Here’s what worries air travelers more than contracting Covid-19

VSCatching Covid-19 Not Number One Concern For International Travelers, Inmarsat Says 2021 Passenger Confidence Tracking, the largest global survey of air passengers since the start of the pandemic.

The biggest concern, held by 51% of travelers, is that they will need to self-quarantine at their destination. That was over 43% of those polled who said they feared catching the virus at the airport or on the plane. Other major concerns for travelers come down to the unpredictability of travel at the moment, with 41% of travelers expressing concern over unpredictable border closures and more than a third (36%) citing confusing security protocols .

Even fully vaccinated travelers are right to consider the possibility of an enforced quarantine. As of January, all travelers to the United States must test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours of entering the country. Inevitably, some travelers - vaccinated or not - test positive within the last three days of their trip.

For vaccinated travelers, the risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19 is extremely low. But none of the Covid-19 vaccines are 100% effective, and a small percentage of vaccinated international travelers will inevitably become mildly infected and test positive for the disease overseas.

To date, thousands of late-trip travelers have received a positive test result via text or email, sometimes en route to the airport for their return flight to the United States. This completely upsets their back-to-school plans as it means delaying the return home.

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A positive test result means that travelers must be retested until they receive a negative test result and, in the meantime, must remain at their destination at their own expense, often under a quarantine or order. ‘isolation. Obviously, this will significantly increase travel costs.

Quarantine rules depend on your destination. You may be able to extend your hotel stay and isolate yourself in your room, but some countries require travelers to stay in a designated quarantine hotel. No matter where you are, you’ll foot the bill for the extra days spent in your destination, including accommodation, food (likely limited to room service) and any additional Covid testing or medical help you may need.

Before any international travel, check the US State Department’s Covid page for your destination. These pages are updated often and will cover entry and exit requirements in this country, as well as testing resources and information on potential quarantines.

Since your U.S.-based health insurance plan is unlikely to cover overseas medical expenses, it’s important to purchase pandemic-specific travel insurance before you leave your country. Some countries require foreign tourists to carry it.

To give themselves an additional insurance policy against becoming a breakthrough case, some fully vaccinated American travelers take a third dose of the vaccine a few weeks before leaving on a trip - even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - United has not yet green. light booster shots for healthy adults and many scientists say booster shots aren’t necessary for most Americans.

The CDC recommends avoiding international travel until you are fully immunized, since the risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19 is so much greater.