Only The Best Travel
As flight traffic takes an upward turn during the holidays, staff at the Vancouver International Airport are sharing tips to make pandemic travel a little smoother. According to vice-president Robyn McVicker, about 30,000 passengers passed through YVR every day in October and November. That’s …
With India reporting two cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the tourism industry has again been impacted severely this year. Most of the tour operators have said that cancellations have increased during the holiday season in outbound travels, but the domestic travel plans have …
WINK NEWS
Millions of people are expected to pass through American airports every day of the Christmas travel holiday. However, the omicron variant is making international travel a bit more complicated. And, now it’s harder to find travel deals.
WINK News consumer reporter Andryanna Sheppard wants to ensure travelers get the best deals available.
Websites and apps such as Hopper and Scott’s Cheap Flights can help find the best time to book your flight for maximum savings.
Whether traveling for the holidays or looking ahead to spring break, travel experts want you to think about where you’re going and how the omicron variant plays a role.
Weeks ago, when the Biden administration lifted bans on international travel, that it’d be making a comeback. Now, with the omicron variant looming, some travelers may have trouble.
It has already made Kristi Corcione’s trip to London a bit more difficult. “Just the process of getting into the country. I know that we have to take all kinds of tests, and we have to quarantine before we get our negative test,” said Corcione.
The United States and other countries have already banned travelers from several southern African countries. Japan and Israel have closed their borders to everyone. Other countries are now requiring tests and quarantines.
Julie Ramhold is a consumer analyst for Dealnews.com, and she says for travelers to make sure their trip is still possible. She also says to do some research before booking because information can change quickly.
“If you’ve already booked a trip, I would say check often, whether it’s an airline or cruise or whatever, to see if things are changing if they’re offering any sort of compensation for your trip being canceled,” Ramhold said.
“Or, if you need to cancel if they’re waiving any cancellation fees or something like that. Don’t be afraid to reach out to customer service,” said Ramhold.
Canceling a flight or booking again might be just a little bit difficult if you aren’t planning on spending more. Airlines are already starting to roll back their cancellation policies to those that existed pre-pandemic.
Ramhold also recommends picking an airline that has kept some flexibility to make sure your tickets and money aren’t going to waste. “There are some airlines that are making some adjustments, for instance, waiving fare differences so that you can kind of reschedule your trip without having to pay more, or even allowing you to use the value of your ticket through the end of next year,” said Ramhold.
Experts also recommend looking at airline policies before buying their travel insurance. The credit card you use to but the ticket could have protections included.
In November at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP26, influential leaders in travel and tourism signed the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, a commitment to cut emissions in half by 2030 (and reach net zero by 2050). It’s a big deal involving …
TikTok user and former flight attendant Kat Kamalani is back with more of her highly sought-out if sometimes questionable travel tips, and this time they’re honestly not that bad. In her most recent 10 second travel-centric video, set to the tune of “Are You That …
As the government agreed to update a list of banned countries due to high levels of coronavirus infections, a move that could reduce flights abroad, Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman said those working in the tourism industry should start looking for new jobs.
“As for travel agents and tour guides, it should be said: Start changing professions,” Liberman said during a Sunday cabinet meeting.
“We, as experts in the tourism industry, know that there is a high demand to come [for services],” Yoav Rotem, a tour guide, told Channel 12 news.
“Whoever closes my workplace, and disables me — I’m not unemployed, I’m disabled. It’s him, and his government,” Rotem said, blasting Liberman.
Amid the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant late last month, the government took the far-reaching steps of shuttering its borders to foreigners for two weeks. On Thursday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett ordered the directive extended an additional 10 days.
Explaining the decision on Sunday, Bennett said, “We want to delay [Omicron’s] entry into the country through the restrictions at Ben Gurion Airport, and, at the same time, take advantage of these precious days to increase everyone’s immunity. We are not protected enough at the moment.”
“Two weeks ago, we decided to tighten restrictions on entry into the country, and there were those who said we were going too far, but we see now that we were not going too far at all,” he said as he opened the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. “The Omicron [variant] is indeed worrying. Europe is entering the holiday season under significant restrictions and lockdowns in some countries.”
Travelers at the Ben Gurion Airport, on November 29, 2021. (Flash90)
Meanwhile, the list of banned countries was updated to include the United Kingdom and Denmark, the Health Ministry announced Sunday evening.
Health Ministry Nitzan Horowitz said additional countries will be classified as “red” in the coming days, but stressed that the government does not currently plan to bar international travel entirely.
He also urged Israelis to refrain from non-essential travel overseas.
“Whoever is planning to travel abroad at this time needs to know that, upon their return, they are likely to go into full quarantine because the country will be declared a red country,” Nachman Ash, the ministry’s director-general, said during a briefing.
Under new quarantine rules approved Sunday by a Knesset committee, Israelis coming from “red” countries must isolate at a state-run facility for at least 10 days. However, they can be released to their homes to complete their quarantines if they test negative for Omicron.
According to the latest Health Ministry figures, 223 coronavirus infections were confirmed Saturday, with 0.63 percent of tests coming back positive. The number of serious cases has recently ticked back above 100, days after dropping below that mark for the first time in four months.
The death toll remained at 8,210, with no fatalities since last Monday.
A total of 6,400,940 Israeli have received a first coronavirus vaccine, with 5,789,014 of them having also received a second shot and 4,120,329 of them having received a third.