Late last month, the European Union dropped the U.S. from its ‘safe travel’ list due to rising Covid cases here. It’s still up to all the EU member states to decide the levels of restriction and protocol on all their inbound travelers, and so far, only a few countries, such as Italy and the Netherlands, have made changes to their entry requirements.

Still, the announcement created confusion, and advisors both sought to reassure jittery clients and worried about the chilling effect the announcement might have on future bookings.

This week,  Phillip Archer, founder and Chief Experience Designer of Roaming Richly Travel, Craig Mungary, owner of Elite Global Journeys, and Dan Scher of Strong Travel Services talked with retail/hotels editor Christina Jelski and host Rebecca Tobin about the confusion surrounding the EU’s announcement and how to travel to Europe right now.

And, we talk about the critical art of the pivot: preparing for changes to rules and flight schedules, keeping flexible and coming up with creative solutions to keep travelers on track in Europe or elsewhere. 

And in the third section of the podcast, we discuss the complex nature of travel bookings and the decision to charge fees for travel planning services.

This conversation was recorded Thursday Sept. 9 and has been edited for length and clarity.  

Looking for part two of our episode on cruising? We’re publishing it next week – stay tuned! 

Related reading: 

European Union infographic showing how the EU “tiers” inbound travelers

Travel Weekly: Travel advisors reassure clients, but will EU guidance have chilling effect?

Advisors scramble to make sense of EU recommendation

Italy tightens Covid-19 protocols for American visitors

European river lines adapt to Netherlands’ travel restrictions

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