In a historically unprecedented new reality, much of the world remains off limits for US tourists, with a European travel ban remaining in force and other major destinations, such as Russia, China, India, and much of Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia closed.
Such exotic destinations are not the first choice of the average American traveler anyway, with many preferring to vacation inside the US itself (only 42 percent of Americans have passports) or heading to nearby countries or territories.
Fortunately for the beach bums out there, most of the islands in the sunny climes of the Caribbean, as well as Mexico, remain open to American tourists, on condition that they travel there via airplane, as most cruise lines remain shut down until at least later this year.
Countries and territories which have reopened their doors to Us tourists include Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominica (starting Friday), the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Barthes, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos and the US Virgin Islands. Various restrictions, including the need to pass a Covid test before arrival, are in place in most cases, so travelers are advised to check with their travel company before booking a flight.
Mexico never formally closed its borders to the US despite the pandemic, and popular tourist destinations along the country’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts such as Cancun, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta welcome Americans, no COVID test necessary, pending that they fly in (the land border remains closed to non-essential traffic).
For those looking for a more exotic island getaway, French Polynesia in the southern Pacific, and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, opened up to Americans in mid-July, with the former requiring a negative COVID test, and the latter just a temperature check at the airport.
Most of Europe remains closed to Americans, with the European Council requiring a COVID-19 infection rate “close to or below the EU average” and a “stable or decreasing trend of new cases” (the US doesn’t qualify on either count).
However, US tourists looking to take a trip to the Old World can still enjoy some off the beaten path destinations, including Albania, Belarus (which never closed off to the world amid the pandemic), Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine. The UK and Ireland are also technically open, but arrivals must self-quarantine for 14 days, and face a fine of up to £1,000 if they break it in the case of Britain.
Other countries which have opened their doors to American passport holders include Dubai, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Turkey.
More destinations, including Bali, Belize, Malta and Sri Lanka are expected to open their doors between mid-August and September.
Unfortunately, one traditional popular travel destination which remains closed to Americans is Canada, with media reports suggesting that the 8,900 km border between the two countries may remain closed for non-essential travel until 2021.
