Where Can I Travel Right Now? Here’s How To Find Out!
“Where can I travel right now?” and “Can I travel to _(insert place)__?” are the questions on everyone’s minds. Maybe you have a specific destination you want to travel to. Finding the information on that is pretty straightforward. What if you just want to go SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE, and you want to know the options? Here’s a look at how to know what your options are, so you can figure out whether a trip to “anywhere but here” is possible. Here’s how to answer “Where can I travel right now?”, plus the strengths and weaknesses of the different resources.
Where Can I Travel?
If you ‘re trying to figure out the “anywhere but here” of where you can travel to at present, there’s no better, more aptly-named website than CanITravel.net. “Can I travel” starts with where you’re living and what passport you hold. From this, you can see all of your options. Your results come in 3 groups: entry allowed, entry restricted & entry denied.
Each different territory, separate country, or special area with unique entry requirements is listed separately. You’ll see Gibraltar and Guernsey listed separately from the United Kingdom, for example. Here’s what I get if I choose U.S. passport and living in the U.S. After choosing a destination, there are links to relevant government websites, updates on COVID-19 cases, and pre-trip requirements (ex: forms to fill out, paperwork to bring with you, etc.). If I click on Jamaica as my destination, here’s the information it provides.
If you click on a “denied” country, proposed opening dates are listed. For “restricted” countries, you can see the relevant information on who can/cannot enter, special regulations for entering, quarantine requirements, etc.
Strengths: Information is easy to sort. The visual layout is easily to follow. It gives you the “I want to go anywhere” option.
Weaknesses: This isn’t an official source. They pull information from official sources, but it can be misunderstood, entered incorrectly, or even outdated. COVID-19 updates are changing constantly.
Reopening Timeline
The reopening timelines from Skift have sections for international and U.S. domestic opening dates. This works well for those who want to plan ahead, going where you can now and then jumping to a nearby location opening shortly after. The reopening timeline includes not only borders but also things like parks, tourist sites, airline route increases, hotel chains, and more.
Strengths: Covers more than just international borders. Chronological layout is clean and not cluttered with too much information.
Weaknesses: Again, it’s not an official source. Also, future planning is based on projections. These are constantly changing.
IATA Map
The COVID-19 travel map is powered by Timatic. Timatic is an airline industry database that shows who is and isn’t allowed on a flight based on visa requirements, health regulations, transits en route, etc. The map pulls the latest information per country and uses a color scale for each place.
If you click on a country, you will see current requirements for things like documentation, quarantine periods, closed borders, etc. Because it pulls from official sources, the information should be accurate. A time stamp above the map tells you how new the information is. You can even enroll for alerts (paid subscription) on any changes.
Strengths: Information is visual, and the colors are easy to understand. Pulled from official sources and updated often.
Weaknesses: Details after clicking on a country can be overwhelming. Information is not tailored to you; all information for every variable is provided.
U.S. State Department
If you have destinations in mind, you can find detailed information from the U.S. State Department here. Click on the name of a country, and you can see the latest updates from each embassy. It includes links, recommendations, and quarantine policies for visitors. The master list linked above has every country sorted alphabetically.
Strengths: Official sources. Takes you to local U.S. State Department presence, which tends to have a better concept of what’s happening locally.
Weaknesses: While it’s an official source, the U.S. State Department’s travel advisories have a reputation as “less than objective”. These also don’t help people who old other passports.
Final Thoughts
After feeling cooped up for so long, people are itching to travel. Everyone is asking “Where can I travel right now?” The going is more important than the destination for many. Knowing the possibilities of where you can travel right now helps, and the CanITravel.net site aims to show you the possibilities. The IATA Map and government resources will help you verify accurate and up-to-date information once you narrow down your destination choices.
If you decide to travel, be safe. Remember that being able to travel somewhere doesn’t always mean it’s a good idea. Domestic travel is the simplest right now. Road trips are the simplest of all. Also, check the route to get to your destination. Just because the Maldives are open doesn’t mean I can go there. Why? I’d need to pass through countries that I can’t enter at present.
Here’s a detailed look from the Rick Steves travel agency imagining what travel will look like as it opens back up and the changes you can expect if taking a trip soon. If you want to travel, these resources can help you know “Where can I travel right now?” and the further resources can help you decide if it’s a good idea or not.
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It’s a nice site, but when you deal with the COVID-19 mess you have to do the leg work. In your Jamaica example — no, you can’t realistically enter from the U.S. People complain that the government refuses to send them the online forms needed to enter and the next reassessment of the situation will happen on Jun 30. I’ve found a few more problematic examples with the “Entry allowed” list. Just saying don’t count on anything official until you’ve checked the forums and found a confirmation that someone from the U.S. has successfully landed there, cleared the immigration, and went on their merry way.
Agreed, everything is changing, and it probably even depends on the mood of the employee you encounter.
Nice site!! They could even take it one step deeper and show USA internal travel as many states are now restricting other states.
Yeah, as more states start to bar people from other states, that’s going to create new questions in travel.
Besides HI & AK having a 14 day quarantine for all travelers or providing a COVID-19 test which have an easier filter to implement controlled entry. I think it’s an impossible task for any of the connected states to pick & choose individual state quarantine. It has to be all or none. How does NY plan to quarantine only those from FL is beyond me. They can’t control the highways and unless it’s a direct flight from FL it would be impossible for any state to control. Even if HI said only FL resident will have quarantine its impossible, it has to be all states or none.
Oh yeah, it’s not going to be easy. If you look for license plates, what if I’m in a rental car? How do you control the roads coming in? What if I had a layover? The logistics are not simple, that’s for sure.