Being able to work 100% from home (or elsewhere) is both a blessing and a curse. What was once optional –and the exception– for most is now the norm for jobs fortunate enough to be able to interact with coworkers, customers, and/or create value completely online. With this flexibility and convenience, the separation of personal and professional life is blurred even more, and as a result, something that once felt liberating – being productive out of the office – now feels confining. For those with persistent wanderlust and for whom variety is the spice of life, being confined at home is simply monotonous.

A boundary pusher by nature, after four months in lockdown and witnessing multiple far flung trips planned pre-COVID canceled like dominoes, I was determined to go on an international adventure. Health is wealth though, so I started getting regular COVID tests once they became widely available – not just for trip eligibility, but to safely join small gatherings with friends and family who got screened regularly as well. The slow unleashing of wanderlust started small at the beginning of summer: a boating day trip during Memorial Day, followed by a long weekend of RVing through Northern California during July 4th.

By mid-July, things were looking bad for a much anticipated Greece and Croatia trip booked late last year. On a paid, non-refundable discount business class ticket (I’m trying to qualify for top tier elite status this year), I was able to get a full refund due to flight changes / cancellations resulting from the EU closing its doors to Americans.

Where could we go instead? The vacation time was already locked in and approved with my job, and I definitely needed a change of scenery out of state after 4 months of deep heads-down work. Work hard, play harder has always been my motto. It’s what unlocks and sustains my productivity and creativity. But I also don’t like to take uncalculated risks.

So followed weeks of juggling different travel plans: putting the puzzle pieces together based on places Americans were allowed to go, which didn’t have too many constraints, which were of tolerable risk, and which permitted tourists to enjoy activities and sights in their destination, not just their hotels.

Out of misfortune, opportunity arises

One good thing to come out of COVID, with rapidly changing geopolitical situations around the world and the dynamism of the disease’s spread, is the flexibility it’s created for previously non-refundable and change-penalizing travel bookings. Here’s how much more flexible the main types of bookings have become:

• Non-refundable air fares are now changeable for free (by most US airlines until at least the end of August), whereby you only pay the fare difference. They are also recoverable in the form of that airline’s travel credit if you decide to cancel, so not completely sunk costs.

• Hotel bookings from both hotels themselves and other providers are mostly cancelable without penalty until closer in to check-in date, and require prepayment less often, meaning you can book these provisionally with little to no cash outlay

• Rental car reservations have always generally been the most lenient (in that you only pay when you pick up the car) but now that there’s a surplus of them, prices have plunged

Playing the rebooking game close-in

Less than 30 days before the original trip dates in early August, it became official: Greece’s doors were closed to Americans. For summer vacations, I generally like to go to destinations with beautiful waters and lush surroundings. Getting back to nature, especially being in salt or freshwater, is my nature. After doing some research, it was clear most countries were closed, with the seeming exception of those in and around the Caribbean.

The problem was (and continues to be) that most countries that are allowing Americans in  have very strict COVID testing requirements, requiring a PCR test to be taken AND results within 7 days to as narrow as 48 hours. Considering the sad state of COVID testing in the US and the desert of rapid testing options to those without symptoms, this effectively makes it impossible to go to those countries.

Puerto Rico was the first alternate of choice, as at the time there was a local rapid testing option available near home in California. As a US territory, they were eager to have mainland Americans back, but cautiously so with a 72 hour test-and-result requirement. At the time that I rebooked this was possible given the travel times there. However, as the COVID curve worsened in July, they reverted back to lockdown closures of beaches, parks and hotel facilities, meaning all one could do there was stay in their hotel room. Hard pass.

Mexico (specifically the areas around Cancun) emerged as the backup to the backup, being fully open to Americans with no test-and-result requirements. They merely require some extra forms to be filled out and temperature screenings wherever you go. Public beaches were closed, but resort beaches and pools were still open, and resorts mandated maximum 50% occupancy. With many resorts in this area being all-inclusive, we wouldn’t need to worry about the risk of exposure by going off-property for meals and drinks. We could effectively vacation at the resort (one with a great beach and waters) and go do outdoorsy things that naturally lend themselves to social distancing (cenotes/open ocean snorkeling).

Regarding calculated risk, the entire state of Quintana Roo in which Cancun and its surroundings are located had less cases than my home county in California. While Mexico isn’t doing great with COVID either, its cases per capita are significantly below America’s.

Note: Mexico land border crossings are banned currently, but air travel between the US and Mexico is unrestricted at the time of this writing (August 2020).

What was traveling like during this time?

Surprisingly civilized, despite the “tyranny of mandated masks”.

• Planes and airports were less full and felt calmer overall with people acting less needy and entitled like in the pre-covid era, with a bonus of aircraft cabins all being sparkly clean

• The resort felt deserted which again felt like a blessing - discount rates, more personalized service, minimal or no waiting for anything and no crowds whatsoever

• Roads and points of interest were less busy overall; again, this is a great thing if, like me,  you weren’t a fan of large crowds pre-covid to begin with

Check out what one of the flights was like for yourself with this quick flight report I made:

What now?

After returning from a week abroad, of course my first priority was re-testing for COVID to see if I got it while traveling before seeing any family and friends again. Watch this space for an update when I receive results. While I was out, this happened too:

Bottom line: depending on the precautions you take and how prepared you are, traveling during COVID can still be a possibility as long as you get tested regularly and do your homework.