We haven't been outside of the US since 2019 and are DYING to start traveling again. We'd love to plan a trip to Portugal for early summer. Several questions-
1) Where are the best sources for information on COVID restrictions for airlines, countries etc.?
2) What about travel insurance? Should I assume I will need good insurance?
3) Should I expect things to be light or HEAVY given restrictions before now? Am I too late to be planning? USUALLY, I'd have started in January, but I've been waiting to see how things look.
4) What are the best sources for COVID travel-related news? I'd like to plan a 8-10 day trip, we generally like shoulder season, but might dip into summer.

Pretty exited about traveling again, but want to make sure we're doing the right thing.
Thanks!
Alice

We're headed to Portugal next month after cancelling twice.

Current restrictions can be found here:

https://www.visitportugal.com/en/con...ented-portugal

I have yet to find travel insurance that covers COVID.

I suggest you book refundable flights if possible - some airlines now offer refundable flights at reasonable fares.

No, it's not to late to plan.

No idea what you mean by light or heavy. Are you referring to crowds?

Hello! I just returned from Lisbon on Feb. 20 and am so happy to share a little knowledge, since I endured many weeks of stress and worry before the trip. Everything for me was touch and go, since I booked my flight before omicron and just happened to travel as it was abating. Like you, I just couldn't wait any longer to take a trip, so I decided to take the plunge and deal with whatever came my way.

I like the Sherpa website for info on the latest travel restrictions: https://apply.joinsherpa.com/travel-restrictions/PRT. I also read Rick Steves' monthly newsletter to get his take on the situation in Europe.

Right now, of course, it looks like COVID rates and restrictions are falling every day, but that can always change. What I found was that it's not that difficult to get a COVID test and complete the required paperwork before traveling, and all the customs procedures went smoothly. Once in Portugal, I just masked up indoors and showed a photo image of my CDC vaccination card as needed. I also scheduled a COVID test in Sintra on the day before my return flight, and thank goodness it was negative.

I suppose tourism is always lower in February than late spring, but I did notice an absence of large tour groups and cruise ships (hooray!). It was pretty easy to access tourist sites and restaurants.

Everyone recommends getting good travel insurance (and reading the fine print to see what's covered). I foolishly didn't have it, so I would have faced some steep expenses if I caught COVID overseas.

Thanks so much for the information - yes I will look for refundable flights. And yes, light or heavy referred to crowds. We almost always travel (well, when we USED to travel) on shoulder seasons, but I might want to go a little later.

Alice

You can also subscribe to the newsletters of the online newspapers, The Portugal News and Portugal Resident. I read both daily to keep abreast of the current covid-19 situation.

https://www.portugalresident.com
https://www.theportugalnews.com

Thanks, abbydog. I will defnitely check of the Sherpa website, and I should have thought of checking with Rick Steves. I'm going to look around for travel insurance - but as another person said, COVID doesn't count as a reason for cancellation. A few years ago, I broke my foot before a trip, and our trip insurance covered EVERYTHING.

It DOES seem like things are opening up, but who knows, another variant could appear and upset the applecart again. You're right, very stressful!

Alice

Maribel, excellent suggestion (should have thought of that myself!). Thanks for the links.

Alice