One of my trusted travel colleagues just returned from her first "covid" trip, you know that 1st trip that you take in the middle of a pandemic because you know that this virus is not going away anytime soon. When you're in the travel business, it's hard to stay home for any great length of time. Though I have yet to take a trip myself, I definitely have the itch & when I do eventually take that first trip of 2020, I will do so with an abundance of caution and plan to be a responsible tourist. I don't want to see my beloved industry become any more decimated than it already is & destinations are beginning to re-open.
However, there are not many destinations who are welcoming Americans at this point because our Covid-19 outbreak control is out of control in many parts of our country at this time. I can't blame them at all. Many destinations are imposing test requirements either in advance or upon arrival. Testing upon arrival usually comes with a mandatory quarantine until test results are processed. There are a lot of things to consider when planning a trip in 2020.
Currently, Mexico is welcoming all visitors from all countries without any testing or quarantine requirements. Of course, this can change at any moment and as your trusted Travel Advisor when booking your trip, I would give you current information and update you as necessary through to your departure date. I have had several colleagues and a few friends with timeshares visit Mexico in the past couple of weeks & everyone has said it was so necessary to recharge, to have that change of scenery, that they felt very safe & well taken care of while in Mexico. I've heard many people say that they have felt safer at their resorts vs. the USA.
This is one summary from my trusted colleague, Patti, who gave me permission to share her trip review:
We left Saturday on a packed flight out of PHX. Every seat was booked. Masks are mandatory all throughout the airport and for the duration of the flight. There are no services on AA flights, they hand you a paper bag with a tiny bottle of water and a bag of pretzels as you board. They do say up front that anyone not wearing masks will be escorted off of the aircraft and not allowed to fly AA in the future so there is no messing around, you wear your mask! Upon landing and while inside of PVR airport masks are required. Nothing is needed as far as testing etc to enter Mexico. They take your temperature when you are in line at Customs and that is it. The scent in the airport was of cleaner. You can tell it is constantly mopped, and disinfected. Very clean. Our transfer was there waiting ( LOVE Mayaland!) and our driver was wearing a mask as well and for the duration of the transfer. As we drove through downtown on the way to Garza Blanca, I noticed most all stores and restaurants are open. Tourists and locals alike were lining the streets. Most locals were wearing masks, even outside as they walked. They are NOT mandatory there.
Arriving at the hotel, ALL hotel employees wore masks and that never changed. Guests are not required to wear them anywhere, but I think they wanted the guests to feel comfortable. The Greeter, the front desk, concierge, all waitstaff at every outlet, pool servers, groundskeepers, housekeeping etc.. all had masks. The changes to the resort were evident but in no way took away from the experience, it actually made it better. Lounge chairs at the pool and beach were grouped in two’s with space between others ( love that). The hotel is at maybe 50% occupancy so restaurants weren’t crowded, plenty of space. If you wanted to use the gym you made an appt to be sure there wouldn’t be too many in it at one time. Each time you jumped on the shuttle to go to the upper towers the driver had hand sanitizer he plopped in your hand as you boarded.
The best part was everyone seemed happy. The staff was happy to have guests again. The guest all seemed so happy and relaxed. I talked to many over drinks in the pool that said they were always hesitant to go to Mexico but decided to go now as they wanted to go SOMEWHERE and they could not believe how beautiful it is and how safe they felt.
Please, sell Mexico with confidence. They love having tourists back and no country takes better care of you than Mexico. The people, the beaches, the service, just that feeling of AHHHHHH. Relaxation.
I realize that traveling right now is a very personal decision and rightly so. I also know that some feel it's completely irresponsible to travel non-essentially right now & that's OK. There are those who might argue that mental health and well-being is worth taking that trip & that's OK. The world-wide economy has taken a huge hit with Covid-19 & can't sustain much more. The world wants to get back to some version of "normal", I know we all do. If you feel that you do want to take that vacation to recharge, to change your scenery, I would greatly appreciate if you contact me for my assistance to book your trip. This is how I make my living.
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