Greetings from Bregenz, Austria!
A little more than a week back in Europe and I still find myself adjusting a bit to the pace of life...still one of the joys of travel, as it's indicative that I have indeed moved myself to another place! It's cool and refreshing and all in all a nice though occasionally slightly jarring change from 'island time' in Thailand.
In fact the only small downer thus far is that, because my vaccination was very recent and there is a window of time before it is deemed effective, I haven't been able to go into some cafes and restaurants as yet.
I think this is sensible, but I think it's made some of locals wonder about this stranger in a hat staring forlornly at apfelstrudels and sachertorte through the windows of the cafes...
Overall I've been impressed at the speed with which the EU countries have been able to roll out a digital vaccine passport system, which is allowing some semblance of freedom of movement and normality of life here. As you may notice in my video blog, no one wears masks when outside here, though you must put one on to enter any public establishment, and generally the mood is pretty relaxed.
This is all well and good for EU citizens, but there remain some question marks for travellers from outside, including Canadians. Although we have not been as successful at home in rolling out a national digital vaccine passport, I am confident that eventually we will figure it out (and I do think in time for our trips), and I'm confident as well that it will be acceptable for travel here.
Even without it, many of the countries actually just require a negative PCR test within 72 hours of arrival. So, depending where you're going, it's still possible to travel with the minor inconvenience of another PCR test in spite of your vaccination status.
A more challenging question remains around the entry status of travellers who received mixed vaccine doses, which includes many Canadians and a number of members of our community.
This too varies from country to country, and while I can't say definitively what the answer is, you can rest assured that I am committed to finding the correct information and / or a solution for those of us in this category. We may not be there quite yet, but it's all trending in the right direction. We've also put together a spreadsheet of the entry requirements for Canadian travellers that we'll update each week, so you can always check your newsletter to see what the latest status is.
Lastly, a few quick notes on trips and webinars - I'm delighted to release the itinerary for our November 2022 Yachting in Tahiti program, which you can find in your newsletter. We've also got webinars upcoming for a unique repositioning cruise opportunity up the Pacific coast of South America, and a dream trip through the incredible landscapes of Namibia and Botswana. Join us for those if you can!
More to come on vaccine passports, European travel, and apfelstrudels next week...stay tuned 🙂
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.
Leave a comment!