Travel Insurance Post-Covid: the new travel norm? Yes, this will make your future travels slightly more expensive but given the uncertainty of so much around Covid, any 2021 travel must be booked with a travel insurance policy to back it. Did you know that many countries are presently requiring proof of travel insurance to enter? There are so many articles out there about travel insurance and the constantly changing requirements that we can’t cover it all, but we can give you a tour operator/agent perspective. Check out our Travel Insurance Page!

As a tour organizer and agent for travel services who put customers first, we have always recommended travel insurance. It was never compulsory, it was an individual choice, but now things are different; the pandemic has changed this. The volume of cancellations this year is something that the industry has never before experienced. Many travel companies have closed or will close. The likelihood of disruption due to travel will continue to go up. Many disruptors come in the form of natural disasters, political instability, terrorism, and now again a transmittable virus that is a global pandemic. This will not be the last one. A choice to not protect oneself against disruption is a gamble for losing money.

Choosing not to purchase travel insurance is choosing to be ok with associated losses on travel costs and absorbing unforeseen costs. Here at Pure Adventures, we will not include the cost of travel insurance into a trip price but will leave it up to you to find the best policy for your circumstances, with our recommendations for trusted insurance providers and best offers. Our recommendations will go a little bit further and fall on the conservative side of deciding whether or not to travel. We will also require a signed waiver, should you decline to take insurance. (More on this below) At this point, we recommend that anyone booking travel in 2022 should book a “Cancel For Any Reason” (CFAR) supplement to a baseline policy.

CFAR will provide the most flexibility around reasons for cancellation, but not 100% financial reimbursement. You must look at each company and their CFAR policy terms to know the difference, but expect that you must cancel at least 3 days in advance, and expect to get in the neighborhood of 75% reimbursement. CFAR policies could add 10-12% of your trip cost to the trip budget. [USA Today 2021 travel survival guide ] IMPORTANT: CFAR must be booked shortly after you book any travel; there is a time limit in which you can obtain this coverage!  This applies to pre-existing condition coverage as well in traditional travel insurance policies. This is step 1 before Booking – know what travel insurance you will get once you do book. 

Here are some common questions that have a heightened logic in the pandemic:

• What if I get sick while traveling?
• What if the travel company I booked through goes out of business?
• What coverage do I have for pre-existing conditions, how is it defined?
• Can I be evacuated if I’m stuck or forced into Quarantine?

These questions and more are answered by each insurance carrier. Here is one trustworthy resource: InsureMyTrip.com

As mentioned above, should you be traveling with us at Pure Adventures and you decline travel insurance, we will require a signed waiver. The waiver will state that you accept whatever losses may come about due to cancellation, trip interruption, or circumstance that impacts your travel and that you release Pure Adventures from any responsibility to recover or reimburse those costs. And, full disclosure, Pure Adventures will retain some fees for work performed prior to the cancellation as well as the work of unwinding all travel booked that is being canceled.

We recommend these resources for your protection in the travel future:

InsureMyTrip.com: broker for numerous policy options; not just one company

Global Rescue: more than just insurance, this solution is most comprehensive and highly recommended for less developed countries and remote destinations

Travel Safe: flexible time frames with slightly better booking windows for extra coverage

World Nomads: global provider, does not cover destinations with Covid-19 travel bans or government ‘warnings’!

Trip Mate/Trip Assure: Travel Insurance provider, US-based part of Generali

Berkshire Hathaway Travel Insurance: Travel insurance provider, US-based

No matter what path you take, read your policies, know your limits, and know your filing time frames; travel insurance post covid is not something to leave to the last minute. You alone are responsible to be aware and you do sign your understanding when you purchase travel and purchase travel insurance. Set up reminders and date limits in your planning tools.  Stay abreast of developments with border openings/closings. Stay up to date on CDC and US State Department travel information. These sites provide up-to-date information on travel insurance policy coverages and exclusions.

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Due to recent changes impacting the travel industry, we would like to address some new guidelines (below) for our customers in regard to bike tours, trekking/hiking tours, and general travel suggestions.

The tour business has historically been the domain of group guided tours; self-guided tours really only took off in the last 10-15 years. Still, most of the tour options available to consumers are the guided groups where individuals or couples sign up for a fixed departure and set off with a group of friends and a guide. This model has a lot of new work to do to manage virus safety. New guidelines issued by the ATTA were developed with the help of some of the biggest and best-financed adventure operators. They are well done but are most relevant to guided group trips.

That being said, most of that is not applicable to our model of self-guided and private guided bike tours. Pure Adventures, in combination with our local partners, are working to do our part and select the best vendors who are also doing their part to make the safest, best experience for our travelers as they return to exploring the world. Our hotel partners are following their specific guidelines, as restaurants are theirs. Our taxi transfer providers and drivers also have their own ‘industry guidelines,’ including the number of people per vehicle and protective glass between the front/rear cab area. Here are some other initiatives we are putting in place:

1. Orientations and Equipment Fittings: These will be done in a socially distanced way, with all parties wearing face masks (including guests). Helmets, bike bags, and bikes are cleaned and disinfected between uses. You may wish to bring your own helmet and bike bag for more assurance, but note that we always require a helmet to be worn while riding.  More telephone and/or zoom orientations will be available.

2. Luggage Transfers: Drivers will use hand sanitizer before and after handling customer luggage.

3. More Electronic Data: More and more, navigation is moving to an electronic format, along with cue sheets and suggestions for visiting, exploring, etc. Less paper is good in every way.

4.  Travel with a Face Mask: We require travelers to have them on their person at all times but not while riding/hiking/paddling unless you choose to do so.

5.  Communication Support: In case you start to feel sick during your trip you will have local support. This includes advising about contact tracing apps that may be required in the area you are traveling.

6. Off the Beaten Path: We are choosing less busy routes, trails, and villages, whenever possible.

We recommend the following to all travelers:

• Stay up-to-date with covid-related restrictions and requirements by visiting the US Embassy & Consulate Covid website, with country-specific updates.
• Get Travel Insurance and budget for the “Cancel for Any Reason” option – required for all 2022 tours.
• Stay home if you or anyone in your family experiences symptoms of illness.
• Carry your own hand sanitizer and use it frequently.
• Always practice social distancing and always, be respectful of locals.
• Get accustomed to using your smartphone in advance, as well as the applications we send to you.
• Plan to distance when crossing strangers on the trail/path.
• Bring your own gear – as best you can within luggage limits.
• Get in touch if you start to feel ill at any point during your trip and self-isolate; our local support team will advise actions. Note that local contact tracing and testing in each destination may have special requirements.

The post New Adventure Travel Guidelines for Travelers Post Covid appeared first on Pure Adventures.

Re-opening of borders and the conversations for travel are starting to happen! We think it is time to take down our Covid cancel policy and start to talk about the future of travel. While we understand some people will not be ready to travel for a while still, many are ready to go now. Travel in the next 6-12 months is a personal choice and many new safety measures are being put in place or are already there. We have heard about the efforts of the airlines and are learning more about hotels and so on, and we want to communicate this to you as well.

I have been on airplanes lately and I have to report that it was a pleasant experience. I appreciated the efforts of United Airlines to hand out masks and encourage their use as well as handing out disinfecting wipes. Nearly all passengers wore their own masks. An interesting statistic shows airline air to be as clean as hospital operating rooms. Here is an article about air travel in the New York Times.

So, what can you expect once you arrive? Hotels and taxis as well as other transport services all have new and slightly varied systems in place to maintain hygiene and minimized virus exposure. Plexiglass is the new normal; you can expect to find it installed at hotel check-in, airport check-in, and just about everywhere you have face-to-face transactions traditionally. Hotels all vary in their daily efforts but in Portugal for example, the government is issuing a new “Clean & Safe” label to hotels and other service providers who meet recommended operational practices post-Covid. Taxis in Portugal and Italy, and probably all throughout Europe, will limit to 2 persons per car and to the back seat only. So, for larger parties, especially families, it remains to be seen if and what exceptions may be possible.

The Ubiquitous Face Mask:
You will need one. You may be required to wear it in most public places, such as going into shops, restaurants, museums, etc.  You do not have to ride or hike or be active with your mask on.

66% Occupancy:
Restaurants and Transportation are being asked to operate at this capacity number and so tables have been removed. Social distancing will be the norm everywhere.

The next big question is, “Can I arrive to my destination without quarantine?”  This is still somewhat unknown as border openings and who will be allowed to cross is an ever-changing issue. As of today, we know the following to be true:

Austria: Entry without any restrictions is now allowed to all persons from EU except for Sweden, Spain, Portugal and the UK. Travelers from these countries still have to submit a negative PCR test or enter a 14-day quarantine. Travelers from other countries are not allowed to enter Austria.

July 7: Slovenia and Norway are not yet open.

*Update 2022: Slovenia and Norway no longer have any restrictions

July 5:  Spain Ministry of Tourism Published Guidelines for the Travel Industry – our local vendors will be adhering

July 2:  Skift Report and Daily Updates to Reopening of Travel

July 1:  New York Times:  EU Travel Ban Explained

June 23:  New York Times:  EU to initially block American travelers

Norway: https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/coronavirus-and-travelling-to-norway/

Spain: https://www.spain.info/en/reportajes/informacion-practica-turistas-covid-19-viajar-espana.html#

France: http://www.atout-france.fr/actualites/deconfinement-acte-3

Paris: https://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/info/guides/info-disruption-paris

Croatia:  https://croatia.hr/en-GB/coronavirus-2019-ncov-q-and-a

Italy:  http://www.italia.it/en/useful-info/guidance-standards-for-hospitality-reopening.html

Greece & Portugal Seeking Safest Destination Status

*Update 2022 for entering Greece & Portugal

European Commission Report to Restarting Travel

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Clearly, this is a dynamic situation and the outlook changes daily. Therefore our first recommendation is to take a “watch and wait” approach. While some of our destinations are currently unaffected, others like Italy are under travel advisories. If you have concerns about a trip you’ve booked, we remain hopeful that the efforts of public health officials and governments will bring the spread under control and restore order to a point where travel to affected destinations is once again responsible, relaxing, and fun.

To make the waiting easier, we have been working with our partners abroad to adopt a thirty-day advance notice rebooking and modified cancellation policy. Some airlines too are recognizing the wisdom of this approach and relaxing their rebooking fees. What this means simply is that you can watch and wait up to 30 days prior to the scheduled start of your trip to see if things are good to go as scheduled, or rebook your tour to start later in 2020 or 2021, with no fees. We can in some cases issue a full refund should you wish to cancel altogether.

Our primary hope is that you rebook your trip in the future. This shows support for the many small businesses that contribute to the operation of a trip, across many destinations, and that are adopting more flexible cancellation policies during this challenging time.

If you are considering travel this year and are holding off because of the current uncertainty, we are fortunate that our self-guided model gives us flexibility, so we can work on scheduling trips at the last minute once things clear up, and if you are rescheduling your trip that is already booked we can move it forward even if exact dates are unknown right now.

We are concerned of course for our travelers’ personal safety, but also for your experience of travel to a destination, and in that destination, as well as the return home. If you are to book now for some time in the near future, you have the option of getting added travel insurance, which is time sensitive from the date of booking. We always recommend travel insurance to our guests, but for added cost and peace of mind, you can add the Cancel for Any Reason option offered by our partners at InsureMyTrip.

While we stay in close contact with our partners on the ground, we’d also like to recommend that people watch credible and reputable sources of information. The following websites are useful to everyone concerned:

• The Center for Disease Control and Prevention offers Covid-19 travel updates by country and also has hygiene and prevention tips
• The World Health Organization has daily situation reports
• The United States Department of State offer travel advisories by country

We’re travel experts, not doctors, so the best we can do is to help you make an informed decision, and give you the most flexibility we can for you to make a change if necessary. We have been at this for over 25 years and have been through Sept 11, the 2008 economic crisis, and other smaller events. This too shall pass, and we will be here to help you get out and experience the world!

Sincerely,

Loren, Mar, and the Pure Adventures Team

UPDATE:  April 14, 2020

Since we were very early to bring some clarity to our customers with the above message, the whole world has come under a quarantine of some kind.  Travel appears to be one of the hardest hit industries globally.  As of this writing, the vast majority of travelers who were booked to travel before the pandemic declaration have rebooked to 2021.  A few have cancelled altogether.   Our recommendation to all booked travelers is to rebook, but depending on when you travel – wait to see how business and eventually travel come back.   Fall travelers have a lot of time to wait still.

For those people who rebook, we are applying 100% of trip deposits to the future travel.  We do not need your new trip dates yet.   For those who are cancelling altogether, there are cancel fees which vary from trip to trip.

If you are considering to travel later this year, we encourage you to ask questions, get information – even now as our daily volume is quite slow and it is a good time if you are in the mood to discuss future travel.  We cannot predict how travel will be different, but we do want to encourage people to take your time before making plans and include Cancel For Any Reason travel insurance in your budgeting.  This CFAR coverage will give you all the peace you need when making your decision to leave home again!

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