[Coronavirus] Tips for Travellers around the world

Here is a post written by Bérengère M., who is a ground agent. Thank you for this kind and objective text

Greetings to you travelers.

As a stopover agent, I wanted to leave you a message to tell you a little bit about the returns we have from airlines/countries.

To begin, please understand that the situation is REALLY very complicated.

• Updates are permanent for all countries in the world.
• A passport of any origin (but especially Chinese or European) can be refused overnight in any country.
• Even TRANSIT through an airport can be impossible !
• Borders / airports are closing more and more.
• Most Visa applications are now impossible depending on your nationality. They are also invalidated. (Example: India)
• Some countries that still accept foreigners sometimes ask for medical proof that you do not have the virus when you enter the country (example: Austria).
• Many countries now require the quarantine of every traveler / resident arriving on the territory (example: Russia / Spain)
• Some links between countries are simply cut (e.g. Morocco/France). It thus becomes impossible/ very difficult to reach one’s country of origin. It will therefore be necessary to ask for repatriation.
• More and more, it is the passports that prevail in the refusal of entry into the territory, and not where you were 2 months ago. The situation taking such a magnitude, each country wants to protect itself as much as possible. Europe being far too much affected, everyone wants to limit the risks facing Europeans.
• The situation is very difficult for airlines. Don’t forget that FlyBe, for example, recently went bankrupt partly because of the virus. This means that travellers have lost their plane tickets.

Understand that all these cases are awful! We must then refuse passengers at check-in / boarding. As the updates are constantly being updated, travelers are often not aware, and find themselves totally lost. They are therefore blocked in the country they are visiting.

You can also decide to stay in your country of travel for a quarantine. But in view of numerous testimonies, foreigners are more and more refused hotels, or even kicked out!

Don’t forget that the health system in the country you are visiting can be chaotic. Each nation must therefore do everything to protect its population.

The advices

– Of course, you can also check the status of your flight. The day of departure, as soon as possible.
– Contact your embassies.
– Contact your travel agencies / airlines.
– Find out about the state of the country through which you must transit / arrive. And this, the very same day !
– Defer absolutely your vacations.
– Don’t forget that you can be a carrier of the virus without knowing it, and that you can therefore transmit it to the locals.

I insist again: the situation evolves EVERY DAY.

Take care of yourself.
It is better to postpone your vacations, rather than to stay in quarantine in an unknown country, without even knowing when you will be able to join your relatives!

Also take into account that Europe has become the most affected area, and that we are therefore particularly persona non grata.