Lockdowns are ending around the world and countries are starting to ease border restrictions and reopen for international tourists. On August 6, 2020, the U.S. State Department lifted the Global Level 4 Health Advisory, which advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19. So you now might wonder what countries are open for travel and for U.S. citizens travel in particular.
Now it seems that a lot of time has passed since the beginning of the pandemic. Many countries have already experienced a peak in incidence and are slowly beginning to ease restrictions. However, there are still over 70 countries that stay completely closed allowing only citizens, residents returning home, or people in other special circumstances to enter. More than 100 countries continue to maintain entry restrictions (e.g. for people with certain citizenship or those arriving from particular countries). And only a few countries have no formal restrictions on entry by air but may require adherence to special measures while on their territory like the COVID-19 testing or quarantine upon arrival.
The COVID-19 outbreak affected both business and pleasure travel, and losses of the global airline industry will be huge this year. To retain some of their loyal customers, many airlines have updated their loyalty programs. Below are some of the airlines that have updated their mileage rewards programs due to the coronavirus.
The pandemic forced people to stay at home and cease traveling as domestically as internationally. Now, as stay-at-home orders are being lifted and cities around the world are slowly reopening, travel restrictions have started to soften, and travelers are looking forward to traveling again. Some travelers give preference to camping, short trips, and road trips, while others hope to return in the sky. But is it safe to travel right now?
