As travel slowly makes a comeback, it is wise for a traveller to check the must-dos even before he packs his bags
Several moons ago at the height of the lockdown, when I couldn’t even step out of my front door to take a stroll and was thereby sinking into a sea of despair, I took a leap of faith and bought a ticket to New York. Ever since then, I’ve been wondering if I could indeed take the trip. Last week, the news I’d been waiting for arrived, at last! I can finally engage in what the authorities quaintly call “non-essential travel”.
Now, I must take stock of an alien travel landscape.
After talking to a few knowledgeable sources, the first order of business I learnt is for the traveller to ascertain whether one’s country of destination will even allow a Filipino in; after all, the Philippines is considered a “hot spot”.
Next, check the protocols imposed by the airlines. I’ve heard horror stories of hapless passengers being turned away because their swab test took a few hours longer than the prescribed time limit. Then there’s the small matter of having to wear a mask and shield all throughout the flight, however long it may be. Finally, there looms the dire prospect of having to quarantine oneself for 14 days, which will cut deeply into anyone’s travel time.
Given all the potential mishaps seemingly inherent in the new normal, I thought it best to get it straight from the horse’s mouth.
Philippine Airlines has this to say: “The requirements vary depending on the traveller’s destination. For PAL, we require all our passengers to pre-register online as we shift to a more contactless way of travelling. On top of this, countries may require travellers to download a mobile app for their whole stay, accomplish other online forms, book a quarantine hotel, hold a travel and medical insurance and secure a negative COVID-19 test result in the specified validity timeframe.
As requirements change at short notice, we encourage travellers to prepare ahead and always be updated on government and border patrol advisories of their destination.
Passengers must expect a documentation check on top of standard check-in protocols per destination. Because of these enhanced measures, the whole check-in experience may take longer than what we were used to. We encourage our passengers to use our online check-in service and remind them to be at the airport at least four hours and three hours before departure for international and domestic flights, respectively.”
Read more: 8 Travel Tastemakers On How The Pandemic Has Changed Travel And Where To Go In 2021
