Best travel destinations during Covid-19

Mexico, Europe, Asia… — or somewhere else entirely?

The question of the best travel destination during the pandemic has been on my mind for months now. Especially when it comes to a longer stay and not just a short vacation, there is a lot to consider. You have to find out about possible visas, go through the current entry requirements again and again and find out about the overall situation in the destination country.
Then, of course, there are the possible accommodations and their prices, the everyday costs regarding food, restaurant visits or even the rental prices for a scooter or a car. Other than on vacation, it is relevant for us that we do not have more expenses than we would have in Germany.
In terms of traveling, this means for us: compare, compare, compare. We have to consider the flight prices, possible stays in quarantine hotels, expensive PCR tests and much more. So it’s not even that easy to find the best country for our next trip.

Asia

Should we travel to Asia at the moment?

On the one hand, I would immediately say: YES!
But on the other hand, we have tried so many times in the last weeks, if not months, to find a way to travel to Thailand or Indonesia again and failed again and again.

Reasons for Asia

Apart from the beautiful tropical scenery, beaches and great places to explore, the mentality of Asians is the main reason to travel there.

During our time in Thailand we noticed again and again how accommodating, helpful and friendly the Thais are. Even during the lockdown and the pandemic we did not have any negative experiences. And unlike in European countries, the Thais by nature place a high value on health and hygiene.
While in Germany it took weeks until the mask obligation was enforced and everyone washed their hands regularly, disinfected and kept their distance, this is almost normal in Thailand. As soon as someone is sick or even just has a cold, they wear a mask of their own accord, keep their distance and once again place a special emphasis on hygiene.

The Corona measures are carried out there — in my opinion — in an exemplary manner and there is hardly any reason to worry about a possible infection. Despite the lockdown, there were still countless restaurants or street food stands where you could get delicious food.

In addition, in Thailand and Indonesia you can get insanely great, luxurious accommodations for comparatively little money. Especially on AirBnB you can find some brilliant accommodations. So we had rented during the 2019 lockdown for a month a villa with 4 bedrooms and bathrooms, private garden and private large pool for about 900€ / month. So then even a complete lockdown can be well endured.

Reasons against a trip to Asia

Clearly: the entry regulations. It is generally very difficult to get exact information about a possible entry. When you finally find information, it often contradicts other information.

Our Struggle with the entry to Thailand briefly summarized:

• You cannot apply for the Multiple-Entry Visa at the moment, because multiple entry is not possible due to the pandemic.
• The Special Tourist Visa is only valid until 30.09.2021 and therefore not an option for us.
• The Single Entry Visa is possible. However, a two-week quanrantine in selected ASQ hotels in Bangkok is scheduled afterwards. These are accordingly expensive. In addition, the single-entry visa only allows a maximum stay of 90 days (i.e. 3 months).

The Phuket Sandbox

Actually a really great idea from Thailand. The so-called “Phuket Sandbox” is a pilot project in Thailand to allow travel even during the pandemic. And that even without quarantine.

We had also briefly considered whether we use the Phuket Sandbox to travel to Thailand. Here the 14-day quarantine would be omitted. However, you have to book into a SHA+ hotel in Phuket for 5–7 days and stay in Phuket itself for at least 14 days.

The stay in a SHA+ hotel is much cheaper than in an ASQ hotel and you are also allowed to move within Phuket (at least as far as I understand it) and after these two weeks a trip within Thailand is probably also possible.

Requirements for the Phuket Sandbox

Three PCR tests must be booked in advance in Phuket. These cost about 2800 Baht per test, which is about 300€ per person. These tests must all be negative in order to travel afterwards. If you test positive, you will be taken to a hospital immediately and all contacts will be isolated.

We read an article that after entering the country, one passenger on the plane tested positive. As a result, all passengers were asked to leave the country immediately. So it can happen like that. Even if you are tested negative but a stranger on the same plane is positive, it could mean the end of your trip. And that’s before it has even really begun.

In addition, one must be fully vaccinated. So far, yes, a requirement that can be met. The problem: A cross vaccination of AstraZenenca and BionTech is not recognized in Thailand. And exactly this mixture I have just received months ago.

It is strange that in Germany it is said again and again that the cross vaccination would protect better than the vaccinations with only one vaccine. But since this is not recognized in the Phuket Sandbox Project, an entry for me is unfortunately not possible.

In the meantime, Marc and I had considered whether I should simply have a third vaccination with Johnson&Johnson in order to be allowed to enter the country. We even had three possible appointments for this last week — for Marc as well as for me. The doctor strongly advised me against a third vaccination, because no possible side effects and risks are known or can be excluded. So only Marc had himself vaccinated.

Thus, Thailand, respectively Asia as the next travel destination for us unfortunately falls away for the time being. In the long term, however, we would definitely like to go there again!

Mexico

Here are the pros and cons of Mexico

To enter Mexico, you currently need neither a visa, nor a vaccination. After entering the country you automatically get a visa, which is valid for 180 days (half a year). Unlike in Asia (such as Thailand or Indonesia), no quarantine in special hotels is required. This saves the costs for expensive quarantine hotels and visas when traveling to Mexico.

When departing from Germany to Mexico, a negative PCR test is required, but after entering the country you can move freely without further restrictions. Mexico is currently (July 2021) also considered a risk area, but honestly, which country is not classified as a risk area?

Depending on where you want to go in Mexico, you can also find really great accommodations. We always look on AirBnB or booking.com first and compare apartments to hotel stays. Depending on the country, it can be better and cheaper to book through AirBnB, in others you can find more luxurious hotels at reasonable prices.

We specifically looked at accommodations in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Oaxaca. In my first opinion, I tend to Cancun and Playa del Carmen. There you can find quite cheap but very fancy apartments on AirBnB. Also, these two cities are recommended as “safe” destinations in Mexico.

The flight to Mexico costs a bit more (about 200–400€) than to Asia, but you save money in other corners by not having a visa fee and also not having to book PCR tests or quarantine hotels.

Now for the disadvantages

Mexico is generally considered the most criminal country in the world. Every now and then you can find articles advising against a trip there. In others it is said that you should not leave the hotel facilities. However, this always depends on the region. I would say that in every country there are areas where you would rather not stay and others where it is simply beautiful and safe. We just have to find out which of the regions are classified as safe and recommended.

Another disadvantage (which is just our personal disadvantage) is the geological situation. Mexico is tropical, warm, has great beaches and a tropical climate — but it’s not next to Asia. So to speak, if we were to travel to Mexico, we would be flying further away from our long-term destination (Asia).

I have already looked to see if it is possible to travel to Thailand or Indonesia from Mexico. However, this would require a very long travel time and the flights are also correspondingly expensive.

Our consideration would be to use the 180 days visa in Mexico and then first fly back to Germany. From Germany, we could then travel to Asia again more easily and we would be able to visit our friends and families here at the same time.

Europe

Why not just stay in Europe?

Europe is very expensive compared to Thailand, Indonesia or even Mexico. Especially during the vacation periods, you unfortunately have to expect increased prices for flights and accommodations.

In addition, the general cost of living such as grocery shopping, rent for apartments, cars, scooters or even visiting restaurants are on a European level.

If you live in Europe and have rented a permanent apartment of your own, this is not a problem. After all, you usually have a fixed income and can arrange accordingly. As far as traveling is concerned, it’s a bit more difficult.
Unlike our friends or families, we don’t want to go on vacation for a few weeks, but live and work there. When it comes to a vacation, we are willing to invest a little more. But when it comes to “everyday” life, you have to keep an eye on the costs, even in vacation areas.

We have a certain budget there, to which we always orient ourselves. As long as we adjust the costs to it, it’s no problem. In addition, when traveling but always renewed costs for flights, the rental of a vehicle on the spot and more expensive excursions that one would probably not make in their own home. Therefore, we always try to look for cheap countries and accommodations to save money on travel.

Spain, Greece or Italy?

Since we want to go to a warm country, we have been going back and forth between a trip to Spain, Italy or Greece as well as weighing the pros and cons. Italy and Greece are the highest in “cost-of-living”, which is the general cost of living. Even though there are beautiful places to explore there, we ultimately chose Spain.

In Spain itself, our tendency finally went/goes to the Canary Islands, especially Tenerife. There are very nice AirBnBs, great landscapes and beautiful beaches to explore. The cost of living is comparable to Germany. In a Youtube video we learned that the monthly rent of a car is about 400€. The flights from Frankfurt to the Canary Islands cost around 200€ for both of us. Therefore, we could stay only a few months and return to Germany at any time without risk.

Since we are from Germany, we do not need a visa. Quarantine is probably only required when returning to Germany and can also be lifted upon presentation of a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test.

Our concern now, however, is that Spain — and also the Canary Islands — have again been classified as a risk area and the numbers of new infections are rising again. We expect this to remain the case for the time being, which means that restrictions can be expected in the country.

It could be that restaurants, beaches and tourist attractions will be closed again. A renewed lockdown is also not impossible but rather likely. We would not like that to happen. We would then be in a warmer country but it is not comparable to a pool villa in Thailand, where the lockdown can be easily endured.

So to say locked up in an AirBnB apartment, in which you usually only have the most necessary things to live, is not comparable to a lockdown in your own apartment. Therefore, we are currently very skeptical whether a trip within Europe would be so useful.

Conclusion

We have not yet found the perfect travel destination. With all countries there are advantages but also disadvantages.

• Thailand has the most disadvantages for us at the moment, which is why we decided against a trip to Asia for the time being.
• Europe would be the closest and also very easy, but we would like to avoid another lockdown.
• Mexico seems to be our best option right now. The entry without quarantine and vaccination together with a visa for 180 days sounds very tempting. Also the photos and reports sound very good. However, we still need to find out more about which regions would come into question there.

If Cancun and Playa del Carmen turn out to be safe “zones”, we will probably target them. For this we want to call a friend who has already lived in Mexico for a year. We hope that he can give us a few more tips and impressions that will make our decision easier.