Europe travel news: status of restrictions in EU countries, travel recovery for summer, Airbnb regulation

espelette village in france, basque region: a shop with chef and bar on the pavement
Espelette, France in the Basque region.

News for April 2021

EU countries officially agree to digital health pass, available by summer

To make travel in Europe easier, EU has decided to introduce a health pass that will include information about passholder’s Covid-19 status. A super fast schedule is planned: the passport should be available before the summer travel season.

Expectations are high for European travel operators for the summer

Europe’s biggest travel operator TUI that markets vacation packages primarily to popular beach destinations in Europe is optimistic that summer 2021 is pretty close to business-as-usual. The company expects to operate at 75% level from its full capacity.

Country by country rules for crossing borders in Europe

Hopes are high for the summer for borders to open as vaccination programs advance in Europe. Nonetheless, in April, travel restrictions are still on. End of April and end of May are the next check points in many countries.

Travel guide to Algarve, Portugal

Portugal’s south coast, Algarve, is among the first ones to open for tourists after pandemic restrictions. Many digital nomads, remote workers, and retirees have stayed the entire winter in the province, but summer is the high season of tourists.

The European travel influencers who pretended to be in New York

Instagram is a world of wonders: a new profession – travel influencer – was born on Instagram. The ethics of of some influencers have been questioned before (e.g. for using stock photos), but this time, they made easy mistakes. Because of regional and local virus restrictions, many businesses and sights were closed in 2020, including New York. Some influencers didn’t know this, but continued posting from Europe about their wonderful trip in New York.

Visit 12 countries in 80 days on a packaged train-ship trip around the world

Yes, the inspiration for the trip comes from Jules Verne. Specialist travel provider Undiscovered Destinations is taking a group travelers around the world in 2023. The entire trip is conducted on land and sea – no flying.

The top tourist destinations in Europe see the period of restrictions as an opportunity to regulate Airbnb

Popular city destinations, like Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona have not viewed the rise of Airbnb as a positive thing. The apartments rented to tourists are not available for local people, and the cities are already struggling with overcrowded neighborhoods and sights. The pandemic, however, is seen as an opportunity the create regulation that addresses Airbnb and other businesses like it.

Engineer on Tour – Travel Photography

An engineer doesn’t fail: his travel photographs and notes about destinations are sharp, honest, and well engineered.

esplette in the french basque region
Espelette, France.