I'm back. This past week I traveled on my first post-pandemic press trip, a visit to the British Virgin Islands via San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It was my first visit to JFK International Airport and first flight since November of 2019, months before the pandemic's beginning. In fact, it was my first excursion of more than 20 miles from my home in Brooklyn since that time.
So after 17 months away (an unconscionable absence for a travel journalist), I discovered first-hand how some aspects of the airport and international travel are now quite different compared with the pre-COVID-19 outbreak era.
For example, Caribbean travelers will find, as I did, that vacationing in much of the region means not only adhering to strictly enforced entry protocols, including quarantine periods of varying lengths, but also complying with strict health and safety measures, including social distancing and mask-wearing.
Yet I found it's staying abreast of each destination's entry requirements that demands the most attention. Several popular Caribbean destinations now require visitors to register online and provide proof of vaccination and even health insurance to obtain visitor approval.
For my trip, I used the BVI's portal to upload my proof of vaccination (I received the Pfizer vaccine in February). I also uploaded the required proof of travel insurance, including COVID-19 coverage, and proof of a negative RT-PCR nasal swab test taken within three to five days of entry.
Landing at Tortola's Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport on June 14, I took another nasal swab test. After clearing customs and immigration, I journeyed via secure transportation (a brief van ride followed by a 20-minute boat trip) to the Oil Nut Bay resort, where I would quarantine until receiving results of my COVID-19 test.
Around 3 p.m. the next day I received notice of a negative test result, allowing me to leave my accommodations to tour the resort and the wider territory. Ironically, that same day, BVI health officials announced a change in the protocols, ending the quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated visitors.
But the changes - and the challenges - did not end there. Because I flew through San Juan to reach the BVI, I was also required to complete a Travel Declaration Form on the Puerto Rico Health Department's online portal. Because I've been vaccinated, I was permitted to upload proof of my vaccination rather than a negative COVID-19 test result.
Puerto Rico's portal in turn provided me with a QR code I was required (ostensibly) to present upon arrival in Puerto Rico. However since I'd arrived in San Juan from New York on the way to the BVI, I was still in U.S. territory, and no one ever asked to see the QR code. And as the week played out, my British Virgin Islands experience was typically wonderful (more on that in another article).
Yet along the way, I'd failed to realize I'd need to go back onto the Puerto Rico portal to obtain entry authorization (and ANOTHER QR code) for my June 18 flight back from the BVI to San Juan!
Thankfully, a colleague reminded me of this the evening before I departed. So, I fired up the laptop and went back onto the portal that night to obtain authorization and another QR code. It's a good thing I did because officials in San Juan made sure every incoming traveler (including me) displayed the required QR codes on their phones.
So after more than 25 years traveling to Caribbean destinations, the new entry requirements and authorization procedures seemed at times confusing, frustrating and downright maddening. They've certainly added a new layer of detail to traveling to the region.
Of course, the guidelines exist for the purpose of safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of not only travelers but of the residents of tourism-reliant nations. Any inconvenience today's travelers are compelled to endure is more than worthwhile if helps protect our global community.
As for the more familiar parts of leisure travel, well they were present as well, beginning with a three-hour delay on my JetBlue departure from New York to San Juan, which we were informed was caused by mechanical issues.
Four days later, my return San Juan-to-New York flight, was also delayed, incredibly, by three hours due to mechanical issues!
Fortunately, I'd packed my patience before leaving and remained calm throughout. Yet that wasn't the case for some of my fellow passengers, some of whom engaged in a loud cursing-and-screaming match just after we landed at JFK.
Because the flight had been delayed, and several travelers were anxious to still make connecting flights, several barged into the main aisle as soon as the seat belt light was extinguished after landing. (I wondered where they were going. The aircraft door was still closed!).
One person apparently bumped another, and the battle was engaged, with yelling and threats escalating at an intensity level I thought far beyond what the circumstances dictated. Luckily no blows were thrown and calm was ultimately restored.
But I get it. Lots of people are on edge these days after enduring so much the past year. I understand that some folks just need to get away for a while. Just bear in mind it's a bit different out there.
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