Let Hawaii Happen!!

Travel to Hawaii will be possible without a 14-day quarantine starting Oct. 15 - enabled through a quick test (at the airport); but be prepared to pay for the "convenience"!!

- Hawaiian has matched United in planning to offer pre-departure COVID-19 testing for their passengers. Hawaiian Airline’s partnership with Worksite Labs gives exclusive access to drive-through PCR testing ($90/results within 36 hours, or $150 day-of-travel express service) from dedicated, conveniently located labs near LAX and SFO. It's expected that the Droplet Digital PCR shallow nasal swab tests – a “gold standard” COVID-19 screening that meets state of Hawai‘i guidelines – will be available around Oct. 15.

- United has partnered with GoHealth Urgent Care at SFO, and testing will be available from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily to offer rapid tests to their Hawaii-bound passengers for $250 per person (or to save money, opt to use a self-administered sampling kit from a firm called Color, which requires longer lead time and costs $80 plus shipping).

Hawaii guidelines are not completely clear yet though and will need to be updated and clarified before booking any flights to avoid any possible unpleasant surprises.

Hawaii has lined up partnerships with Kaiser Permanente, CVS and Walgreens to provide necessary pre-departure testing on the mainland.

According to Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green, the state’s point man for the testing plans, apparently - in addition to the standard deep nasal swab tests - Hawaii will also accept results from Abbott Labs’ Abbott ID Now test, which uses a swab from the front of the nose and produces results in less than 15 minutes.

Hawaii is currently also negotiating with the company Vault which provides saliva tests (especially for children under 12).

Stay tuned for more changes to undoubtedly come...

As always, you should work with your trusted Travel Professional to book your trip so that we can keep you apprised of all new developments!!

Luggage Tips!

Have you ever wondered what you should or shouldn't do when it comes to your luggage?   Well, I am here to share with you a few very good tips!

1.  Make sure you have a Luggage Tag.  On that Tag, be sure to include your name, email address and phone number.   Do NOT include your home address as you could be setting yourself up to be a target of a home robbery while you are away.   I know some people will use their business cards as their luggage tag & this works well as long as you know the business address is secure.

2.  It is also a good idea to put a piece of paper INSIDE your luggage with the address of your destination along with your contact information just in case your luggage becomes damaged and/or the tag is lost.  

3.  In the digital age, this is super easy - take a photo of your luggage and even of the contents.  If your luggage does become lost, the photo will help the airline or cruise line when trying to locate the lost item.  It will also help should you get to the point of needing to file an insurance claim should your luggage be lost forever.

4.  Always lock your luggage.  You can purchase TSA approved luggage locks.  With these locks, the security folks can open your bag if needed, but they can lock it back up again.  If you have a non-TSA approved lock & security finds reason to open your suitcase, they will break your lock & then your suitcase and contents are vulnerable the rest of the trip.   If you don't lock your suitcase at all, that is an open invitation to any person who may come into contact with your suitcase along the journey.  Don't make it easy for thieves! 

5.  This should go without saying, but do not put anything valuable in your checked luggage.  Medications, electronics, camera equipment, jewelry & anything else of value should always be with you in your carry-on luggage.  Consider leaving anything of great value at home & really determine if it's really necessary for your trip.  

6.  In the Covid-19 traveling era, try to keep your carry on bag "simple".  You want to minimize any contact that others could have with your luggage.  Try not to over-pack, you want the TSA agents to have a clear visual through the x-ray machines, if they don't they will want to unpack your bag to see what the item of question might be.  

Hope these tips help you when packing for your next trip!

When you are ready to plan that next trip, I would love if you would reach out to me!  I'd love to make your trip as memorable as possible.