July 9, 2020 Travel News, Stories and Tips

Greetings from sunny Southern California. I’m thinking about doing a road trip with my family but not sure where we should go? The mountains, where it’s cool and crisp? Palm Springs, where it’s going to be 120F (I don’t think so), Central Coast? There’s so much to see and explore around here. We’re very lucky to live in Southern California. Where would you go?

Ever since the quarantine went into effect, my family and I have been very good about staying home and away from people when we go to the grocery store or to the beach. Every time I’m tempted to get on a plane, friends who are doctors or the news remind me why shouldn’t I risk it. There are many places I would like to go but at the top of the list is to see my 91-year-old dad in Florida. Obviously, I can’t take that chance. I would also like to go to see friends and family in NYC and Connecticut but those states have a 14-day quarantine for arriving passengers. I would love to go to Hawaii like we were supposed to for Easter but they too have a quarantine and it’s even stricter than the Tri-State’s.

RELATED: The Quarantine Rules For Each State

I would love to take my wife and kids to see my mother-in-law in Toronto but Canada is keeping the border closed. We were planning on going to Europe this summer but they’ve banned U.S. travelers. BTW: Did you hear about those knuckleheads from Colorado who flew to Sardinia in a private jet only to be denied entry after a 14-hour visit in immigration?

Britain announced this week they “will end coronavirus quarantines for people arriving in England from more than 50 countries, including Germany, France, Spain and Italy – but not the United States.” Here’s the list of all 50 countries allowed in.

Australia closed their borders back in March and have crazy strict quarantine rules, which I learned about firsthand when I interviewed Kylie Robertson on my new travel podcast (you can listen and subscribe to here and here). The Australian state of Victoria is reimposing a six-week lockdown in Melbourne. “Residents of the country’s second biggest city won’t be allowed to leave their homes unless it’s for grocery shopping, caregiving, exercise or work.” Victoria saw a record rise in daily coronavirus cases, with 191 new infections recorded for Tuesday and that prompted the lockdown. 191 cases. Melbourne’s population is only 5 million so it’s difficult to compare numbers to the USA but Florida (21 million) alone had 9,989 yesterday and they’re not doing much.

It’s just crazy for people to say that coronavirus is like the flu. 35% of people have no symptoms at all and most have mild symptoms but are we just giving up on the elderly and those with chronic diseases? If that alone doesn’t prompt you to be cautious then maybe this will: “Doctors say it’s too early to fully understand what the exact common or rare long-term impacts of COVID-19 are, but some complications could arise.” Why not err on the side of caution?

There aren’t a lot of places Americans can go these days, especially Australia. The USA used to have one of the most powerful passports in the world but now we’re ranked with Mexico and Uruguay. It’s hard not to think about what the travel industry and country would be like if we had a national mandate and a plan from the beginning. If everyone wore masks and followed the advice of doctors instead of politicians, we wouldn’t be in this mess. The economy would be so much better, people would adapt to the new normal instead of fighting it. It’s really shameful and with my dad in Florida, I’m starting to fear I may never hug him again.

The numbers of passengers and airport workers going through TSA checkpoints were going up. On July 6, over 755,000 passengers went through (the same day of the week last year they saw 2.7 million) but there are reports that airline bookings are now starting to tumble again as coronavirus cases spike.

If and when the EU opens up, keep in mind that passengers can’t use the overhead bins on many flights to/from Italy. Here’s the story.

We’re running low on great reader travel tips, which we post every Friday so if you have any, especially related to the new normal of travel, please email me at Johnny@JohnnyJet.com.

Domestic travel news:

• Could Las Vegas Casinos Move to Cashless Payouts?
• Americans Shun Southern Hot Spots This Summer: TripAdvisor CEO
• See all the domestic travel news that’s got people talking this week…

Hotel and lodging travel news:

• How Professional Cleaners Can Tell If a Hotel Room Is Clean
• Investigation Finds Sheets Weren’t Changed Between Guests at Some New York Hotels
• See all the rest of the hotel and lodging news that’s got people talking this week…

Miscellaneous travel news:

• 13 Places Doctors Won’t Go During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Broadway Will Remain Closed Through the Rest of the Year
• See all the rest of the travel news that’s got people talking this week…

Follow me on social…
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest…and please subscribe to my
YouTube channel | Podcast