Leah Dugan, Luxury Travel Agent

08/16/2021

Clients just returned from 9 days in Alaska and shared some pics!
Instead of driving through Alaska they decided to take the Alaska Railroad and enjoy the scenery. They spent some time in Denali and most of their time in Anchorage and the surrounding area doing tours and seeing the sights.

07/17/2021

I have a family that arrived at Grand Velas Puerto Vallarta yesterday. This is the view from their 2 bedroom family suite that Mom sent me 😻

Her quote: "Beautiful resort, very nice staff, AND OMG room this is SICK (that’s awesome in the kids lingo apparently)….. gotta go, already three mimosa in so far this morning!! Oh and hardly anyone here, so basically have the place to ourselves SCORE!!"

06/30/2021

It has been awhile since I did a travel update, so let's do it!
The biggest topic are vaccinations and COVID testing.

Here is what is happening in the industry:
✈️ It is still mandatory that every passenger where a mask on a plane. This FAA rule is in place until the middle of September, unless something changes to extend the rule.
🛳 I don't sell many cruises, but what I am seeing is that most of the large cruise lines are requiring passengers to be vaccinated. There are a whole lot of hoops to jump through for those that aren't, plus additional fees. For the small, boutique cruises like Paul Gaugain, Windstar, UnCruise, etc. vaccinations are 100% mandatory.
🏝 Caribbean/Latin America: Every country has different requirements regarding testing before arrival. Mexico nor Costa Rica require testing before arrival.
⛲️ Europe - hot mess express. Every country has different rules - the majority of them are requiring travelers be vaccinated plus a negative COVID test before arrival. To be honest, the situation in Europe is still changing so much that I am not booking anyone to Europe right now, or for the foreseeable future.
🐯 Africa - certain countries in Africa are open to travelers for safari and the migration in October. Small groups only.
⛱ Tahitian Islands - vaccination required plus negative COVID test before arrival.
🌴 Hawaii - things are getting back to normal. Vaccinations are highly suggested. The biggest problem is the lack of rental cars on the islands.
🐻 Alaska - no testing or vaccination required to visit, but is highly suggested.
🚫 Canada - nope - still closed to the US.
📘 Passports - the State Departments current turnaround for passports are between 8-12 weeks. Expedited services are available, but still could take 4-6 weeks. If you need to update your passport or get a new one, start the application process ASAP.

The US still has in place the rule that all returning travelers from international countries must have a negative COVID test before departure back to the US.

I have a few clients traveling this year to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Alaska. I am mainly still working with established clients, but will take on new clients depending on their destination choice.

03/29/2021

I want to give an update regarding international travel and trends that we are seeing currently:

⛱ The government mandate for all US citizens to get tested for COVID before returning to the US remains in place. Please refer to this link for more info: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/covid-testing-required-us-entry.html

🚀 Where can you travel internationally, close to the US? There are a few countries close to the US that do not require a negative COVID test before arrival: Mexico and Costa Rica. Some of the Caribbean islands and Central American countries that are open require a negative COVID test before arrival. Each country has its own regulations and restrictions.

⛵️ Where can you travel internationally, further from the US? Much of the world remains closed, but there are a few countries that are opening/have opened: Ecuador, Morocco, Iceland, South Africa, Egypt, etc. Each country has its own regulations and restrictions, some are requiring a mandatory quarantine period, the COVID vaccine, travel is restricted to certain areas of the country, etc.

🚙 What about Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii remains very, very strict on their rules. You can read more here: https://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/covid-19-updates/

Alaska is not requiring a negative COVID test before travel to their great state, but they highly recommend it if you have not been vaccinated. You can read more here: https://www.travelalaska.com/Planning/Tips/COVID19.aspx

⚓️ What is going on with cruises? Alaskan cruises are canceled for this season as Canada remains closed. Per the government order, cruise ships are still not allowed in their US ports. There have been a few cruise companies that have announced that they will be operating out of foreign ports this summer for a trial run, and they are requiring that every passenger have a COVID vaccine. I'm not your girl to ask about cruises in general, unless you're going on Windstar, Hurtigruten, UnCruise, etc (small, boutique/adventure cruise companies). If a large, cattle-call cruise is what you desire I can refer you to someone else for that!

🚲 Europe/UK?? Nope - no updates, nada.

⏳ What are we seeing out there in the wilds? Airlines are still operating at a lower capacity (masks are 100% required still), and most travelers are staying in the US. I have 2 couples that will be visiting Alaska and they will be traveling via train and car. I have one single traveler going to Mexico. So, travel remains low still as the world remains determined to get the vaccine rolled out and the virus more under control.

Until next time!
-Leah D.

Alaska's travel mandates and orders are now travel advisories. These processes and best practices, although not required, are still encouraged by the Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) and Governor Dunleavy’s administration. ATIA, the state’s leading membership association for Alaska’s...