Thailand ends COVID registration for visitors, outdoor mask rule

Thailand is lifting a pre-arrival registration requirement for foreign visitors and it’s current outdoor mask mandate would be dropped as of July 1 except in crowded venues. Globe Aware volunteers should still pack masks for their volunteer vacation in case of changes in regulations.


Thailand drops registration for visitors, outdoor mask rule

Thailand is lifting a pre-arrival registration requirement for foreign visitors that was seen as onerous and a drag on the recovery for a tourism industry battered by the coronavirus pandemic

By The Associated Press
June 17, 2022

BANGKOK — Thailand is lifting a pre-arrival registration requirement for foreign visitors that was seen as onerous and a drag on the recovery for its ailing tourism industry.

The government’s COVID-19 center also said Friday that an outdoor mask mandate would be dropped as of July 1 except in crowded venues. The mask mandate was not controversial in Thailand and generally obeyed.

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This is why everyone is travelling to Costa Rica right now

Costa Rica has long been the region’s most popular destination for Globe Aware volunteers! Our programs there showcase the land’s abundant biodiversity, vast rainforests and emphasizes sustainability, making it the perfect volunteer vacation to post-pandemic.

Why everyone is travelling to Costa Rica right now

You’re not the only one whose feed has been swamped with rainforest snaps in recent months

By Anna Prendergast
Friday 10 June 2022
Time Out England

Strung between Nicaragua and Panama like a pendant on Central America’s isthmus chain of countries, Costa Rica has long been the region’s most popular destination for travellers from the USA. But if you’ve noticed your Instagram feed increasingly full of friends geo-tagging Costa Rica and returning home with tales of its tropical climate, endless coastlines, extraordinary encounters with wildlife and epic adventures, you’re not alone. With its abundant biodiversity, vast protected areas and emphasis on education as a damage prevention tool, it’s not just a pioneer of ecotourism but an industry leader. Here’s why it’s become the perfect antidote to pandemic-induced ennui.

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US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel

Globe Aware volunteers should know that the Biden administration has lifted its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights. The CDC may reevaluate the need for the testing requirement every 90 days and that it could be reinstated if a troubling new variant emerges.


US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel

By ZEKE MILLER
AP
JUNE 10 2022

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their flights, easing one of the last remaining government mandates meant to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

A senior administration official said Friday that the mandate will expire Sunday at 12:01 a.m. EDT, adding that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined it is no longer necessary.

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Summer travel costs rising

Worried about rising flight prices this summer? Globe Aware volunteers can manage their budget and expectations on summer travel with these helpful tips!


What to know about summer travel with rising costs

Manage your budget and expectations on summer travel.

By Kelly Mccarthy
June 01, 2022, 9:09 AM
ABC News

With more travelers ready to take to the skies this season, the Transportation Security Administration predicts a summer of record-breaking proportions.

According to the agency, it could screen more than 3 million people in a day with the summer surge demand.

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US airlines, travel industry ask for end to pre-travel testing

Travel industry officials have recently pressed the Biden administration to end its requirements that vaccinated international travelers take a coronavirus test before flying to the United States. Currently, all travelers, including Globe Aware volunteers, need to fulfill this requirement when returning to the states from their volunteer vacation.


US airlines, travel industry push White House to end pre-travel testing

Gregory Wallace and Pete Muntean
CNN
May 31, 2022

(CNN) — White House officials met Tuesday with travel industry officials, who pressed the Biden administration to end its requirements that vaccinated international travelers take a coronavirus test before flying to the United States.

Airlines for America, representing major US air carriers, and the US Travel Association, representing the broad travel and tourism industry, said they argued the requirement does not match the current threat from Covid-19.

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Free COVID rapid tests are available

Globe Aware volunteers can stock up on COVID-19 test kits. This past May, the Biden administration announced that it will provide eight more home test kits free to any U.S. household that wants them.


More free COVID rapid tests are available. Here’s how to get yours

BY JON HEALEY
MAY 17, 2022
LA TIMES


Want to stock up on COVID-19 test kits? The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it will provide eight more home test kits free to any U.S. household that wants them.

The offer, like the one the administration made in January, comes with no strings attached. You can order the kits online or by phone, and the kits will be delivered to any address in the United States, in U.S. territories, on U.S. military bases and at diplomatic installations.

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COVID-19 Testing for Travel

COVID-19 testing can make travel safer for our Globe Aware volunteers. Read on strategies to follow before, during, and after your volunteer vacation.


COVID-19 Testing for Travel: If, When, Where, and How

COVID-19 testing can make travel safer — but you need to do it right. Here, experts weigh in on strategies to follow before, during, and after a trip.

By Salma Abdelnour Gilman
Everyday Health
May 27, 2022

Test before you leave home, experts say — as close to the date of your departure as possible.

It’s the third summer of the pandemic, and by now we know one thing: If you’re traveling, you may need to ponder if, when, where, and how to get a test for COVID-19.

If you’re an American flying to another country, you will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test (or documentation of recent recovery from COVID-19) before you can board a plane back to the United States.

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Changes to Cuba Travel Rules

The island of Cuba will allow group travel for educational or professional exchanges. Globe Aware volunteers will be able to spend a volunteer vacation week in Cuba this summer, contact us to learn more.


Travel To Cuba Could Soon Be Easier, Here’s What You Need To Know

By GREG ROBERTSON
Travel Awaits

The Biden administration is taking steps to expand flights into Cuba, including locations other than Havana, as part of an overall plan to support the island nation and its residents.

Travel to and from the island was severely restricted under the previous administration, but the Biden White House is working to reverse those policies.

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‘Flightmare’ may be in store for some summer travelers expert warns

Summer is just around the corner, and Globe Aware volunteers who have been patiently awaiting safe travel since the start of the pandemic are ready to buy flights and head out on their volunteer vacations. Though COVID infection rates have slowed, vaccines are readily available, and many people feel safe traveling again, the pandemic is still having an impact on air traffic.


‘Flightmare’ looms for summer, travel expert warns

by: Tori Gaines, Alix Martichoux
Nexstar Media Wire
May 22, 2022

Summer is just around the corner, and travelers who have been patiently awaiting safe travel since the start of the pandemic are ready to buy flights and head out on vacations. Though COVID infection rates have slowed, vaccines are readily available, and many people feel safe traveling again, the pandemic is still having an impact on air traffic.

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Passenger with no flying experience lands plane at a Florida airport after the pilot became incapacitated

Could our Globe Aware volunteers imagine doing this!? Sometimes travel can go terribly wrong, but this passenger did something astounding to save everyone on a flight.


Passenger with no flying experience lands plane at a Florida airport after the pilot became incapacitated

By Jamiel Lynch, Dakin Andone and Pete Muntean
CNN
11th May 2022

“I have no idea how to fly the airplane.”

The pilot on his single-engine Cessna 208 had “gone incoherent,” the passenger was telling air traffic controllers Tuesday afternoon, according to audio from LiveATC.net.

It was, he stressed, a “serious situation.”

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