Positive Signs for International Travel

Photo by Nejc Soklič on Unsplash

While COVID has hit domestic travel hard, the ability for airline passengers to travel across international borders, navigating various travel rules, has been restricted even more. Some countries banned Americans completely. Fortunately, signs are showing that international travel may be picking up.

International Travel Restrictions Lifted

The biggest sign for the return of international travel is the new ruling from the Biden Administration that international travel restrictions will be lifted in November for fully-vaccinated foreign travelers.

Many foreign citizens were prevented from seeing family or conducting business over the past year as a result of these travel restrictions. Foreign travelers will still be required to show a negative COVID test dated within three days of flight and a vaccination card. For unvaccinated Americans wishing to return to the US, these travelers must provide a negative test dated within one day of travel.

The restrictions for foreign travelers into the United States were first implemented by former President Trump in January of 2020.

United Brings Back Three Popular Long-Haul Flights

To look for more positive signs for the return of international travel, we should also look to the airlines. United Airlines has announced that they will be bringing back three of their most popular long-haul flights for summer 2022.

The returning flights and dates are:

Newark (EWR) — Dubrovnik (DBV), Croatia, beginning May 27, 2022

Washington/Dulles (IAD) — Athens (ATH), Greece, beginning June 3, 2022

Chicago (ORD) — Reykjavik (KEF), Iceland, beginning May 26, 2022

Resuming flights to these tourist hotspots is a sign that United and other airlines that follow suit will be expecting an optimistic near-future for international travel.