Travel

In some countries where Covid-19 cases are receding, governments are attempting to entice travelers to help save battered tourism industries with offers of discounted flights, vouchers for local attractions and free entry to tourist sites. A few are even offering to pay travelers’ medical expenses if they are infected with the virus.

For now, Americans living in the United States are prohibited from entering almost all of these countries because of the high level of Covid-19 cases at home.

Read the entire article: Visa Waivers, Vouchers, Flight Discounts and Other Travel Lures – The New York Times

Summer 2020 is going to be different than those that have come before it. Instead of block parties, we’re opting for pared-down backyard barbecues. Instead of graduation parties, we’re cooking an intimate dinner with the family.

However, these swaps we’re making as we take social-distancing protocols into account do not mean that we can’t have a great time—we just have to get more creative.

An easy way to up the ante on a low-key activity is to experiment with food and beverages. We tapped winemakers from two wineries, Penfolds in Australia and the Joseph Phelps Vineyard in the Napa Valley, to share their expertise on wine and food pairings for every (socially distanced) summertime activity. Whether you’re snuggling up for a cozy movie night or finding new ways to celebrate milestones, they’ve shared ways to excite your palate at even the simplest event.

Read the entire article: The Best Summer Food and Wine Pairings for At-Home Activities – Coveteur

Striking the balance between wanting to get away while ensuring you can physically distance while doing so — Amtrak’s private rooms check off all the boxes for a safe vacation.

Hearkening back to an older and slower style of travel, a train journey can provide a relaxing way to take in the scenery and a private room provides a way to do that while limiting your exposure to other passengers.

“As a truly unique experience when traveling by train, private rooms [offer] our customers added privacy, comfort, and space to enjoy the journey without having to worry about maintaining social distance,”

Read the entire article: Amtrak’s Sleeper Cars Make for the Perfect Socially Distanced Trip | Travel + Leisure

The last thing anyone wants to do is spend more money than necessary when planning a vacation. But luckily, there are plenty of great apps to help you cut your travel costs.For every stage of a trip, from scheduling flights to booking a hotel, apps can help travelers see a wide variety of listings, according to Edward Pizzarello, travel blogger and editor of Pizza in Motion. TravelSkills blogger Chris McGinnis adds that some travel apps “are also helpful in alerting you to schedule changes, seat assignments . . . so it’s worth having them on your phone.”

Read the entire article: 6 Travel Apps That Will Help You Save Money on Your Next Vacation

Thanks to all our modern conveniences — GPS, Google Maps, self-driving cars, automatic pilot — traveling around the world has become easier than ever before. But what if all that went away? Would humanity still be able to figure out how to get from point A to point B?For one group of explorers, the answer is yes: Using absolutely no modern-day technology, they navigated a Polynesian canoe all the way around the globe.

As the Associated Press reported, the ship, which started its trip in 2014, had about a dozen crewmembers onboard for each leg of the global journey. The crew used their knowledge of currents, birds, wind, and the stars to sail nearly 40,000 nautical miles, making stops in 19 countries.

Read the entire article: Voyagers Complete 3-year Trip Around the World in a Polynesian Canoe With No Modern Technology | Travel + Leisure

Before you lock in those summer travel plans, make sure you’re getting the most bang out of your travel buck. Here are are 13 favorite tips from Pauline Frommer of travel-guide company Frommer’s on where to scrimp and splurge when planning a vacation and how to get the best rates on airfare, car rentals and lodging.

1. For airline tickets, check Momondo first. Frommer’s compared prices quoted by airfare search engines, aggregators and booking websites on 25 popular routes, both for last-minute flights and those booked six weeks ahead. The results? Momondo is the best place to find the cheapest airfare. Skyscanner came in second. Frommer’s ran a similar test for hotel booking sites and found that Booking.com came out on top, especially for travelers looking for city-center spots under $200 a night.

2. Accept a little discomfort in the air. “I think it is a huge waste of money to buy business class or first class unless you’re 6’4″ and will be in incredible agony,” says Frommer, co-president and editorial director of Frommer’s. “People concentrate too much on the flight. It is a couple of hours and then you’re in this wonderful destination. So if it is between getting a business class seat and eating a meal in a spectacular restaurant or seeing a show, the hell with business class.

3. Always carry on. “You do not want to be a slave to your suitcase. I only own carry-on luggage and that forces me to pack less than I would have normally and you just wear things over and over,” says Frommer. Packing light delivers three big advantages: You avoid costly airline baggage fees, skip wasting time waiting at baggage claim, and can use public transit easily to get from the airport to your destination or from one city to another.

Read the entire article: Pauline Frommer: 13 Expert Budget Travel Tips | Money