It has been an amazingly full, fun and fabulous summer here at Amazing Journeys, and we want to start out by saying THANK YOU!  We know that when the pandemic started and travel came to a screeching halt, many of you were not sure when you would feel comfortable traveling again.  But we are happy to share that so far this year, 218 travelers have hopped on planes, cars and cruises to embrace their wanderlust and get back out there!  It means so much to us that you trust us for your re-entry into the travel world and we are thrilled to have had so many incredible experiences since travel has become an option again.

Amazing Journeys is on the move and we couldn’t be happier!  It’s been a long road going nowhere, essentially.  It is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and here at Amazing Journeys, we have done just that.  So here we are, two years later, stepping out into the world once more. While some borders are still closed, we have scheduled, re-scheduled and re-scheduled again, in order to provide you the trips to destinations you have waited your entire lives to experience.

Every day, country borders are reopening and protocols for entrance are becoming less cumbersome. As of today, the UK has lifted all Covid restrictions, dropping the lengthy forms necessary upon arrival.  The CDC has dropped the restrictions on cruising from a Level 3 to a Level 2 with no testing required upon return to the US from “closed loop” itineraries such as the Caribbean and Bahamas. New Zealand is reopening for tourism in the coming weeks. Aruba, Hawaii, Italy… they are all lifting restrictions and day-after-day, the outlook is getting better. This is all great news from an industry that has been stuck in a holding pattern for two years.

Still, there are contingency measures in place, should variants come into play. Pandemics, war, fuel prices, financial markets, diplomacy, earthquakes, tsunamis – our industry is a volatile one. We are taking baby steps to return to our “new normal.”  But just like we are experts in our field of travel planning and logistics, so are we adept in patience and being able to change plans at the drop of a hat. It’s nothing new… only this time the changes went on for two years and continue to do so.

We’re now ready to put the past behind us and venture out once more.  We’re excited that our first tour of 2022 just returned!  With Stacey leading our group of 24 amazing journeyers, we hit the road to lush tropical jungles, cloud forests and beaches of Costa Rica.  There, we zip- lined, hiked across hanging bridges, and enjoyed time at the thermal waters of the Arenal volcano-fed hot springs.  We saw indigenous wildlife including sloths and coati, whales and dolphins, butterflies and hummingbirds… oh, and the occasional lizard and huge spider in our rooms!  The group was so happy to be traveling again, seeing the sites and traveling with a fun group.

Our first cruise in over two years is happening in two weeks!  Can you hear the excitement in my writing?  We’re headed to Nassau in the Bahamas and Key West on the beautifully renovated Celebrity Millennium.  Still, just yesterday we had a change of itinerary, so like every industry, it is not in 100% “working order” just yet.  But our ports of Nassau and Key West will still be visited and we can’t wait to get this party started!

We just announced a cruise to the Panama Canal & Caribbean over New Years and in just 10 days, we had over 40 people sign up.  Our travelers are ready to hit the road.  And at Amazing Journeys, we couldn’t be happier!

We’ve all had our Covid stories and how it has interrupted our lives for the past 21 months. Each day brings with it new challenges, new surprises and situations totally beyond our control. My life as the owner of a travel company is no different.

I’m in the happiness business.  I satisfy the wanderlust in people, introducing them to cultures outside of our own, provide an understanding of religions different than what we know, showing them the world’s most amazing sites, breathtaking beauty sometimes found in the farthest reaches of this earth and escorting them to cities, countries and continents across the globe while providing an ease of travel, sure to deliver memories as well as friendships to last a lifetime.

It’s deflating, day-by-day, to have all your cool planning, excited passengers and revenue depend upon a situation where you literally have no control. Admittedly, I like to be the pilot… to be in control… the type where others depend on me to lead them to faraway places, keep a watchful eye on a myriad of situations, keep them happy, comfortable, and secure, before returning them home safely.

My job description has changed over the course of the pandemic.  It was business owner and consisted of wearing many hats including my favorites: experience crafter and itinerary planner. Part of my new job is interpreting legal disclaimers, dispensing medical advice including testing necessary, deciphering in-country entrance and exit requirements including types of testing, whether antigen (laboratorial or proctored or at-home proctored or self-tested), PCR (NAAT test) and more. I have been asked to collect valid Covid vaccine cards and to determine whether they are counterfeit or real, and to decode serial numbers and types of vaccines according to how effective they are as well as the number given.  Some countries require forms which live on apps needed to be downloaded and information uploaded, which I have now become an IT Expert as well as the IT Help Desk to teach my travelers how to access this new technology. And mind you, there are different apps for each destination in the world… sometimes several!  I have become an proficient in QR codes and how far to stick a swab up one’s nose. My favorite new job is predicting which countries will open their borders and when.  Since our crystal ball has been broken since March 2020, it has become increasingly less predictable, but my educated guesses have been pretty much on target.

If you thought taking off your shoes and emptying your water bottle to get on an airplane was difficult, be prepared for the new reality.  Travel is not for the faint of heart.

As we head into the busiest travel season of the year, please keep in mind, when someone who works in my industry asks you to follow a rule, whether on a plane, train, cruise or hotel, we aren’t trying to make anyone’s life more difficult…we are only helping you to get to a destination you have selected. These protocols were put in place to make your journey that much more pleasant and to hopefully allow you to start traveling the globe safely, whatever obstacles stand in the way.

We wish you bon voyage and G-d-speed, whether you are traveling globally, over the meadow and through the woods or down the street to celebrate the New Year with friends and family. Cheers to a happy and healthy 2022!

No doubt, you’re ready to leave your own borders and get out in the world once more. While we are not recommending travel at this time, as you can see by the list of country requirements below that some countries are beginning to open, but still risky, cumbersome and complicated.

Below is a list of countries and what they are requiring of US and Canadian citizens at this time including opening of borders, entry requirements and restrictions. Please note, this update is changing daily and it’s best to check with local embassies for countries to which you may travel and also COVID-19 Travel Recommendations by Destination | CDC,  the U.S. Embassy or Canadian Government and your preferred airline before finalizing travel plans.

Caribbean/Mexico
Turks & Caicos: Open to Canadians and Americans with restrictions. Due to a rise in cases, a curfew is now imposed on Grand Turk from 8pm to 5am (due to be updated January 27, 2021).
Antigua: Open to Canadians and Americans with restrictions. All travelers arriving by air must have a negative Covid-19 PCR test result taken within 7 days of their flight (not required for children under 12 years of age). Fill out an online health form. All arriving passengers will be monitored for Covid-19 for periods of up to 14 days. Curfew in effect from 11pm to 5am.
Mexico: Open to Canadians and Americans with no restrictions.

Latin America
Costa Rica: Open to Canadians and Americans with restrictions. You must have PCR testing before returning home to the U.S. or Canada.
Ecuador/Galapagos: Open to Canadians and Americans with restrictions. As of January 11, 2021, antigen rapid test can be performed on a random basis to passengers arriving into Quito or Guayaquil.

Europe
Montenegro: Open to Canadians and Americans as of January 12, 2021. No test required.
Turkey: Open to Canadians and Americans with restrictions. International passengers age 6 years and older traveling to Turkey are required to have taken a Covid-19 PCR test with a negative result within 72 hours prior to their flight. Passengers must submit their test results to the airline at the time of check-in. Borders open to all travelers with temperature check upon arrival. This requirement will remain in effect until March 1, 2021.
Croatia: Open to Canadians and Americans. Entry allowed with a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours. Travelers also have the option of being tested upon entry at their own expense, but they must self-isolate until test results confirmed. Travelers must also prove they are traveling for urgent personal/family reasons, business reasons or other economic interest (Tourism is considered to be an economic interest).

Africa
Egypt: Open to Canadians and Americans with restrictions. All travelers must present a medical certificate issued 72 hours before entry on arrival proving they are not infected with Covid-19. Children under 6 years of age are exempt from this requirement. Travelers departing from Japan, China, Thailand, North America, South America and Canada, as well as London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle and Frankfurt airports, will be permitted to enter with a negative Covid-19 test no older than 96 hours. Tourists must hold a valid travel insurance to cover medical expenses in Egypt. Health checks may take place at the airport for all travelers entering Egypt.

Important Note for Returning U.S./Canada Passengers
U.S.: All U.S. passengers over the age of 2 years must provide one of the following before boarding their flight back home:
-A negative Covid-19 test result (PCR or Antigen) taken within 72 hours prior.
-Documentation of having recovered from Covid-19 and approved to travel by a doctor.
Canada: All Canadian passengers over the age of 5 years must provide a negative Covid-19 test result (PCR or LAMP) taken within the 72 hours prior.

Please review the full order for the U.S. on the CDC’s website here. Canada issued a similar order earlier this month. Read here.

Because of a new variant, the US has imposed restrictions on non-US citizens entering the US from South Africa and the border-free Schengen zone which include 26 European countries. They include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

There is one European cruise line who is requiring all passengers have a COVID vaccine prior to boarding. You may find more of this in the future.

Airlines, cruise lines and other modes of transportation may require a ‘Travel Passport” or Vaccine Passport” in order to board your flight, cruise, etc.  Read more about it in the following article. COVID in US: What ‘vaccine passports’ mean for your summer vacation.

Travel will be safer in the near future and we at Amazing Journeys are ready for it.  But until it is safe to do so, you will find us at home, planning opportunities of a lifetime!

Country requirements provided by Kensington Tours

Here it is, the week of New Year’s and I am at home. I’m usually working at “light-speed” finalizing logistics, programs, wrapping gifts and packing for myself and 70 others. So now I am getting a taste of just what it is that most people do over the holiday weekends of Christmas and New Years…going for walks in the snow, watching lots of movies, eating Chinese food, playing games and catching up with friends via Facetime or Zoom.  It’s a bit surreal for me and seems really strange for me to be here.

You see, it has been an Amazing Journeys tradition since 2002 to be away on a cruise for the New Year’s holiday.  It goes without saying, we are missing this once-a-year opportunity to sail into the new year with you, all of our friends. The planning, the excitement, the anticipation… it’s all part of a normal December for me and the rest of the team here at AJ.  Over the past nearly 20 years, we have traveled to close to home places such as the Caribbean, Mexico, the Panama Canal and Hawaii, and some exotic locales such as South America, India, the UAE, and Asia during this time of year.  It’s provided memories that are still fresh in our minds, and helps to get us through these times of this “travel black-out” we’re all a part of.

While on our New Year’s Eve cruises, we always share New Year’s traditions from the countries we are traveling.  Since we are unable to travel around the world, at least we can celebrate as though we’re traveling with our INTERNATIONAL NEW YEAR’S FUN FACTS:

NEW ZEALAND: Gisborne is 308.4 miles west of the International Date Line and thus is the first major city to see the beginning of the New Year (however it is Kiritimati, Republic of Kiribati that is the first “city” in the world to see the first sun rise for the year, and Amazing Journeys was there on New Year’s Eve 2002/2003).

LATIN COUNTRIES INCLUDING SPAIN, MEXICO, BRAZIL, COLUMBIA, ARGENTINA, CHILE AND OTHERS: Residents of Latin American countries down a grape with each of the twelve chimes of the bell during the New Year countdown, while making a wish with each one. On New Year’s Eve, women who want to find love in the New Year wear red underwear, or yellow if they want money. Other traditions include sweeping the dirt out and taking luggage outside as a symbol of future trips. (Side note – some of our travelers in Chile last year bought me yellow underwear for prosperity in 2020 – it didn’t work).  (And another side note – I will be walking around the block with my suitcase on New Year’s Day with hopes of future travel and I hope all of you will join me on this one!).

TAIWAN: The end of the year is celebrated with concerts held in all major cities.  Recently, the nation has used higher technology to communicate among the cities via video, enabling the cities to count down together.

SOUTH AFRICA: In downtown Jo-burg, locals throw old appliances out the window

FINLAND: It’s a longtime Finnish tradition to predict the coming year by casting molten tin into a container of water, and then interpreting the shape the metal takes after hardening.

PANAMA: Effigies of well-known people—called muñecos—are traditionally burned in New Year’s bonfires in Panama. The effigies represent the old year; immolating them is meant to drive off evil spirits for a fresh New Year’s start.

JAPAN: Many Japanese decorate their house with a New Year’s wreath made from rice straw and a lucky talisman and hang it on the door.  The tradition on December 31^st is to eat toshikoshu soba – their long noodles symbolize a longevity and wealth.  They listen to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony which is commonly associated with New Years in Japan.  At midnight, the New Year is welcomed with 108 bell chimes in alignment with the Buddhist belief that this brings cleanness. It’s also considered good to be smiling going into the New Year as it supposedly brings good luck.

SWITZERLAND: Ever hear of dropping a dollop of cream on the floor to ring in the new year with good luck, wealth and peace? Well that’s what some do in Switzerland — it’s thought to bring a year of abundance. Some Swiss also observe the tradition of dressing up in costumes to invoke good spirits and chase evil energies.

PORTUGAL: In the northern parts of Portugal, children traditionally sing carols as they visit houses where they are given coins and treats. The songs they sing are called janeiros and are said to bring good luck.

DENMARK: Danes ring in the New Year by hurling old plates and glasses… against the doors of friends’ and relatives’ houses. They also stand on chairs and then jump off them together at midnight. Leaping into January is supposed to banish bad spirits and bring good luck.

Although we’ll miss traveling with you during the New Year, we hope you’ll celebrate in grand style, in whatever tradition you choose.  If you’re home alone, dance like nobody’s watching.  That’s what I’ll be doing –wait, that’s what I always do even when traveling!  Just have a great time!

Wishing you a New Year filled with health and happiness and dream of the day we will traveling together again.