2022 OR 2023

Restrictions keep on coming. We have a tour of Israel and Jordan booked for May 2022, but it doesn't look good, Israel is closed to foreigners for two weeks and who know how long.

I am not planning a trip to Europe for 2022. Perhaps 2023 will be better, but that is what I thought in 2020 for 2021 and 2022.

There’s no guarantee that 2023 won’t come with its own problems. My advice would be to book the trip, making sure everything is refundable. If you can go great. If not, then you can rebook for another time.

I travelled this past Sept. to Switzerland and was glad that I did. I have 2 trips planned for next year—Switzerland in June and Austria in Sept--and hope to make both of them. There’s just no way to know what any restrictions will be. Stay hopeful and flexible.

Thank you both for your replies. I totally agree with both of you which is why this is so hard! I really appreciate your taking the time to respond. Happy Travels whenever!!!

Covid issues aside, I think 2022 will be the better choice from the perspective of a graduation trip. First, it comes at graduation time. Secondly, a year may mean that the graduate is involved in a summer internship or employment and getting away may not be as easy.

None of us know what to expect. Testing and protocols seem like they will be with us for the foreseeable future.

Have you considered a graduation trip that spends more time in one country instead of going through several? You can spend weeks in the UK and still not touch everything of interest that there is to see. The same can be said for most European countries. Instead of the "Grand Tour" how about a "great tour" focusing on one country?

Your niece is fortunate to have someone planning such a fun trip for her.

I wouldn’t give up on 2022. Stick to the southern countries to begin with, France, Spain. Italy. Add others as their profiles improve. You’ll have to be flexible, but summer is a good time to travel because so much is outside. We’ll have more info on this variant soon and the brouhaha will calm down.

How long would the trip be? If only 2 or 3 weeks, then consider a road trip just in one country such as Spain, U.K. or France. If 2 or 3 months, then I would be tempted to delay until 2023. I have found that car hire prices have doubled in the past year due to car shortages, so hopefully 2023 will be cheaper.

Covid isn’t going away, but things are usually better in the summer. Quarantine is less likely, but testing may still be an issue.

I am not planning on any trips out of Europe next year.

I've got the same question as Jennifer....how long are you planning and what countries?

Even for 2022 I'm planning to restrict travel to 1-2 countries although I do have a tentative plan in April for Belgium and the Netherlands with time before in Paris so that gives me 3 countries. I'm not sure I can actually go to Belgium and the Netherlands WITHOUT going to Paris, lol....but that's MY problem, hahaha! I'd added in UK but am taking that out of the mix for the time being.

We wanted to go for 4-6 weeks, but that may be pushing it for my niece to get ready for college, so delaying a year would give us more time because we have LOTS of places on the agenda. I think the one-two country trip might work because I just want to make sure that it happens. However, I don't want anyone disappointed...

"However, I don't want anyone disappointed..."

I can understand that...however you may want to start her focusing her on this as being her "FIRST" trip to Europe, not her "ONLY" trip to Europe,lol!! It may also be easier to manage if you do focus on fewer countries and do part of it by train. THAT's an experience you can teach her!

I am a bad one to answer (so shouldn’t) but I have a lot of travel planned for 2022.

However I AM careful (I think) and I don’t have more than 2 countries in close proximity planned for any of my trips. So you really might look at spending more time in a couple of countries - and have a Plan B (hate that phrase, but really what I mean is a second option) ready, make sure things are refundable, and be prepared to be flexible. In 2021, I completely pivoted and went to Greece and Croatia (not the same trip) instead of Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic all combined. There are no guarantees about Covid or anything else in life. You, unfortunately, have to weigh the factors involved in your lives and make the best decision for you two. I love to plan, so I, obviously, would go.

Sometimes I have to scratch my head when I read some of the responses.

Just because rules changed this week doesn't automatically mean they will be like that in six months.

I'm in Europe now and will return to the USA in early January. I also have another trip planned leaving in early April through the end of June. I'm not going to cancel the Spring trip because of what is happening now.

I have learned to take opportunities as they come. You can postpone and postpone and postpone and then never do it. Covid is not going away anytime soon. If you are waiting until covid goes away, you might as well put your suitcases in storage.

Plan your trip and be optimistic. Make as many reservations as you can that are cancellable and refundable. If things are good, you're off. If there are pandemic issues, and you have to cancel, at least the trip is planned for the next year.

I have two trips to Europe planned for 2022. I say go for it in 2022.

If those of us who are fully vaccinated (with boosters) & who have tested negatively for Covid are required to quarantine for 7 days anyway upon arrival back to the US, forget it. I won’t be able to travel Internationally until such a quarantine were lifted. I don’t have enough days off to do that. I was planning on visiting close friends who live outside of Dortmund at the end of March.

At least 2022 is a Congressional election year!

My two cents is to go for it in 2022. I don’t think there is any guarantee that things will be better in 2023. However, I would hesitate to do a Grand Tour because the different requirements for entry in multiple countries. I would find that to be burdensome to keep track of. Perhaps do two countries-maybe France and Italy. I would would consider which countries had a good track record this year managing the virus and welcoming tourists and both of these have.

Just a thought, could you break your single 4-week trip into two 2-week trips, one in 2022 and one in 2023? It would increase the flight costs, but you could reduce the number of countries during a single trip and the number of border crossings. The first trip might even give you more ideas for what worked well or did not for each of you and help you plan the second trip together more effectively.