Can You Go There Now? Bookmark These Resources To Track Travel Restrictions

Unsure where you can travel and where you can’t? You’re not alone. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some nations to restrict travelers from certain destinations and led others to completely close their borders. Many passports, including American passports, have lost their currency due to surging infection and hospitalization rates in the countries where they were issued.

As the spread of the virus ebbs and wanes from place to place, it’s tough to stay on top of changing travel restrictions. The patchwork of varied rules and requirements—which may even vary from region to region—tends to be fluid, fluctuating with changing circumstances as well as political whim. 

There is no “master list,” per se, so many travelers resort to phoning airlines (enduring long wait times) or calling embassies or consulates (reporting them closed or unable to provide accurate information). Yet, access to accurate, up-to-date information is vitally important before planning trips, or booking flights or hotel reservations. 

Resources for Travelers

Here are some useful websites and apps to help you save time and make the task easier:

• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Centre offers an interactive website with personalized passport, visa and other document requirements, health advice and transit restrictions for specific travel destinations. The site also has an interactive Travel Regulations Map. Information is updated regularly, drawn primarily from the TIM/Timatic database used by most international airlines and travel agents.
• For U.S. travelers, the website of the U.S. Department of State lists COVID-19 Country Specific Information that includes entry and exit information, quarantine rules, treatment information and links to local sites.
• Re-open EU, an official, interactive website of the European Union, offers the most recent available data from EU member states on border information, travel requirements and quarantines.
• Sherpa, a company that assists travelers and agents in accessing visas and other travel documents has created a free tool cataloging governmental border and health restrictions; it also tracks upcoming rule changes that have been publicly announced but not yet implemented.
• TripIt, a popular trip organizer and flight tracker app from Concur, recently launched a free, comprehensive website (also viewable on mobile devices). TripIt’s Traveler Resource Center offers a virtual “one-stop-shopping approach,” providing travelers with links to public health and safety advisories (including the IATA and the U.S. State Department websites mentioned above); travel provider guidelines (from airports, airlines, major hotel and accommodation brands, OTAs, and more); and other useful information and travel trips, including contact information for foreign embassies and consulates. (Users don’t have to download the app to access the resource center). A feature on the TripIt app, Neighborhood Safety Scores, enables travelers to assess the health and safety risk of various destinations based on a score that factors in COVID-19 data.
• App in the Air (AITA), a mobile travel app, has launched a new web-based landing page (updated weekly) that allows travelers to search coronavirus travel restrictions, by country or by airline. Within the free app, a booking tab provides immediate notification of prohibited flights, changes, and cancellations during searches, as well as notifications of changes while in transit, including suggested alternate itineraries.

Before you go: Be sure to check twice (or more)

Even the most authoritative resources have disclaimers informing users that the accuracy of information is subject to change and can’t be guaranteed.

“Once a traveler has determined where they want to go, they should double-check current restrictions,” says travel expert Michelle Gonzalez. She urges travelers to actively monitor changes in rules and dates, and verify that information with local governments or tourism authorities. “For example, the Bahamas and Hawaii are perfect examples of destinations whose restrictions keep shifting,” she says. Before domestic trips in the U.S., travelers should check city and state websites. 

“As a general piece of advice, now is the time to invest in booking through a travel agent,” says Megan Kelly, a public relations professional with the Israel Ministry of Tourism in Los Angeles. Part of their job is managing changing and complex information, she says. “Additionally, they serve as another person to fight on your behalf if you end up needing a refund or get stuck behind a closed border.”