Is It Safe to Travel to Europe This Summer? Here's What You Should Know

We’re all looking to get back to our regular lives after being cooped up due to COVID-19, and in particular, many of us are ready to travel again. While the US is making strides with vaccination efforts, you may be wondering what places like Europe are doing, and if it’s safe to travel there this summer.

Truth is, whether you feel safe to travel is completely up to you and your comfortability. Right now, according to an announcement made by the European Union, certain European countries are starting to welcome back only fully vaccinated Americans – considered two weeks after your second dose – so you don’t have to worry about sitting next to an unvaccinated individual on the plane. Greece was one of the first to reopen to travelers, and countries like Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia are set to follow. But while Europe is starting to ease their travel restrictions as a whole heading into summer, you should still review an individual country’s entry requirements to check that you can actually go there as they reserve the right to hold stricter policies in place.

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Traveling anywhere comes with its risks though, and it’s important to note that fully vaccinated people (although extremely rare) can still catch COVID-19. However, if you’re looking to travel to a continent outside of North America, the numbers say Europe is your best option, with 49 out of 100 of its citizens vaccinated (in comparison, North America is at 62 out of 100 citizens).

At this time, flights to Europe are still a little wonky as the US has travel restrictions in place for noncitizens. But don’t worry, if you have a visa or proof of citizenship, you should have no problem getting back into the country. However, don’t feel a need to rush out of the states if you’re not totally on board with it, as there are plenty of amazing road trips to take in the good ole’ US of A that’ll fool you into thinking you’ve left the country if you prefer it!

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