A black cloud of smoke rises from the fire near the Arcachon basin in southwestern France, in July … [+] 2022.
So I waited two years to travel, heard the rumors of travel chaos but still booked? The good news is that people are arriving at destinations but the bad news is that arrivals can come after many cancellations and increased costs. And they never care that across Europe, travelers are facing fierce fires, heat waves and rising rates of Covid-19 infection.
The good news—people are getting away on their trips
It is not so much a story of proof that the summer of revenge travel has arrived — after being locked up under strict Covid-19 regulations, many people are moving away:
The bad news—lots of people aren’t getting away due to strikes and cancellations
Due to the extreme shortage of pandemic staff, many strikes (for better pay / hours) and cancellations have hit the travel industry in Europe, with many people not reaching their destinations, or at least not in time:
The ugly news—Covid-19 and heatwaves make traveling hazardous
They say that travel should not be about the destination but after such a long wait and in some cases, difficult journeys, the fun part should be the arrival. See the article : Ideas for sharing Netflix passwords aren’t new.
But across Europe, the sweltering heat, fierce fires and rising rates of Covid-19 infection make the journey seem like the easy part:
All in all, it may be better not to check your luggage and stay local (at least for roads and rail, rather than by air). At the very least, travelers must ensure they have the greatest possible insurance and allow plenty of time for delays, heat and crowds.
The latest Covid-19 travel restrictions in Europe by country can be found here.
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