Europe Open to Travel from US

[+ tassojunior]

Today shopping Delta I saw they announced Nederlands is open, as of today, to US citizens. Yesterday they had a front page announcement that Italy is open. I know Croatia, Greece, and Spain were already open with vaccinations while France opened with both vaccines and tests required. Germany seems to be the major laggard, with the UK still seeming impossible. 

Amsterdam is important because it is a true "gateway" city from US to Europe with KLM. Also Madrid with Iberia. 

News? 

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Netherlands: Open with No Quarantine

Effective June 24, passengers from the US do not need to present vaccinations or COVID test results. Full details.

Edited June 26, 2021 by tassojunior

[Islesguy]

I'm getting sick to my stomach about the UK. It's less than two months before I am supposed to fly out and they are still requiring quarantine for incoming travelers.

[+ tassojunior]

16 hours ago, Islesguy said:

I'm getting sick to my stomach about the UK. It's less than two months before I am supposed to fly out and they are still requiring quarantine for incoming travelers.

I'm wondering if they are checking trains coming through the EuroTunnel to UK. If not AMS or BRU would be good back-ups to LHR. I know between Czech and Germany they are no longer checking cars or trains, only at airports. UK is no longer Schengen but i think still has 3rd country visa-free travel with France. 

[mike carey]

1 minute ago, tassojunior said:

UK is no longer Schengen but i think still has 3rd country visa-free travel with France. 

The UK was never in the Schengen Area, and there were always border and passport controls on entry (except from Ireland). As I recall British border formalities are conducted at the stations in Paris and Brussels, and Lille (don't know about AMS but I assume not). Most, if not all EU countries probably still have visa-free entry, but not the right to do so (as do Australians, and presumably Americans among others).

[+ tassojunior]

6 minutes ago, mike carey said:

The UK was never in the Schengen Area, and there were always border and passport controls on entry (except from Ireland). As I recall British border formalities are conducted at the stations in Paris and Brussels, and Lille (don't know about AMS but I assume not). Most, if not all EU countries probably still have visa-free entry, but not the right to do so (as do Australians, and presumably Americans among others).

Then DUB may be the new entryway to the UK. I don't think Brexit put up border controls between northern Ireland and Britain and flights DUB to LON could be visa free too. 

Covid was a harsh way to start Brexit. 

[mike carey]

Just now, tassojunior said:

Then DUB may be the new entryway to the UK. I don't think Brexit put up border controls between northern Ireland and Britain and flights DUB to LON could be visa free too. 

Covid was a harsh way to start Brexit. 

It could be. Ireland isn't in Schengen, but people from the rest of EU27 would be entitled to go there. The issue would be whether Ireland had a quarantine requirement. Flights DUB-LON don't require passage through passport control as they are within the UK-Ireland common travel area (although non-nationals of the two countries would need to have their passport with them).

UK, or to be specific English quarantine requirements (if any) would still apply to people who had been in prescribed countries in the previous 14 or however many days, but arriving from Ireland there may not be a check on arrival to attempt to enforce them. The authorities would have to get lucky (or the traveller unlucky) to detect someone as being in breach of the regulations. If there is no requirement for travellers from CZ to quarantine, there's probably no need to use the DUB workaround.

As we're discovering again over the last couple of days, passport and quarantine rules apply as separate layers of restriction. Australians and New Zealanders have the automatic right to travel anywhere in the two countries (passports only needed to travel between them) but each Australian state and territory, and New Zealand controls the quarantine rules for travel between jurisdictions. Before travel we need to check on the rules, so for example, travel from NSW to NZ is not permitted right now, but is from the rest of the country. Your friends will probably need to do similar research on travel to the UK.

[Islesguy]

I already have my flight booked from back in January. I'd hate to switch it only to get stuck somewhere or be forced back to the US when I am still allowed to postpone both the ticket and the hotel if necessary with no charges.

[+ tassojunior]

 

@Islesguy

my biggest concerns would be the UK or US having a Delta variant surge or the US not hitting a good vaccination % to qualify for UK green.

otherwise UK should open more in a month. but that's a big "otherwise". 

Edited June 25, 2021 by tassojunior

[Islesguy]

8 minutes ago, tassojunior said:

 

@Islesguy

my biggest concerns would be the UK or US having a Delta variant surge or the US not hitting a good vaccination % to qualify for UK green.

otherwise UK should open more in a month. but that's a big "otherwise". 

Yeah, those are my concerns. I cannot see the US, as a whole, getting much above 70% with one dose in the next month. There will be areas that get 70% fully vaccinated like the Northeast. We do need to drop our travel ban also.

[+ Charlie]

I spoke last week with a friend in London who has had to go back and forth to Paris on family business a few times since January. He was about to go again this week, and he said that when he returns to London, he is required to quarantine for ten days at home, even though he is fully vaccinated. He also has to have a COVID test, which he must pay for. My spouse and I had planned to go to London this year, but we won't go until we can be sure that we won't have to quarantine in a hotel on arrival.

[+ tassojunior]

2 hours ago, Islesguy said:

Yeah, those are my concerns. I cannot see the US, as a whole, getting much above 70% with one dose in the next month. There will be areas that get 70% fully vaccinated like the Northeast. We do need to drop our travel ban also.

It just took weeks to get from 53% to 54% with one shot in the US. 70% with 1 is unlikely.  

[Islesguy]

11 minutes ago, tassojunior said:

It just took weeks to get from 53% to 54% with one shot in the US. 70% with 1 is unlikely.  

Trying to be optimistic. It's hard though.

[+ tassojunior]

Czech is Now Open 

LINK

Interesting in the story is that no vaccination or test is required for entry but it is required at hotels, bars, etc. And the cloth masks and cheap blue masks we use in the US are not enough indoors or on transit. It must be N95 or the cheap KN95 masks which filter 95%. 

Of course since there are currently no non-stops to Prague, entry into the EU will be in another country's airport so the rules there will apply. I would avoid Germany for now. OTOH I've flown in through Amsterdam a few times and it's great and Nederlands has no vaccine or test required from the US. I have no idea how London connections would go since that would put off your EU entry until Prague, but you may not be able to enter or transit. 

""Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek announced the addition of the United States to its “green countries” list via Twitter on June 21, which means Americans can resume travel to the country sans a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine thanks to the Czech Republic’s use of the traffic light system, which allows tourists from low-risk nations to bypass the otherwise required testing.""

 

 

[+ Pensant]

I’ve decided to visit some parts of Germany and Slovakia that I missed on earlier visits. I can get a good biz class fare on Lufthansa from SEA to Berlin. From there I’ll take the DB to Weimar, Leipzig and Dresden. I was happy to see that DB has a fast train from Dresden to Bratislava, which I visited on a day trip from Vienna in 2017. Then, I’d like to spend some time hiking in the High Tatras. Wondering what the escort scene in cities other than Berlin might be. I’d like to visit some of the famous bars and clubs in Berlin while there.

[+ tassojunior]

3 hours ago, Pensant said:

I’ve decided to visit some parts of Germany and Slovakia that I missed on earlier visits. I can get a good biz class fare on Lufthansa from SEA to Berlin. From there I’ll take the DB to Weimar, Leipzig and Dresden. I was happy to see that DB has a fast train from Dresden to Bratislava, which I visited on a day trip from Vienna in 2017. Then, I’d like to spend some time hiking in the High Tatras. Wondering what the escort scene in cities other than Berlin might be. I’d like to visit some of the famous bars and clubs in Berlin while there.

100-year old world leader Pinocchio/Tabasco is open as is ToyBoy a half-block up. It's hard to ever find any German in Pinocchio as it's virtually 100% guys from Romania and rough. Last visit there I was robbed of $200 cash from my wallet by a thug in front of the bartender. In Berlin always carry cash in the bottom of your sock. ToyBoy is a little more civil and safe. Blue Boy Bar up the block has evidently closed permanently unfortunately. There's a bar between Pinocchio and Tom's called Tramps that i liked a lot even though it was a small crowd. 

I know Berghain , the world's top bar, was converted to an art gallery during covid and it still is. I doubt lab.oratory, which is in it's basement is open but IDK. 

Sometimes hustler bars open in Vienna and Bratislava. The ones in Prague- Friends, and Up and Down bars, are hit-or-miss. Usually miss. 

 

 https://www.google.com/maps/uv?pb=!1s0x47a85051dd245e7f%3A0xf76fea44576f1b5!3m1!7e115!4shttps%3A%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPQyO9eWjvLCfkzDBiZEaJqMxDL9HqUxMOc-VFP%3Dw852-h480-k-no!5spinocchio's gay bar berlin - Google Search!15sCgIgARICCAI&imagekey=!1e10!2sAF1QipMXT_yKWrocB7a7GK_my1nMOR_qtZsiMbmcqE00&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjF-__Ggs_xAhVKl2oFHdrlCW8QoiowCnoECDsQAw#

 

Edited July 6, 2021 by tassojunior

[+ Pensant]

I had a run-in with Romanians in Budapest 20 years ago, so I’m aware of the perils. Perhaps I’ll avoid these places and “order in”.