Considering a multi country RSE tour has me looking into the mechanics of being put on my own to isolate and make my way home after contracting Covid.
Are there uniform quarantine rules across the EU?
How much reserve cash should I bring to bridge into trip insurance.
How long does it normally take for trip insurance to kick in?
How does one get a PCR test in the EU and how much do they cost.
Any help would be most welcome.
First of all, there are not uniform rules regarding isolation across the EU. These rules can, and do, change from time to time. You should look up the specific countries you are planning on visiting.
Cash? I wouldn’t bring extra for this. Just my credit card. You will get a big refund from Rick Steves Tours if you must leave tour within a few weeks.
Tests are at pharmacies or bring your own.
Except for the "when does trip insurance kick in?" question, I believe all the answers are country-dependent.
I assume you are planning this for next year? I’m not sure anyone can even guess what the situation will be for the 2023 tour season.
I’ve done 3 tours (Rick’s company for 1 and another company for the other 2) since Oct 2021 with one being multi-country. My strategy for possible quarantine/isolation expenses is to have my credit cards paid down so that I have the maximum amount of room available to add on extra hotel time and/or to accommodate a change in flights. I’ve not had to use it so far and am just coming to the end of trip #3. I fly home Monday.
Most trip insurance is going to be on a reimbursement basis. You pay, you submit receipts to the company, you (hopefully) collect in 3-4 months.
Home covid kits are readily available in pharmacies in Europe. I’ve purchased in both France and Italy for about 8-9 Euro each. I have not needed a PCR test. I did have to get antigen tests done my last 2 trips as they were required to return to the US at that time. The antigen test in Amsterdam last May was about 25E, the one in Paris in October 2021 was about the same. What would you anticipate needing a PCR test for?
I’ll add that I’d have no qualms booking an RS multi-country tour. They have been very fair with refunds and assistance for tour members who test positive according to most reports. I’m coming to the end of the 17 day Best of Italy tour and all 28 of us are still healthy and with the group. Tomorrow is our last day.
Probably worth pointing out that the days of mandatory, monitored, quarantine are over (at least for the time being). Measures and recommendations vary by country, there may be some EU suggested guidelines (like the CDC here) but it is the individual countries, and sometimes the state or city that sets the rules, which as noted are few right now.
Quarantine will be at your discretion, I suppose dependent on whether you exhibit symptoms or need medical care. You really will not spend that much more than what you had planned, excepting costs associated with cancelling rooms, tickets, etc. Travel insurance is an option if concerned, I would not worry about "when it will kick in" that can be sorted later, you have credit cards and funds available, some type of refund from RS for the tour, help from them for lodging and other matters.
Testing also varies from country to country, support and prevalence of testing also varies and will continue to change over the next year. But in general, most pharmacies, or a designated test center will perform testing, I have paid anywhere from 20 euro to 50 euros for tests. You can also take home tests, or buy them there, as well as proctored home tests.
I think it always pays to check the countries where you will be traveling especially this winter.
Germany and England have both reported a surge in Covid cases. Germany's health ministry has even spoke about the need to bring back masking indoors in some states. Just because Europeans are walking around without masks doesn't mean the virus has lessened. Germany in particular is having a hard time getting it's citizens to keep getting their booster shots.
Sounds like I get trip insurance, buy fully changable airline tickets, make an exit plan including lodging for each stop and keep a mask on.
From a cursory look at RSE weekly reports there was a 1.5 to 4.5% chance (per week) of an individual being removed from a tour due to contracting Covid.
What, me worry?
Sounds like I get trip insurance
That is prudent, especially where a tour is involved.
buy fully changable airline tickets
Myself, I probably would not. Is that not part of the reason to have insurance?
make an exit plan including lodging for each stop
I would not bother, certainly consider the possibility, maybe a few mental "what-ifs" but looking for lodging a year ahead is different than looking at the moment you need it. Reports are the RS organization or guide would assist, but then my tolerance for planning on the fly is pretty high (do it as regular travel), I realize some need every detail nailed down, with back-ups.
and keep a mask on
Certainly will not hurt, but far from any guarantee.
Hubby and I were on the RS Best of Europe 21 days 9/11 to 10/1 trip. Of the 28 tour members 14 tested positive and had to leave the tour. Some changed their tickets and went home and others took a couple of days off and then continued to tour on their own.
There are no uniform requirements. Some countries the quarantine is a few days to 21 days (Italy has a period of 7 to 21 days.) I'm not sure the quarantines are being enforced.
The only people, that I know of, that sought out a PCR test were the ones who needed it for trip insurance. I believe that pharmacies have access to PCR tests. Your guide can help you locate a test if needed.
As far as when trip insurance kicks in and/or reimbursement, you'll need to read the fine print of the policy you purchased.
Hopes this helps.
Barbara B
"Sounds like I get trip insurance, buy fully changable airline tickets, make an exit plan including lodging for each stop and keep a mask on."
Trip Insurance: I usually purchase trip insurance but I've come to realize my main concern is the possibility of an air ambulance home if I am very ill. I get a policy that has a $500,000 to 1 million coverage on this. I went with 1 million on my October 2021 trip because people were still winding up on ventilators and I wanted that remote possibility covered. I figured I could self cover 10-14 extra days in a hotel on my credit card so you need to see what exposure you are comfortable with here. Be sure to ask questions before you purchase insurance. Many buy Cancel For Any Reason insurance then find out their "reason" is not covered. It's not actually ANY Reason, the companies do have parameters. I'm comfortable with how Rick's company has handled refunds for Covid + people on tour. I was not comfortable with the other company I travel with so figured if something happened I'd probably just lose that $$ unless I covered it.
Airline tickets: I am a solid Delta customer. I am satisfied with their offering vouchers for cancelled trips as I would fly with them again. I'd suggest you look at the airline's policies on refunds before you book and see what level of ticket you can live with. It does not sound like you have flown since the pandemic so definitely check out your airline of choice and see what they are doing. Book with a Legacy Airline if you are worried over one of the lower cost carriers. Sometimes the lowest fare is not the best in the long run. Also look at the different fare classifications. I think Delta's cheapest fare does not offer a voucher option but I'm not sure as I generally fly Economy Comfort or Delta One. Do look carefully before your purchase.
Exit plan for lodging at each stop: I am not sure if you are joking here or not. This is excessive. The RS company will help you figure out a plan. Early on in my return to International Travel I did worry about this for my independent time but did not worry about it on a tour time. I chatted with the hotel desk of one of my go-to hotels in Paris about quarantine/isolation stays and they were happy to have me if they had vacancies. That gave me a big sigh of relief. They were much more casual about it than I'd thought.
Masking: Yes, this. As mentioned above I just returned from the 17-day Best of Italy. This year RS required masking but I would have done it anyway. I went on 2 tours with another company in Oct 2021 and May 2022 who did not require masking but I continued to mask. I just put my mask on in the AM when I left my hotel room and took it off when I returned at night, except of course for eating. I also have masked with an N95 in my home since I returned Monday night until I could be sure I've not brought anything home with me. While masking is not my favorite thing to do I'm comfortable wearing an N95 all day long including on the flights over and back where I had it on in excess of 24 hours each time. My tour guide for this last trip was insistent on everyone masking per Rick's rules. She said none of her tours had had problems but felt that once one person brought it to the group Covid had the potential to rip thru, thus strict enforcement of masking was needed. There are also things you can do to help increase your chances of staying well.
I loved the 21 day tour but if going on tour is going to worry you excessively then maybe 2023 is not the year for you? Or maybe you'd feel better on a single country tour? To me multi-country vs single country makes no difference at all. You're still on a bus with 25 others for "x" number of days as well as coming thru airports across thousands of miles.
I hope you work out a solution that will make you happy! BTW, I learned SO much about travel from my 21 day BOE guide, Dimitri!
Thanks for all of the replies!
Are the cases of Covid showing up early or late in tours? Do they appear to be Airline related?
Thanks again All!
Hi there, I'm guessing you haven't travelled internationally since the pandemic hit & are trying to assess the upside / downside of preparing for any & all eventuality, but it's really not possible, sorry.
"Are you planning to fly business class? There's more personal space & if it's an option, I'd highly recommend it. I always wear a KN95 mask on flights, and since I almost always got sick after international flights, it's been a big ah ha to not get sick traveling, but I'm not on a bus with a tour group either."
I think this is a very valid point. I flew one way Delta One last spring and one way this last trip and wow, what a difference. Just not having all those people brushing past you as they load the plane is almost worth the extra cost. Plus the smaller cabin with more airspace is great too. I also kept my N95 mask on the whole time except for eating. There were 2 people near me that were coughing and hacking and after 6 days I have not come down with their cold if that's what they had (and yes I am negative on my home Covid test I took yesterday).
On our 21 day Best of Europe trip Covid hit almost immediately. Everyone was negative at the start and within days we started having positive tests. I'm going to assume it was the crowded airports. The next wave was after the group had been to a Beir Garden for lunch. Germany was having an outbreak of Covid and being in a crowded and noisy (so you have to speak loudly) was probably not the best idea. The next wave came after there was music and singing after a group dinner. Our tour got to the point that we were testing every two days before getting on the bus to go to the next location. Things didn't settle down until the last week or so.
Really good information!
My hope was to take BOE21 to retrace my Wife's journey way back in the day. It also ticked off so many cities and sights.
Do you think passing on high risk items might help? Other than the flights of course.
Thanks for the info!
I am just out of my covid, so I tell you the quarantine procedure in Italy. If covid is suspected we have to contact our physician that will write a recipe for a free test. (You can also have a test on your own but you will pay it). After testing positive you enter quarantine and you have to wait at least 5 days, including 2 days without external symptoms. After this period you can test again; you are free from the quarantine when you test negative (again, under our NHS tests are free). If you never get negative, at the 15th day after the first positive test you are free from the quarantine (but some regional administrations require a negative test to send you back to work).
I had to wait the 13th day to get a negative test (in my case, the third one). Within few minutes I got by email the official document setting me free from quarantine.
Great job explaining the 5/15 Quarantine protocol. Thanks!
"Do you think passing on high risk items might help? Other than the flights of course."
It may depending on what the situation is next year when you travel. You can always go along, remain masked and not eat in crowded areas like the Biergarten. (If it is the same one my tour went to there was plenty to walk around and see that was not the crowded food area!)
Or eat quickly and don your mask again. That is what I wound up doing on my flight back home last Monday. People were hacking and coughing in my cabin so I quickly ate and re-donned my N95. Yes, I essentially had it on for 24 hours but I fortunately have tested negative twice since coming home.
Lachera....thanks for the update and so sorry you have personal experience. Interesting it took so long for you to test negative. A friend actually went 20 days with positive tests recently although completely asymptomatic. Very aggravating.
