A Roundup of Tour Operators Now Requiring Vaccinations

Times are changing, and more and more tour operators are choosing to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all guests. This is due to a number of factors, including traveler safety and wellbeing, the spread of the Delta variant worldwide and the fact that many countries are requiring travelers to be vaccinated to enter, and/or to visit popular attractions, attend events and eat at restaurants. Here's the list of the tour operators that are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for all guests (so far).

Beginning September 1, all adults taking a Trafalgar tour must provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. Trafalgar's requirement will be in effect until December 31, 2022.

All of Collette's international tours beginning September 1, 2021 are requiring travelers to be fully vaccinated prior to traveling. This requirement is in effect for all international trips until April 2022, the longest period of time out of any other tour operator on this list that vaccinations are required.

Luxury Gold, the luxury tour operator, follows Insight Vacations' requirement. The vaccination requirement goes into effect on September 1 and will end or be extended on December 31, 2021. The requirement does not include travel to Australia or New Zealand.

The Globus family of brands, which includes Globus, Cosmos, Monograms and Avalon Waterways, requires all travelers show proof of being fully vaccinated. This policy was enacted on June 10, 2021 and has been extended until at least March 2022, the second longest period of time a tour operator is mandating vaccinations.

Intrepid Travel was one of the first tour operators to require all of its travelers to be fully vaccinated. The news was announced on August 5, when it also launched a vaccination equity campaign raising money and awareness of vaccine inequality across the globe. Its vaccination requirement is set to begin on September 1, like all the others, but the announcement also stated that 94 percent of its travelers since May 2021 have already been vaccinated.

Contiki, the tour operator specializing in unique tours for young adults, is another one that will mandate vaccinations for adults starting September 1, 2021 through until December 31, 2022.

Insight Vacations, which offers premium guided tours, announced the switch to requiring all guests to be fully vaccinated on August 12. This mandate does not go into effect until September 1, 2021 and does not include travel to Australia or New Zealand. The requirement will be upheld until at least December 31, 2021. The same goes for all brands under The Travel Corporation's umbrella, which include the next several tour operators on this list.

Costsaver, as part of The Travel Corporation's brands, will have its vaccination requirement go into effect on September 1, 2021. The budget-style tour operator's vaccination requirement will be in effect until December 31, 2022.

Brendan Vacations, another tour operator under The Travel Corporation, announced its change like many others on August 12. The mandate goes into effect on September 1 until at least December 31, 2022.

Tauck has not yet required all of its travelers to be fully vaccinated, but some of its tours are traveling to countries that require vaccination verification upon entry. For the tours heading to Canada, Iceland and Europe, all of its travelers must show proof of vaccination. Its newest requirement, effective August 1, was to require all of its travelers heading to Europe to be fully vaccinated.

The tour operator, smarTours, has a vaccination policy similar to Tauck's. Depending on the country or countries the tour visits, smarTours might require all guests to be vaccinated. They've even published a helpful guide to show travelers which tours require vaccinations. Either way, all tours from this operator require either a negative COVID-19 test prior to travel or vaccination verification.