Good news for Americans! The European Union‘s governing body has recommended that the bloc lift restrictions on non-essential travel from 14 countries, including the US, a move that would allow visitors from these destinations to vacation in Europe far more easily.
The other countries to make the cut are: Albania, Australia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Republic of North Macedonia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and China.
One country conspicuous by its absence is the UK, where things haven’t been going so well. Grand plans to lift the UK’s remaining Covid restrictions on June 21 have been delayed until July 19, due to rising cases of the Covid-19 Delta variant. There’s also been a lot of confusion over the UK’s “traffic-light” system of travel regulations, but fear not — CNN Travel has put together these explainers for UK residents and for people wishing to travel into the UK.
It doesn’t stop there, though. We also have explainers with everything you need to know about travel into France, Greece, Italy andSpain. You’re going to want to bookmark those babies.
Elsewhere, Denmark has opened to fully vaccinated travelers from the UK and the US and its neighbor Norway is letting the fully vaccinated skip quarantine.
The island of Cyprus is open to vaccinated travelers from 65 countries, including the US and the UK.
Slovenia has also reopened to tourism with its own traffic light system and testing requirements, which you can read about here.
The Netherlands is welcoming tourists from “safe countries with a low Covid-19 risk,” while Iceland, a member state of the European Economic Area, opened its borders to vaccinated travelers back in April. It’s going pretty well, too, judging by this CNN story from earlier this week.
Croatia is also welcoming vaccinated travelers, as well as those who present a negative PCR test or proof that they’ve recovered from Covid-19 within the past 180 days, and no less than 11 days before they arrive.
The Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea, is reportedly on course to fully reopen its borders with the UK on June 28, having been closed to almost all non-residents since March 2020.
That’s the same day as Switzerland hopes to reopen to vaccinated Americans. Ireland, which has had one of Europe’s strictest lockdowns, will reopen to the EU, UK and US on July 19.
Non-EU unvaccinated travelers will have to arrive with a negative test, then self-quarantine until they take a second post-arrival test.
North America
On June 15, almost all pandemic restrictions were lifted in New York state (including New York City) as 70% of New Yorkers 18 or older had received the first dose of their Covid-19 vaccination series. Find out more in our New York explainer.
Over on the West Coast, California reopened the same day — and yes, we have an explainerfor that as well. One of the state’s most popular hiking trails, Big Sur’s Pfeiffer Falls Trail, is also reopening after a devastating wildfire led to it being shut for 13 years.
Cable cars will be returning to San Francisco‘s streets in August for the first time since the pandemic started and, get this — rides will be free.
And if you’re in the States but are just keen to get the heck out of there, we also have this comprehensive guide to the destinations currently welcoming US tourists.
One place not on that list is Canada. The border between the nations has been shut since March 2020, and on Friday Canada extended its Covid-19 restrictions on non-essential international and US travel until July 21.
Middle East, Africa and Asia
Morocco reopened to international travelers on June 15 and Algeria is also starting to reopen air travel.
In the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi will end mandatory quarantine for international travelers on July 1.
That’s the same day Phuketwill be reopening over in Thailand. Mauritius, meanwhile, will be welcoming international visitors from July 15.
In Singapore, Jewel Changi Airport — easily the world’s most spectacular airport — reopened this week after being closed for a month.
India is still dealing with a devastating new wave of the pandemic (read more about that in our explainer), although case numbers are thankfully beginning to drop. The Taj Mahal and other protected monuments reopened this week.
Disney Parks
Disneyland is now welcoming out-of-state guests for the first time since March 2020, six weeks after the resort reopened to California residents.
Disneyland Paris also got back into business this week. And do we have a Disney Parks explainer? Why, of course we do.
Cruise news
Royal Caribbean announced this month that six of its ships will sail from major US ports in Florida and Texas beginning in July.
However, this week the company postponed the inaugural sailing of its cruise ship Odyssey of the Seas after eight vaccinated crew members tested positive for Covid-19.
For more info about booking a cruise ship from the US this summer, be sure to check out — yes, you guessed it — our explainer.
CNN
