A Travel Mashup

February 18, 2021
Fly on a mission with The Squadron

Who ever said you had to leave your home to take a thrilling, once-in-a-lifetime trip?

Now you can fly on a daring combat mission with the Israeli Air Force courtesy of the Squadron, an elite group of Israeli fighter pilots. The Squadron was founded by a reserve Israeli air force colonel now offering flight simulation on a fighter plane like an F-16.  Before each flight, you’re given a briefing on the parameters of a mission and how to fly a fighter jet. Working with and IAF fighter pilot, you will learn how to take off and maneuver an F-16 and get to plan and strategize for a successful mission. Passport, Visa or COVID-19 vaccine not required!

To learn more and sign up for an English speaking online course, click here.

The French government has closed the borders of their overseas territories including those in the Caribbean and French Polynesia.

That includes – oh, no – St Barts!

Currently, the St. Barts Tourist Board is negotiating to ease the entry restriction and find an alternative solution.

I miss you already, Nikki Beach!

Operation Warp Speed…

A few months back, I wrote about CommonPass, the digital health pass app for travelers to document their certified COVID-19 test status on transatlantic flights.

What a difference a few months make — CommonPass has been upgraded to reflect vaccine status and now there are other companies jumping on the digital  “Vaccine Passport” bandwagon:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is one of several travel organizations making it easier for people to have all their coronavirus vaccine documents on one app without having to pull out different papers for different countries at different checkpoints.

IBM is developing a digital health pass that will allow individuals easy access to large scale events, airplanes, hotels or workplaces based on their health credentials.

The good news is there will never be a shortage of the digital “Vaccine Passport”!

A testing center at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort in Los Cabos

Up until now, the Caribbean and Mexico were everyone’s favorite playground since Covid testing was not required.

As of January 26, the U.S. now requires all passengers on flights originating from a foreign country to present a negative COVID-19 test within 3 days of departure with no exceptions.

Everyone has stepped up to the pandemic plate — look for on-site testing suites at most hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico, nurses going to private villas and Airbnb’s to administer tests and airline enhanced mobile apps with health features.

👍

Seabourn Alaska-British Columbia 2021 cruise cancelled

The phrase, “One, if by land, and two, if by sea” is no longer applicable…

The Canadian government has banned cruise ships from their waters until Feb 28, 2022 — yes, you read this correctly.

Cruise sailings from U.S. regions such as New England and Alaska typically, have stops in Canada. With these prohibitions in place, the Canadian government can concentrate on their most pressing health issues including the vaccine rollout and new COVID-19 variants.

Contact me at info@bearandbear.travel for the bottom line