So let's talk about how to develop a Plan B ...

Well, there is an existing thread on this subject you may want to check out.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/planning-for-the-unexpected-stay

Beyond that, I feel like you are borrowing trouble where there is none. You aren't traveling until 2023 and I imagine there will be many changes that take place between now and then.

I think your planning at this point needs to be focus on what you are doing on your trip and how you will maximize your budget and experiences. Walk every day, eat healthy, and reduce stress by not worrying about things that are too far off in advance to predict accurately.

Thank you all for your kind and supportive words - I will take them to heart …

Timely question. We started a Plan B for next year this morning. We are planning for the RS Sicily tour for next Spring and are/were planning to book the same day the tours go on sale. But we're now thinking of waiting until we know what precautions RS has in force. If mandatory pre-tour testing is still required then we're going to wait to book and take our chances with availability.

As an add-on to that tour we were going to spend a week in Rome or Sorrento.

Plan B is Rome AND Sorrento and skip the tour. This way we can still research places we may be going and then cut and paste once final decisions are made.

No matter what we decide, day tours, hotels, etc won't be booked unless 24 hour cancelation policies are available.

ihcal, as others have indicated, you really do not need to worry about this aspect of your trip so far in advance. I love trip planning myself -- it's so much fun!! -- but definitely just focus on the other pieces.

One important thing to note about traveling to France and needing a Plan B: Occasional strikes are somewhat common on everything from TGV trains, the metro in Paris, and airlines -- and a bunch of other things. Over my couple of dozen trips to France/Paris, I've had some trips slightly affected at best, and at worst, some trips completely wrecked by strikes (i.e., canceled flights, no high-speed trains, etc.).

It's always a good idea to ask questions about cancellation/refund/exchange policies, COVID or not. The French are good about announcing their strikes in advance, and the folks on these boards will share their knowledge. Then you can adjust as needed.

CK

Plan B, you say? Hah, how quaint. I look back fondly on such simple times, when I figured it was prudent to have one alternative in my back pocket.

For my last trip to Europe, what we ended up executing was (I think) Plan K. Plans A through J got ditched one at a time when they became untenable.

Things worked out well with our Plan K and we had a great trip. I was glad we didn't have to run all the way through to our plans designated by the Greek alphabet. My "Plan Omega" is still archived, ready to pull out if/when it's needed.

International travel during a worldwide pandemic is not for the faint of heart, nor for those with rigid, iron-clad plans. Stay flexible, and be ready to pivot (more than once, if necessary). 🤪

Lol! I will read and learn from your experiences!

I just hope that I don’t lose my motivation to follow through with our plans ..😵‍💫

I would not dismiss these concerns. According to a recent report in the NY Times, the CDC has no plans whatsoever for lifting the reentry testing requirement for air travelers notwithstanding that it has not kept the current Covid wave that is now receding in Europe from affecting the U.S. nor could anyone at the CDC explain why air travelers pose a greater Covid threat than travelers entering the U.S. from Canada or Mexico or by ship.

Be that as it may, I have the same concerns. I'm traveling in a few weeks, returning first week of July, and worry that it will be next to impossible to find a hotel in Paris for 10 days on short notice should I test positive the day before my flight, notwithstanding being vaxxed and taking all precautions. This might not have been so much of a problem in February or March, but during the tourist season if may well be a nightmare for the unlucky ones.

Thumbs-up to David's reply re: Plan K. I would also say, make sure that in a pinch, you can use your cell phone to make a ton of calls and do research, and make sure you have some credit cards with a good amount available. To swing Plan K (or Omega!) onto action, you need to throw money at it to save a great vacation.

We planned to go in October - I fear I am getting closer and closer to packing it in …

Sorry - October 2023..

Made my decision tonight - to place the trip on hold until the CDC rescinds the need for a Covid test - I do not have the resources to deal with the fallout from a positive test - your advice has been marvelous - I wish you all safe and Covid-free travels!

I'm sorry this has you so worried for a trip this far out. You don't really need to do anything this far out anyway but look at guide books and decide what things will be of interest to you and your daughters when you get there.

I know you'd posted a few weeks back on booking an Air BnB or accommodation but really you don't want to book anything more than a year ahead of time.

ihcal.....you are going to worry yourself to death. You're worried about "Plan B." You're worried about what airline to fly. You're worried about visiting sights. You even asked if you're worrying too much (Yes, you are.)

And your trip is nearly a year and a half away. Seriously?

No one knows what the world will be like next year. No one can predict what the rules will be next year.

Starting to think about your trip now is fine. Think about where you want to go. Think about what you want to see and do. This is the fun time of planning. This is the daydreaming time of plannng. There is no need for the specifics at this point. (And if you go on a tour, they will do a lot of the thinking for you.)

What you are doing is not worrying, it's over-worrying. And that will make yourself sick. My mother was a professional worrier. She worried about everything. But even she didn't worry about things over a year away.

I just hope that I don’t lose my motivation to follow through with our plans

At the rate you're going, you will burn yourself out in a few months

Thank you for your kind words..

I have just set the plans on the back burner for a little while - I want to see what happens and yes, time is on my side .,.

Lol! No more worrying - just planning! I promise 🙂!

I have been to England and Ireland and China - and I am grateful that I had these adventures / I was hoping for more - we shall see ..

I agree with everyone else about worrying too much about something well over a year away. I certainly wouldn't bag on the whole idea of the trip yet. A lot can change by then. That being said, I'll offer what my Plan B was when I visited Paris this Past January (2022). Had either of us tested positive prior to departure, my first action would have been to immediately inquire if the apartment in which we were staying would be available to us for the duration that we'd need to remain in Paris. If not, I had a list of potential places we could move to, with all the pertinent contact information so that I could quickly make those inquiries. I mean really, what else can you do?

My thinking exactly -.my husband told me not to worry and just go for it - Covid be damned - so that’s what we will do - and, if we have to - we will have a plan in place ..🙂🎉

Sounds like a plan!

I wish ihcal's concerns had been more thoroughly responded to.
Yes, October 2023 is very far away and lots could change between now and then, but I don't have a clear idea of what a solid Plan B would look like. I don't think ihcal has, either.
Does one look for a hotel room in Paris? (obvious problems with doing that at the last minute). What if you can't find a last-minute booking? Does one take a bus/train/plane out of Paris?
How does one book a hotel room when you (or someone in your party ) has tested positive? Do you tell your lodging that you'll be coming in with a Cover-positive person?
I'd have liked to see more responses from people who've negotiated those concerns.
BJL - how did you compile "a list of potential places we could move to?" How would you know who would have availability when you needed it? Perhaps there's some creative thinking involved?
David - I'd love to hear more about why plans A-J got ditched. And, for that matter, how plan K worked. Were A-J just faulty plans or were there unforeseeable circumstances? I'd love to eliminate the faulty ones from my planning.

Thank you for your constructive feedback!

I welcome constructive advice on Plan B plans - that will aid in planning when the time comes!

Keep the status of ETIAS, https://www.etias.us, date on your list of things. So far the start date is looking to be May 2023, but as with most things it keeps getting pushed.

Hope your trip comes out wonderful and makes you forget all the ups & downs that occurred before hand.

May 2023, 5-6 months ahead of your trip, will be a good time to start thinking about plan B, if plan B is still a necessity at that time. And plan B won't involve much more than booking a refundable hotel room for ~10 nights after your scheduled return date, in a central area with good food delivery options, plus making sure that bills get paid at home.

And even plan A will have to wait a bit, since you will not be able to book airfare until November this year.
The one aspect that you'll need to take care of at the start is travel insurance: this typically needs to be purchased at the same time, or shortly after, the main elements of your trip. I am no expert on this topic as I haven't been somewhere I need extra insurance in years.

@Bob. I directed her to a complete thread on this topic…. Her question was addressed.

We just got back luckily having tested negative -- while our Paris friends all got COVID during the time we visited as did our family back home.

Our plan B was: we took prescription meds for two weeks past our expected return date, so if we got stranded we didn't have to deal with that. We took home test kits so if we developed cold symptoms along the way we could do a quick private test so to know to get an official 'baseline' test if we were positive since the official test is the start point for the 10 day waiting period to travel. We knew we could extend the apartment 10 days if necessary (if not we would have lined up a hotel). We accepted that it was a possibility and que sera. You can't control everything in life.

Thank you for your feedback.

If necessary, it will prove helpful to me in my future trip planning.

@Bob -- You write "What if you can't find a last-minute booking? " I am not sure how accurate this number is, but according to TripAdvisor, there are nearly 1,900 hotels in Paris. Add in AirB&Bs and Apartment Rental agencies. I highly doubt a person couldn't find a last-minute booking.

As for: "how did you compile "a list of potential places we could move to?" How would you know who would have availability when you needed it?" I made a list of reputable apartment rental agencies to contact first -- reasoning that we'd be more comfortable in an apartment if we weren't feeling well. Then I did some searching online the week prior to departing for Paris. I created a list of 10 hotels (including larger aparthotels) which I had checked to see if there were availability for the week following my scheduled visit. While I am aware that any availability I saw 2-3 weeks prior might have evaporated, at least it was a place to start. I did the same thing with AirBnB listings and favorited them in my app for quick reference should I need to inquire.

Regarding checking in covid-positive.... I had also been closely reading the forums and found that hotels were accommodating/understanding to this issue -- even helpful in regards to food delivery and pharmacy needs, so I wasn't too concerned about this.

As @Janettravels says "You can't control everything in life." I felt we were as prepared as we could be (and then some) and let it go.

Carol now retired - That was an excellent link. Sorry I overlooked it.
BJL - thanks for sharing your thought process. As for last-minute bookings, I don't have much first-hand experience in that area but it seems I've read on these forums about people who find themselves in such a last-minute predicament. It was my impression that the response they got was "Too bad. It's Paris during tourist season, so you're out of luck." I agree that seems unlikely to be 100% true, but that was my impression.
janettravels - a good reminder to bring extra meds. That might have been mentioned previously, but I needed the reminder.
Thanks everyone. That gives me a good framework for developing Plan B. Hopefully helpful for ihcal as well.

There are always hotels out near the airport that are unlikely to be completely booked. I mean, if worst came to worse!

For our upcoming trip to Paris next month I looked into travel insurance that includes quarantine coverage, Allianz and others sell it and it’s not that expensive, generally they cover $200 a day up to $2,000, but then I realized that the Chase Sapphire Reserve card that I have already includes this coverage up to $5,000. I also checked with our hotel and they advised that we can stay there if one of us tests positive and has to quarantine; though I’m not sure how they can guarantee that as they’re booked up.

Thank you for your feedback!

Your plan is pretty much like mine - should it be necessary next October - 2023..

I wish you safe, happy and Covid-free travels!
🙂✈️