Travel restrictions and recommendations have once again changed, with Ottawa advising Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside the country. Those who have booked trips may need to make adjustments, while those who were going to book may need to take new steps into consideration prior to taking off.

Vicki Penrod, Travel Planning Specialist with Kaleidoscope Travel and Cruise broke down the changes that were announced on December 15.

“The federal government reinstated the travel advisory against all nonessential travel, and they've stated that these measures will be in place for four weeks and then will be re-evaluated. So the original advisory that we have been under since March 2020 was lifted on October 20th, but essentially we've gone back to that original advisory.”

Penrod does clarify that the current advisory does not state people cannot travel but to avoid nonessential travel. Also, she says that what was originally announced on November 30th regarding expanded testing of returning international arrivals from all countries except the United States is continuing. 

“They've been doing random arrival testing all the way along, doing about 10% of returning passengers, they've now just kept increasing the percentage of passengers that they are testing. They're probably at about 60 to 70% in most of the airports.”

She does note that each of the airports has a different ability to how many they can handle, but they have said that they hope to get to 100% of arrivals, but whether that will happen remains to be seen. 

Since yesterday's announcement, Penrod explained that she along with other agents has been fielding calls and emails from travellers who have already booked with concerns about what this announcement means for them. After she has clarified what the changes include the majority are still planning to travel with the understanding that there may be changes right up to their departure date as well as while they are away.

As a travel advisor, Penrod explains that the past 2 years have been hectic especially with so many different sources of information for anyone wanting to travel.

“The problem is there's so much information out there and so many sources, social media, regular news, that sort of thing, and that's confusing for people, so they're not sure what or who to believe. We just encourage them that what we offer is the solid fact-based information from official sources.”

Penrod does stress that the changes announced on December 15 can affect travel insurance coverage and anyone who will be travelling should always confirm what they are covered for even if they think that they have the proper coverage. She explains that when the travel advisory was downgraded in October some travel insurance would cover COVID-19 related issues now with the advisory back in place that may no longer be the case

“Many people that do not have specific travel insurance might maybe want to have a plan through work or through their credit card, those are the ones that are most at risk. They need to verify that they've got the coverage they think they have before they leave to make sure that if they don't, they can do something.”

As a travel specialist and advisor Penrod expresses that she along with her fellow specialists on the Kaleidoscope team has one goal and that is to be there for their clients with the correct information and help them to navigate the current travel climate. With that in mind she does say that clients have asked if they can travel, she says she cannot tell them to go or to stay that it is dependent on their personal choice.

“Whether you go or whether you stay really depends on your individual situation, and your personal risk tolerance. Are you flexible and do you have the ability to accept changes in the rules mid-trip, or potential delays in your return, all of those things factor into people being okay to travel under these conditions."

Right now agents are working around the clock to ensure a positive experience for those wanting to travel and many agents have travelled during the past two years and know what to expect. Penrod feels that they can offer their knowledge from those experiences but when it comes down to it the individual they need to assess whether they feel confident enough to travel, “Many have travelled and done it successfully and coming back have said 'oh it was such a great trip, I'm so glad I did it.' Others still are a little unsure, and that's okay, they should wait until they're confident that it's what they want to do.”

 

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