Corona travel updates May 2020

Baur au Lacis one of Zurich’s most prestigious and recognizable hotels, attracting guests from around the world to its waterside location since 1844. In its 179-year history, Baur au Lac has very much been a family business, owned and managed by the Baur-Kracht family, and this year marks a new chapter in the hotel’s leadership. Marguita Kracht joins her father at the helm of the property, as a seventh generation owner of the heralded hotel ushering in new ideas about sustainability and technology.

Coach class has a whole new high-end meaning thanks to New York leather goods brand Coach opening a pop-up store on a Boeing 747-230B aircraft in a shopping mall in Malacca, Malaysia, located between Kuala Lumpur to the north, and Singapore.

The 26-country no-border-control Schengen area is in danger of collapsing under the migration threat. Presumably, the new border controls will be for no more than two years. But for now, you have to figure on reverting to the bad old days of mind-numbing border hassles within the area.

With every terror attack that grips the world, we all pause to reflect. World travelers and frequent flyers, however, likely react a little differently: People with upcoming adventures abroad tend to follow the news more closely, start researching travel insurance, and keep tabs on safety alerts.

In the days after Britons voted in favor of leaving the European Union, England seems to be learning a lot about itself—and not in the way you’d hope. The social media hashtag #PostRefRacism emerged this week to highlight increased public expressions of racism in the U.K., ranging from xenophobic graffiti and verbal threats to public harassment.

Jet lag—the grogginess, dehydration, and general discomfort that follows a long-haul flight, has always seemed unavoidable. Especially now, as airlines pack even more passengers into dry, pressurized cabins and decrease their average seat size. Right?

Every summer, Americans selectively schedule their vacation time, typically taking a week or two to get out and enjoy the sun or a dreamy, far-off destination. But as the midyear heat wanes and the holiday season approaches, more of us should assess the vacation days we’re not using—all 658 million of them.

The European train pass system Eurail (formerly known as Eurorail) has completely overhauled its passes for 2019. The new options are, overall, a major improvement for rail travelers, including lower prices, new country inclusions, and new routes including added island ferries.

Top 10 lists are ubiquitous, especially in travel; it seems there’s one for everything. And when it comes to destinations, whether it’s a “most popular” or “up-and-coming” ranking, these lists tend to be a mix of well-known cities and semi-under-the-radar places. Unless you’re a Booking.com user planning 2020 travel, apparently.

Last week, I wrote about my upcoming round-the-world trip, which I had been planning for several months (here’s the story). My friends and family were concerned about me going to Asia amid the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. Of course, I had some concerns, too. After asking for answers to the question “Should I cancel my trip to Asia?” on both my website and my Facebook page, I was shocked by how many people said that I should cancel. Some of the comments were coming from big-time travelers, including executives of Asian airlines.

Airlines shuffle route networks around every year, and in 2020 there are already some exciting new routes on a variety of airlines. Cheap flights are a common side effect of new route announcements, so these 13 destinations are likely to see lower airfares in 2020.

Planning an international trip? Check the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first. The agency just issued new advice for travelers, offering destination-specific recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans.