Greetings from the Austrian Alps!
With one week or so to go before my vaccine is considered valid such that I can travel throughout the EU, I decided to get some fresh air and head into the Austrian Alps to visit some friends.
On the way here I had some time to go through a number of replies from the community on my video last week about potential challenges facing Canadian travellers coming to Europe, whether on vaccine passports or otherwise.
In general, the reports from other members are promising - I received a note from Loretta saying she has had no trouble with her mixed vaccine in Croatia and Slovenia (great news for others with either mixed vaccines, or plans to join us in those countries in 2022!), and a note from Tracey in France saying the French have been quite accommodating in offering EU certificates to travellers from outside the EU.
All this suggests there is a significant desire here for the tourism industry to rebound, and a commitment to working together to minimize the risk and hassle of travelling in Europe. And while this will still vary a bit country to country, I feel pretty good about it and I'd even call that reason to celebrate...we may very well be able to get some Eurozone travelling in soon.
The only hiccup to that of course is the insurance question, which my team and I have spent quite a bit of time researching and trying to wrap our heads around. In a nutshell, it remains hard to say anything definitive about policies and requirements, and conflicting reports abound. We're in the process of pulling together an insurance guidelines piece for you to help navigate the uncertainty as much as possible. Keep an eye out for that in upcoming newsletters.
The week ahead brings us the latest in our webinar series for future trips, and this one is particularly intriguing - a repositioning cruise along the Pacific Coast of South America. This trip will take you along a coastline from a vantage point most travellers will never see, and will no doubt be one of those trips where the travellers who we meet on board are of the particularly intrepid and interesting type. Come and join us Thursday to learn about the highlights and itinerary.
Lastly, if you haven't checked out our Entry Requirements for Canadians document, you can see it below - we'll update it each week with new information regarding our proposed trip destinations to save you a bit of research when making your travel plans.
I suspect I'll still be here in Austria for one more newsletter before I set off to some of our upcoming European destinations, including the Canal du Midi and Provence in France, Madeira, Cyprus, and more. Stay safe and stay tuned to get the report from the ground as we get closer to being able to travel here together 🙂
Cheers!
Gordon Dreger
Founder, Wheel & Anchor
Gordon Dreger is the founder of Wheel & Anchor and has been in the travel industry for over 30 years. Travel is a self-expression for him, and there is nothing he likes more than talking about travel and sharing all of the joys of it with others.
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