REAL ID and What You'll Need to Travel After October 21, 2020.

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Effective December 27, 2021, the price of US passport books increased by $20 for all customers. The new pricing for a first-time or replacement adult passport will be $1 65; a renewal will be $130 and the expedited fee will remain $60. The State Department said the increase is necessary to “ensure we continue to produce one of the most secure travel and identity documents in the world.” he good news is that soon Americans will be able to renew their passports online. This means you will no longer need to send in physical documents and paper checks through the mail, and it should speed up the renewal process. The online renewal process could take between 6 – 12 months to take effect, so for now, you still have to use snail mail. There has been a backlog in processing passports due to the pandemic, but as of October, the State Department said wait times were between 8 – 11 weeks, or 5 – 7 weeks for expedited services. 

COVID-19 Protocols for Travel Destinations If you are ready to travel, there are plenty of countries open. Some countries are opening to vaccinated travelers only such as Iceland. Let Travel Masters help you navigate the new travel protocols for you! The Bahamas – Open to US and Canadian citizens. Negative PCR test required for entry. Required to complete online Bahamas Health Travel Visa application and submit proof of a negative PCR test taken 5 days prior to arrival. If your stay is longer than 5 days, you must take a rapid test on day 5. You also must opt-in for travel insurance during the visa application process. Belize – Open to US and Canadian citizens. COVID testing on arrival for travelers who show symptoms. You are required to download and complete a Belize Health App and submit proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of your flight. You must stay at a Gold Standard hotel and present confirmation on arrival. You can skip the PCR test if you have completed the vaccination at least 2 weeks prior to arrival. Curacao – Open to US and Canadian citizens. You are required to complete the Digital Immigration card via the Curacao Entry Portal and digitally complete the Passenger Locator Card within 48 hours of departure. Visitors must submit proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of travel and carry printed test documentation. Travel insurance for medical care and additional costs is required. Dominican Republic – Open to US and Canadian citizens. Rapid testing will be performed on randomly selected travelers on arrival. All travelers will have temperature checks upon arrival and those who test positive are required to quarantine in a designated hotel area and undergo regular testing until symptoms end. The DR is providing free health and travel insurance coverage through March 31 covering hospitalization for COVID contracted within the country. Dominica – Open to US and Canadian citizens. You must present clearance to travel via Discover Dominica website within 24 hours of departure. Visitors will undergo health assessment and temperature check on arrival. You will be required to quarantine at a certified “Safe in Nature” property. Hawaii – Open to US and Canadian citizens. You will need proof of a negative COVID test uploaded to the Safe Travels Hawaii online form in order to bypass the 10 day quarantine requirement. You must take the COVID test within 72 hours from the final leg of departure. Only tests from trusted testing and travel partners are accepted. In some counties, a second test after arrival is required. For Kaua’I, you must quarantine for 10 days, there is no test exemption. There are also specific requirements for inter-island travel, depending on the islands. Puerto Rico – Open to US and Canadian citizens. You must complete an online Travel Declaration Form from the Puerto Rico Health Department and show proof of a negative COVID test. Jamaica – Open to US and Canadian citizens. Travelers are required to submit a Travel Authorization document no more than 5 days prior to arrival. You will be notified of approval to enter Jamaica via email and will be required to present authorization at check-in to board your flight. You are also required to present proof of a negative COVID or antigen test no more than 5 days prior to departure and provide test results at check-in. Mandatory “Jamaica Cares” insurance coverage is required ($40 per person). St. Lucia – Open to US and Canadian citizens. You must complete a pre-arrival registration form. Arriving passengers will have screening and temperature checks. You will be transferred by certified taxi to approved accommodations. Guests are required to remain on property except to participate in hotel-booked water-based excursions. St. Martin (St. Maarten) – Open to US and Canadian citizens. Travelers must complete an online Self-Health Declaration form and submit proof of a negative COVID test obtained within 120 hours of departure. There are temperature checks on arrival. Turks and Caicos – Open to US and Canadian citizens. Travelers are required to apply online for TCI Travel Authorization via the “Travel Assured” program prior to departure and present it at check-in for your flight. You must also provide proof of a negative PCR test performed within 5 days of arrival. Travel insurance is required covering COVID related medical treatment, quarantine costs and medical evacuation. USVI – Open to US and Canadian citizens. Travelers must register via the USVI Travel Screening Portal and submit proof of a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result received within 5 days of travel.

We just wanted to share some important travel updates with you, as places slowly begin to reopen. REAL ID – This was postponed from last year, but beginning October 1, 2021, everyone will need a REAL ID to travel on domestic flights. REAL ID compliant driver’s licenses will have a marking in the top portion of the card, either a gold or black star, a gold or black circle with a star cut out, or a gold bear with a star cut out (CA). You can also use a passport as ID for domestic travel. Passports – Passport operations have resumed, although they are still experiencing significant delays due to the unprecedented mail volume and other COVID impacts on the postal service. The current turnaround time is estimated at 10 – 12 weeks. Expedited service is available for an additional $60 and you should have your passport back in 4 – 6 weeks. You can only apply in person in case of life or death emergency or urgent travel, but it must be within 72 hours of travel, and you will need an appointment. COVID Testing for US – Anyone traveling overseas will need a COVID test (molecular NAAT or antigen) within 3 days of your return to the US. Even if you have had the vaccine, you will still need to provide negative test results for your return flight. Wanna Get Away? Here are some of the countries that are currently open for travel and diving… Bahamas – Negative PCR test required within 5 days of arrival, and again on day 5 of your trip Belize – Belize no longer requires a negative PCR test to enter IF you can show proof of immunization at least 2 weeks prior to arrival. Costa Rica – No testing required to enter the country, must have travel insurance to cover quarantine in case you test positive for your return to the US Roatan – Negative PCR or rapid test required 72 hours prior to entering the country. Maldives – Negative PCR test required 96 hours prior to departure. Mexico – No testing required to enter the country USVI – Negative COVID test required to enter, no test required to return to US Are you ready to book your next adventure?

The CDC has issued new guidelines this week for passengers returning to the US. Beginning on January 26, 2021, anyone (age 2 and up) returning to the United States from another country will have to show proof of a negative test (NAAT or antigen test) before boarding their flight. The test must be taken within 3 days of departure and you will need to show documentation (written or electronic) to the airline. Anyone who previously had COVID can show official proof that they have recovered, which is a positive COVID test result from the last 3 months and a letter from a health care provider that states they are cleared for travel. If you decline to take a test, or do not have proof of results, you will not be allowed to board. If you have a positive result, or even a negative result but still have COVID symptoms, you will not be allowed to board. Even if you have had the vaccine, you will still need a negative COVID test. Once you are home, the CDC recommends that you take another test within 3 – 5 days and limit your movements for at least 7 days even if your test is negative. Lots of resorts that Travel Masters works with already have plans to have testing available on site. These will be available at an extra cost (most resorts are only charging their cost for the test). If you have any questions about the testing requirements please speak to us today! https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Who is ready for some good news in 2020? Hawaiian Airlines announced this week that it will start flying non-stop between Austin and Honolulu beginning on April 21, 2021. Tickets are already on sale for the twice weekly flights. Flights will arrive in Austin on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and depart from Austin on Thursdays and Sundays. Currently, Austin is one of the largest US cities that doesn’t have a non-stop flight option to Hawaii, and that’s what appealed to the airline. It will be Hawaiian Airlines first market in the south-central US. There are COVID travel regulations currently in place, but we will be monitoring them for any changes that come up before the first flight takes off!

Travel Masters offers advising services ! Do you have a trip you booked on your own and now you are a little in over your head? It ok, it happens! Travel can be overwhelming with all the details. Maybe you have a question about flights and the international date line. We are here for you! Give us a call. Our advising services start at $50/hr.

Last weekend my husband and I, along with his parents, went to Chicago. It was our first mid-COVID trip, so I thought I would share our travel experience with you! We arrived extra early, just in case there were extra security or cleaning measures in place. And it was a good thing since my father-in-law lost his key fob and couldn’t get his car to lock! Always get to the airport early, people – you never know what will happen! We used the self check-in kiosk for Southwest Airlines. You can use the Southwest App to download your boarding pass so you don’t have to deal with paper. We didn’t check any bags, so we proceeded to security. My husband and I have TSA Pre-check so we were able to breeze through security. The TSA officer asked us to lower our mask so he could verify our face with our ID. Other than that, everyone in line wore their mask the whole time. There weren’t many people waiting in the gate area, so we were able to spread out some. Most of the restaurants were closed, so we had to walk a ways to find something to eat. When it came time to board, they only allowed 10 people to queue up at a time. Once those 10 were on board the airplane, they called the next group of 10. It went pretty quickly, and we were on board in no time. Right now, Southwest isn’t filling the middle seats, so we were lucky to get the exit row, and have a window and aisle seat to ourselves! During the flight, the flight attendants brought cups of water and snacks to everyone, and collected the trash afterwards. Masks must be worn during the flight, except when you are eating or drinking. Disembarking was like the good old days, where everyone stood up as soon as we docked at the gate, but most people observed good social distance from the people around them as they were leaving the plane. We all felt safe, and felt like everyone was doing their part to social distance and wear masks. I would not hesitate to travel again soon. Like, maybe next week! Stay tuned!