Despite Wars, Travel Continues

With today’s headlines focused primarily on the Middle East and secondarily on the continuing war between Ukraine and Russia—international travel might seem an unlikely luxury.  

But given the resurgence of travel after the COVID interruptions and since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, travellers’ determination to hit the road remains strong. With the Christmas travel season approaching (and an especially cold, snowy winter predicted for many parts of North America), it’s not too early to get your planning done. But do it right. These are not “ordinary times”.

One potential hurdle that has been kicked down the road for Canadian and American travellers to Europe is the introduction of ETIAS, the Electronic Travel Information & Authorisation System designed to weed out terrorists attempting vis-exempt entry to the Schengen Zone countries of Europe. ETIAS, which is similar to Canada’s eTA and the US ESTA systems, was due to begin in 2024 but has been delayed until 2025 for technological glitch reasons, so no worries for now.  See Schengen sidebar.

Since border entry requirements and safety level advisories for countries to which you’ll be travelling or transiting are frequently updated, you need to check them out early in your planning. This is nothing to leave for the last moment.  Fortunately, keeping up to date is easily done by visiting travel.gc.ca, or travel.state.gov. advisories and checking out entry requirements as well as safety/security levels as we referred to in our earlier blog. Note, for example, that even such commonly visited countries as UK, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany, are among the nations with elevated risk levels. So make sure you understand the cautionary alerts when you’re sorting out your itinerary and choosing your travel insurance. (See our previous blog for details).

 Be prepared to show proof

Many countries now require proof you have private health insurance sufficient to pay for any emergency medical services you may need. And providers may demand up-front payment. Canadian provincial insurance doesn’t normally qualify. In most cases, you’ll need proof of coverage up to at least 30,000 euros, so carry your full policies with you. It’s not enough to carry a plastic ID.

We emphasize that though your home country governments don’t require you to buy travel insurance, they do recommend it on all their travel websites. Most Canadian insurers specify that they may restrict certain benefits for travel into areas designed “Avoid non-essential travel, or No travel”. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office specifies that though it warns travellers against entering high risk level countries (Levels 3 or 4) only travel insurers can deny claims for such travel. The US State Department also emphasizes that though it warns travellers of their risks in individual countries, it doesn’t mandate insurance coverage, though most American insurers reserve the right to withhold coverage of benefits for travel into Level 3 or 4 countries or regions. Many do.  

 Beyond Europe

Most government travel advisories to Caribbean countries are relatively benign but there are exceptions: Bahamas (Freeport and Nassau) are designated Level 2 (Exercise high degree of caution), as are warnings for Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia and Mexico. As we have noted, some areas in Mexico, extend to level 3 or 4, so it’s worth doing your homework. Understanding the warning levels and how they relate to your travel plans should be routine precedents to any travel—anywhere. Don’t settle for less.

 And stay connected.

When travelling abroad, especially in this unpredictable environment, registering your travel itinerary with your home government should be a top priority. It’s easy and it’s free. In Canada, go to Travel.gc.ca and scroll to Registration of Canadians Abroad: answer the few questions posed so you can be notified in case of an emergency abroad or personal emergency at home. The service also enables you to receive important information before or during a natural disaster or civil unrest. The US State Department offers a similar program, available through its website—step.state.gov.

Sidebar: The Schengen Zone encompasses 27 countries in Europe (it also includes Iceland) that allow free borderless travel amongst each other, and it doesn’t require visas of selected countries outside its jurisdiction. Canada and the US are among those visa-exempt nations.  

© Copyright 2023/24 Milan Korcok. All rights reserved.

Milan Korcok is an award-winning health/care writer covering international affairs. He is a dual American/Canadian citizen resident in the U.S.

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