themselves with the rules and regulations for travelling as a tourist in that country.
A thread for TRAVEL TWITTER / PASSPORT GANG: ✈️
— Nonhle (@NonhleBeryl) September 6, 2021
This is for people who are considering traveling internationally for TOURISTIC PURPOSES.
In this thread I’ll share my opinions, tips, pros and cons of traveling during the pandemic based on my personal experience.
"Each country has its own list of Low-Risk countries, High-Risk countries, and Areas of Variant of Concern. Eg. South Africa may be considered a High-Risk in France but an Area of Variant of Concern in Norway. This information will significantly affect your travel plans," she posted.
Beryl also delved into quarantine.
"Most countries allow all types of travel from low-risk areas. Most countries allow all types of travellers from high-risk areas, but some require a mandatory quarantine upon arrival. Each country determines its own days (anything from 5 - 10).
"Some countries have a total ban for travellers from Areas of Variant of Concern, while others may allow entry but require a mandatory 14 day quarantine.
"When I came back to Germany from South Africa, I had to quarantine for a full 14 days, even with negative PCR-Test results," she added.
Beryl advised that travellers regularly check travel restrictions for the country they are travelling to.
And while booking trips in advance are advised, Beryl suggested booking your flight a week before the trip.
However, she also suggested booking a flexible ticket if you need to apply for visas or require it for other important travel documents.
"Most airlines offer flexible tickets at a reasonable price. A flexible ticket means you can cancel the ticket, even up to the day of departure without losing your money, or change the travel dates, sometimes without paying extra costs.
You can check this on the airline's site, Beryl advised.
Explore
Once at the destination, Beryl said travellers should research the travel restriction, curfew and dining requirements.
"You’ll usually find this info on the official government portals of each country, but also check local travel blogs.
"Blogs will give you an even better sense of the feeling of vacationing in that particular city of country from other travellers’ experiences," she said. (sic)