2G, vaccination certificate, quarantine: how easy is it to travel again? – Trip

Where can you travel – and where not?

In Europe, no country is closing completely because of Corona – but there is also none that allows entry without any restrictions. This mainly affects unvaccinated holidaymakers: They usually have to present a negative test result. With full vaccination protection it is easier to travel, only Iceland and Great Britain also require an additional test.

Once you arrive, things are more carefree in many places, mask and distance requirements have been relaxed. Denmark, for example, has lifted all corona restrictions, and there are hardly any restrictions in the Netherlands either. On the other hand, they have been driving a stricter course for a few weeks in France and Italy. For the restaurant or museum, for the train, the ferry or the cable car, the certificate of one of the three “G” must be presented. Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has recovered must be tested regularly. With a multi-day vacation, this can not only be annoying, but also expensive.

The possibilities for long-distance travel to the sun are still limited, but here too the signs point to an opening, especially for those who have been vaccinated. You can currently go on holiday in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Mauritius, South Africa or Namibia, for example. Thailand will be allowing vaccinated tourists from certain countries, including Germany, to enter the country from November 1st, and the USA will ease their entry ban from November 8th. Often, however, a test is required in addition to the vaccination.

Where can I find information about the entry requirements?

Traveling is becoming easier, but nothing has changed in the patchwork of requirements and rules. You can get a good overview in the Travel advice on the website of the Federal Foreign Office, there are mostly links to the information pages of the respective states and to the online portals for entry registration, which many countries require. Important for last-minute travelers: For a number of long-haul travel destinations, a PCR test is required, which may not be more than 72 hours old and which is not always that easy to organize at short notice after the free tests in Germany have been discontinued.

Which documents do you need?

The EU’s digital Covid certificate is becoming increasingly popular. It serves as evidence for vaccination, recovery or testing. The QR code is loaded onto the mobile phone, either in the Covpass app of the Robert Koch Institute or in the Corona warning app. Several certificates can now be stored there, for example for the whole family. To be on the safe side, you should still have it with you in printed form, especially in countries like France and Italy, where proof is required for many activities – in the event that the cell phone is lost or stolen. In Germany, the document is issued by vaccination centers, doctors and pharmacies. The yellow vaccination booklet is not only significantly more impractical to use – it is no longer accepted as evidence everywhere.

If you take off on vacation by plane, you should be prepared for slightly longer waiting times at the airport. At check-in, not only passports and ID cards are checked, but also vaccination and test certificates. The recommendation at Munich Airport is two hours before departure at the latest.

What are the rules in Germany?

Basically, holidays in Germany work according to the 3-G principle: In the accommodation you have to prove that you have been vaccinated, recovered or tested. Sounds easy, but the details can get a little more complicated. The federal states can impose additional restrictions depending on the infection situation. Or they offer restaurateurs and hotels the 2-G option: only vaccinated and convalescent people are allowed in, there are no distance rules and mask requirements. There is an overview of the rules in the individual federal states on the website Tourismus-wegweiser.de, depending on the vaccination status of the fellow travelers, a call to the booked accommodation is recommended.

What do families have to consider?

Children under the age of twelve cannot be vaccinated yet. In Germany, therefore, there are exceptions to the 2-G and 3-G rules: Children under six years of age do not need any proof, even school children who regularly have to take a self-test in the classroom can usually go anywhere with their student ID card. When traveling abroad, parents cannot avoid taking a closer look at the rules in their dream holiday destination: There are big differences here. In Italy, for example, children aged six and over need a test to enter the country. In the country itself, for example, the mandatory test only applies to restaurant visits from the age of twelve. In Spain or Greece, on the other hand, the entry test is only required from the age of twelve.

The quarantine rules when returning to Germany are also still in force: After a stay in a high-risk area, such as Egypt or Turkey, children must be in quarantine, even if their parents have been vaccinated and thus exempt from the requirements. Only children under the age of twelve are exempted from the test before entry – and they are also allowed to terminate their isolation automatically after five days without proof of a negative test. The only loophole from the quarantine is proof that the child has had a corona infection in the past six months.

3 G, 2 G: What are the tour operators planning?

The number of tour operators who only offer trips for vaccinated and recovered customers is growing: Dertour has now also announced that the “2 G” principle will be used for almost half of the group trips planned in the coming months. Sven Schikarsky, Product Manager at DER Touristik, justified this step. The study tour operator Studiosus has only been taking vaccinated and recovered travelers with them since October 1st and justifies the measure with access restrictions for unvaccinated people in many countries. The aim is to “guarantee a smooth holiday trip” for the guests in this way. The group tour operators Gebeco, Lernidee and Wikinger Reisen will also rely on 2 G in the future, as will more and more cruise lines.

So far it has mainly been smaller providers with a comparatively clearly defined target group: older customers, few families. With the exception of Alltours – in the group’s own Allsun hotels, 2 G applies – people who have not been vaccinated can also book those who have not been vaccinated if they can be tested for the trip.

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