Travel Tips for the Folks Back Home
Less recap, more advice from a now seasoned travel vet 🤝
Buenos días de Sevilla! If you want to subscribe to keep up with the rest of my trip, add your email below 🤝
What’s up friends. I’m spending one more night in Sevilla before heading to France for a week or two. Lots of wine to drink and snails to eat I reckon. Anyways, there’s a lot of confusion on which countries are and aren’t open. What documents, vaccines, COVID tests, etc. are needed to travel. How “open” the cities are over here. I’m going to break down everything you need to know to go abroad (at least to Europe) right now. If any of your friends have Europe-related travel questions, send em my way.
State Department Website
The US State Department site is trash. Here is a list of countries that either I have visited or my friends have visited:
These “safety recommendations” are terrible. Every country on this list has been entirely safe with no issues. My friends went to a music festival in London with no problems. I’ve been in Spain for two weeks and loved it. Lagos, Portugal was beautiful. You get the idea. The State Department is casting a doom and gloom picture that doesn’t at all reflect reality. Some countries have stronger mask policies than others, and some places have slightly earlier bar closures. But all of these places are safe and fun right now. If you want to go to Europe, most any country is fine to visit right now.
Vaccine SZN
Most countries, surprisingly, aren’t requiring a vaccine. I’ve been to Spain, France, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, and Portugal so far. I’ve had my vaccine card checked exactly 0 times for entering countries.
That being said, it varies a bit flying from the US vs. flying from a European country. Spain, my first stop, had very lax entry standards. I just had to fill out an online form stating I was a US citizen traveling to Spain. You may have to show proof of vaccine OR a negative COVID test to fly direct to Paris, for example. Once you get to Europe, travel within the continent is a breeze. Flights and trains are both nonevents with next to 0 COVID-related procedures.
If you are planning a multi-country trip, Spain is a great entry point. Check the US-specific travel rules for the first stop. After that, you’re good to go.
While you don’t have to have the vaccine to come here, you may run into issues at specific establishments. I did have to show proof of vaccine at a nightclub in Prague. Additionally, rules could change. The simplest thing is just getting the vaccine if you want to go to Europe, and you should be fine.
COVID Tests
Most areas that would require a COVID test will exempt you if you are vaccinated. The UK is an exception. If you fly to London within Europe, you have to have a negative COVID test within 72 hours of entry. Not a huge deal, but worth considering. It’s easy to get a COVID test pretty much anywhere in Europe.
COVID Restrictions
Eastern and central Europe are practically wide open, western Europe varies a bit. In Budapest, I didn’t see a mask anywhere, including the metro. Meanwhile, in Spain masks are very common.
Bars in Prague, Budapest, and Krakow (all central Europe) didn’t close til 5 or 6 AM. Meanwhile, bars and clubs in Barcelona closed at 12:30, but everyone partied on the beach til 5 AM. in Lagos, Portugal, everything closed at 2 but people also hit the beach until 6. Sevilla, Spain is a middle ground, with some bars open til 3.
Portugal should be wide open starting next week, Ireland is ending all restrictions on October 22nd, Paris is basically wide open right now.
If you want to do as much as possible with no restrictions, go east. My two weeks in Prague, Budapest, and Krakow were phenomenal. Best two weeks of my life. Highly, highly recommend. That being said, it sounds like the west is opening up big time as we speak.
Europeans as a whole is tired of COVID restrictions, and the continent is largely open or getting there. While some areas have mask mandates, you can travel the whole continent right now easily.
Lodging Tips
Hostels are awesome and cheap. I have paid maybe ~$18-20 a night on average while I’m here, and I’m staying at nice hostels in each city. Several hostels have provided free breakfast, dinner, city tours, entertainment, bar crawls, museum passes, and countless other amenities.
Hostels also give you a chance to meet a ton of people. I have made some great friends from all of the world in my month here.
It kinda feels like summer camp sharing a room with a bunch of people, but I’ve enjoyed it. If you’re traveling with 4+ people, Airbnbs are a decent option as well. Anything less and just stick with hostel traveling.
Travel Tips
The EUrail pass is my best friend. I paid $800 for 3 months of unlimited trains around the continent, and it is so worth it. Europe has an extensive train network that is quite easy to use. You can book tickets day of, which is fantastic.
Flights within Europe are also dirt cheap. I booked a flight from Barcelona to Paris tomorrow night for $90. If you book a couple of weeks out, it’s like $30. I try to use trains as much as possible, but planes can get you across the continent quickly.
If you spent an extended amount of time in Europe, fly to a central spot and train from there. If you want to go a couple of countries away, catch another flight then train again.
Budgeting
I wrote a little bit about budgeting in an article about the sheer number of US-based remote workers in my other newsletter earlier this week, but here’s the highlights.
Monthly Expenses
Initial flight: $400
Lodging: $500, $800, or $2000 (hostel, Airbnb, hotel)
Other travel: $267 ($800 pass / 3 months)
Food and drinks: $600
Miscellaneous costs: $150
If you fly out of New York, or take a flight from Atlanta (or wherever home is) to NYC and then fly to Europe, you can easily get here for under $400. After that, the costs are surprisingly cheap. $1500 a month is a realistic price target if you’re not blowing it out.
Language Barrier
In any big city, everyone speaks English. Even in smaller cities like Krakow or Sevilla, you would have no issues communicating. We got lucky that the world speaks our language. Congrats guys, this is a nonfactor.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of confusion out there now, but it’s very easy to travel through Europe. If you want to take a trip across the Atlantic, I think now is a perfect time. Most cities are wide open or in the process of reaching that point.
99% of people that I’ve met have been incredibly kind and generous. People from all over the world are traveling Europe right now, and it’s been a lot of fun meeting them. If you are interested in making the trip, do it. If you know anyone that has been trying to figure out what is actually going on in Europe right now, send this their way.
Thanks guys,
Jack