Returning to the US

Yes
You must have a negative test to fly to US
you will not be allowed to board if you test positive, and depending where you are you would have to quarantine and follow the rules of your host country.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

There are three main factors that come into play if you test positive overseas.
1. The requirements of the country you are visiting
2. The requirements of the country you intend to fly to
3. The requirements of your airline.

You don't mention where you will be traveling. A good idea is to look up the country specific guidelines and check your airlines policy on rescheduling flights. Many forum members find that travel insurance makes a difference (trip interruption) when they have to stay for additional days that they had not planned on. It is also a good idea to make sure you leave things at home in such a manner that if your trip is extended by a positive covid test, things will be ok. People also need to take extra medications along, just in case.

We will be on a My Way Alpine tour ending in Chamonix then plan to spend two extra days in Chamonix one day in Geneva before flying out on Sept 5th. My question is do we get tested in Chamonix or Geneva? Would a test in Chamonix France be good in Geneva Switzerland? It might be easier just to stay in Chamonix a third day and go directly to the airport from Chamonix our flight is at 14:50 …I am finding this very difficult to decide.

The location of your test isn't as important as the timing. It needs to be done no earlier than the calendar day prior to your first departing flight.

You can also use a certificate of recovery instead of a negative test.

Yes, you have to have a negative test to get on your flight. Do not take the test more than 1 calendar day ahead. So if you are flying on a Thursday you cannot take the test before Wednesday. It has to be in Wednesday or Thursday before your flight. If you test positive you follow the rules of the country you are in. You don't say where you are flying out of.

I have the same problem! I'm very confused after reading CDC isolation guidance and Delta quarantine requirement for travelers who tested positive!

CDC isolation guidance essentially says: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/quarantine-isolation.html#iso

• People who tested positive and/or with symptoms should isolate regardless of their vaccination status.
• Isolate for at least 5 days. You can leave isolation after 5 full days if fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved.
• Continue isolation if fever & other symptoms persist after 5 days, until fever-free for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved.
• CDC also states that: Do not travel until a full 10 days after your symptoms started or the date your positive test was taken if you had no symptoms. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html#do-not-travel

Delta says on its website: https://www.delta.com/us/en/delta-vacations/cdc-requirements-faqs

If you or someone in your booking test positive for COVID-19, you are
required to self-isolate for 10 days before returning to the U.S.,
based on current CDC guidance. Please note that Delta’s Health
Acknowledgment (completed at check-in) requires customers to certify
that they have not been exposed to, diagnosed with or tested positive
for COVID within the past 5 days.

So if a passenger is qualified to leave isolation after 5 days (either asymptomatic, or fever free and symptoms improved); can this traveler board a Delta plane if they have a 'Letter of Recovery' or it has to be after 10 days?!

If you go a bit further on the bullet points, there's a link for "See additional information about travel."
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html#do-not-travel

Do NOT travel if…

1. You have COVID-19 symptoms, even if you recovered from COVID-19 within the past 90 days or are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.
2. You tested positive for COVID-19. Do not travel until a full 10 days after your symptoms started or the date your positive test was taken if you had no symptoms.

@Gail:
Just updated my comment before I read yours. So Delta goes with that Do Not Travel until after 10 days recommendation.

Edit:
Just realized QuickMD will only see patient only after 10 days (day 11) have passed since tested positive provided asymptomatic or with improving symptoms for them to issue Documentation of Recovery.
So can't fly home until 'after 10 days' (day 11).

We just went through this in Milan. It’s 10 days, actually 11 because the day of the test is considered day 0 no matter what others are saying on here. The CDC is the authority for the US on when they are going to let you board that plane to the US and the airline is obligated to follow their direction. The Document of Recovery consists of your dated positive test and a Letter of Recovery from a medical professional and it stated the date of the positive test and the day of recovery, 10 days later. As for how you isolate or quarantine or not is up to the country you are in. For instance Italy was 7 days of isolation and then a negative test. Switzerland has no isolation period anymore. And what we found is that if your flight was cancelled because of a positive test you are entitled to a refund. You cannot rebook on your airline even if you test negative before the ten days is up. I’m sure there are ways to circumvent this but frankly it’s probably not worth the additional stress of being caught.

The location of your test isn't as important as the timing.

I think the location of the test may be an important factor for some. I’ve seen multiple posts lately about the my way alpine tour ending in Chamonix and tour members are trying to decide if they should test in France or across the border in Geneva, Switzerland. A big difference if you know the rules for these countries.

Currently, with a positive test, France requires isolation for 7 days. Switzerland does not require isolation.

https://fr.usembassy.gov/france-covid-19-faqs/#:%7E:text=If%20you%20have%20recently%20tested,deaf%20or%20hard%20of%20hearing

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/so-schuetzen-wir-uns.html#883350429

I’m not advocating either one. But, I think it’s important to have the information, so each traveler knows what is expected in the event of a positive test. And of course, things may always change.

Why not advocate for Switzerland? It’s a lot less stressful to spend those 10 days being able to move about rather than sit inside, have food delivered and go stir crazy. The only problem may be the cost and ability to find lodging in Switzerland versus France.

@Carrie
Yes indeed! These countries below all have slightly different rules. I 'condensed' down what I read; hope I captured them accurately.

France:
* Isolate for 5-7 days after date of the start at the symptoms or of the date tested positive (day 0)
* Take another test on the 5th day (day 5):
= If negative: finish isolation after 5 days (day 6); if no symptoms for 2 days
= If positive: finish isolation after 7 days (day 8); if no symptoms for 3 days

Italy:
* Isolate for 7-21 days after date of the start at the symptoms or of the date tested positive
* Take another test on the 7th day:
= If negative: finish isolation after 7th day; if no symptoms for 3 days
= If positive: continue isolation until negative up to 21 days; no symptom for 7 days

Germany:
* Isolate for 5 days after date of the start at the symptoms or of the date tested positive
* Take another test on the 5th day:
= If negative: finish isolation after 5 days; no symptoms for 48 hours
= If positive: continue isolation until you test negative

If someone tested positive in Italy and is one of those who continues to test positive for weeks or months after recovery; they could end up in isolation for up to 21 days.

Thanks for the responses. So you have to have travel insurance and enough money to stay for up to one month longer than planned. Sooo it looks like I won't be traveling abroad until all of these restrictions are lifted. Is there any realistic hope of that happening? Fortunately, I still have many places in the US on my bucket list.

@ Newbie

You never mentioned where you planned to travel to. That "extra month" you mention is extreme and you would only end up in that situation in Italy as far as I know. Where were you planning on going?

If at the end of your tour (Italy) you go to a testing center to take test before you fly home and you test positive must you stay (quarantine) at the quarantine hotel in Rome or are you allowed to stay at a hotel of your choice or a rental? We are booked to go on My Way Italy in September and will be flying into Rome five days ahead of tour start in Venice (ending Rome) and thought maybe I should make additional hotel reservations to have just in case. If not needed I’ll cancel.

What are other people doing to prepare so there’s not a complete panic if you can’t fly home?

I’m on the My Way Alpine Europe in July. It is stressful trying to plan for last-minute lodging, during peak tourist season, if testing Covid-positive.

I wondered if Chamonix, France or Geneva, Switzerland was easier to cope with a positive test result. (Most My Way Alpine Europe tour members finish the tour in Chamonix, France, and fly out of Geneva, Switzerland, to return to the US.)

I posed the question to the Rick Steve’s office, and the response was, “if you test positive, Travel Guard Assistance will most likely help you find lodging. If not, Booking.com is a great backup because they have loads of listings.”

A helpful forum member pointed out that there are no quarantine requirements in Switzerland if testing positive. However, there are quarantine requirements if testing positive in France. I’m still not sure whether there are more lodging options in Chamonix or Geneva, the last week of July/first week of August.

I have a question on this topic. I got positive on covid 5 weeks ago and I just receive this morning my travel of documentation letter in quickmd. My trip is next week in Europe. Am I good to go? Do I still need to get a covid test going back even though I have the travel documentation letter?

Thank you

A little clarification is needed......if you test positive you will not be allowed to board the plane. You are not being refused entry into the USA

If for some reason the airline let you on, and you reached U.S. soil--assuming you are a U.S. passport holder--you cannot be denied entry into the United States. For any reason.

That's why the U.S. government has the airlines prevent you from boarding the plane. That's allowed. Turning you back at the border is not.

UPDATE - I heard on the news that testing to re-enter the US is no longer required. YAY!!!

Now I'll just have to wait until France lifts their vaccination requirement. :)