Is Summer 2020 Canceled?

The traveler in me would like to think not but Summer 2020 will look a lot different than in past years.

First If you’ve been lucky to catch me on our Facebook Weekly Winedowns you’ve heard me say time and time again, this is the year to travel domestically. The fact of the matter is that everyone has been cooped up for 2-3 months and as we slowly emerge from our habitats for spring a majority of our travels will happen within the US. Case and point, during the Memorial Day holiday weekend airlines saw an uptick in domestic travel.

Additionally domestic travel will be more prevalent this year because many countries still have restrictions on international flights, therefore most airlines don’t even have those international routes available at the moment. Secondly most international trips require months of planning and on the off chance that you are able to travel internationally on the fly, the cheap flights we’ve been accustomed to are nonexistent. Lastly no one is in a rush to open their borders without some proper controls.

It’s not all doldrums though. I still see popular destination spots such as Florida and California receiving tourists this year although travel may be a bit more subdued this year. If you’re not interested in flying to a destination this is the year to have a great road trip. Grab some friends and family members, hop in a car and travel to your favorite destination or someplace new; practicing the social distancing rules of course.

With that being said, if you need to rent a car for your road trip be sure to book early. Many of the car rental companies have curbside check-in and an extra clean policy too and with the possibility that more roadtrips will happen this year cars will get booked up fast.

Lastly all hope isn’t lost for those who just can’t wait for their next international jaunt. Your jaunt may be a shorter distance though as many of the available options will be in Mexico and the Caribbean. It is important that if you are flying internationally you are flexible with your time as opening dates may be changed causing a flight cancellation. As of now Mexico is slated to be open for non-essential travel around June 8th or 10th. Aruba is slated to be open in June or July. St Lucia is opening on June 4th to US flights only but you must certify that you have tested negative for Covid-19 48 hours before boarding your flight. While the U.S. Virgin Islands are hoping for a June 1 start date. If you want something outside of Mexico or the Caribbean, check out Iceland. They are opening to international visitors on June 15 and will provide Covid-19 tests to all visitors or risk being quarantined for 14 days. You do have the option of providing documentation that you have a clean bill of health upon arrival to bypass the tests.

In the meantime if you’re looking for your next trip don’t forget to join us on June 3 at 5pm ET on Destination Series as we chat about what to expect when traveling to Miami post Covid-19!

As always Happy Travels,

KJ