As TravelGumbo has pointed out in the past, this is not a time to assume what the rules will be when you actually get on the road, with conditions and rules shifting constantly. In fact, for the moment, the only rule you can really count on is: Book only things you can cancel or delay without penalty or loss.
Europe, for instance, is once again a patchwork of conflicting rules, with some but not all countries restricting non-European visitors to those who are fully vaccinated. Even for those who are, there is a growing disparity in rules for testing before arrival, on arrival and after.
The Netherlands, for instance, after backing off a requirement for quarantine for anyone staying longer than 12 hours, will impose a requirement starting this weekend for anyone entering a restaurant, museum or transport to show a Dutch or EU health pass; the Dutch app does not recognize certificates from the UK as most other European countries do. The alternative is to show a negative test result one day or less old, or to sit outside. In the Netherlands that doesn’t require a pass; in France it does.
The Dutch system has no provision for entering a vaccine certificate in the app for anyone who does not have a Dutch ID number, while some other EU members, including France, do. A Dutch consular official confirmed for TravelGumbo that US or UK citizens who have gotten an EU Covid Certificate based on their home-country vaccination will be able to use it.
The shortening of the validity time for Covid tests from 72 or 48 hours to 24 could be a significant problem, therefore, for anyone visiting Amsterdam. The same shortening will apply starting in November when international travel to the U.S. re-opens; both visitors and returning Americans will need to show a negative test less than a day old to board a plane. Visitors will also need to show that they have been vaccinated.
And, closer to home for Americans and Canadians, land border restrictions imposed by the U.S. have been extended to October 21, while Canada has said that its restrictions for land travel will continue into November. Despite that, air travel between the two is open.
