Grab one of our fabulous “Bored In” books today and start planning it!
Our new Bored in Rome, Awesome Experiences for the Repeat Visitor for 2022 is now up on amazon.com and we can’t wait for you to see it. It joins Bored in Barcelona and Bored in London –with six more editions coming soon. They’re very fun and will inspire you like nothing else can. Imagine riding a horse along the historic Appian Way, or taking an English-speaking pastry workshop at Le Cordon Bleu. In London, find your inner Sommelier at a wine tasting inside a 17th century cellar near the Thames. These things and more can be yours, and these special books are available in both paperback or eBook. And they’re great for the first-time visitor as well!
We’re not big on getting travel insurance. In general, we don’t even sign up for those flight cancellation reimbursements that pop up during the online booking process. But these days, temporary travel insurance might just be the thing to make you feel more secure about going abroad. Most of the major companies who provide this service are actually quite inexpensive when you consider what you get for the money. They offer all kinds of insurance against things that can happen while you’re traveling and usually include the nasty cost of a so-called “quarantine hotel” should you test positive for Covid in a country that has the power to force you into one of these places.
The cost of them ranges from around $2000 per person for the whole of the quarantine. That cost would be paid 100% by most insurance companies. Granted, there aren’t many countries still forcing travelers into a quarantine hotel. Instead, you’re usually just asked to self-isolate in your hotel or Airbnb. This too can become expensive though if your health situation causes you to extend your stay because you can’t return to the US.
So, these are the things to think about when considering travel insurance, and to make things a bit easier our friends at Money.com have curated a list of companies that has been thoroughly researched by their money experts. Here is the link.
As things continue to evolve and change around the world, we thought it might be a good time for a COVID update in regard to our wonderful “Clued In” destinations. Europe is open and welcoming to travelers as long as they know what’s up and are prepared. For those who are planning a trip abroad, here are some current tips and reminders:
–France now requires visitors to show proof of a booster shot taken at least two weeks before your arrival there.
–Italy still allows visitors to present a physical CDC vaccination card in lieu of their official QR code, but now also requires N95 masks to enter venues and restaurants. (Those soft cloth masks are evidently no good anymore even though they seemed to have worked for us because we are still Covid-free to this day.)
–The UK and Spain both continue to allow travel from the US with the physical CDC vaccination card.
Also, we are delighted to announce our February updates to all ten of our “City Extras” pages through the menu bar above. These include such delights as chartering a private yacht with a captain in Miami Beach, a fabulous craft beer festival in San Francisco, and Elton John’s final concert tour in NYC.
You might not think so right now, but travel will be returning in a big way and those who plan for it now will reap the benefits. As the pandemic fades, try to be one of the first to make a trip to Europe and enjoy it in a blissfully uncrowded way. Try making a detailed yet fluid itinerary without precise dates. Pencil in the days of the week only, noting which of your preferred sights are closed on Sundays or Mondays, etc. This will give you a basic framework on which to build your dream journey.
The more you can plan beforehand, the better it will be. At Clued In Travel Books we are big believers in having reservations at the restaurants we most desire rather than settling for our second or third choices. Dinner reservations are especially likely to fill up if not made in advance. As for the best sights, well, these must be booked ahead (due to the requirements of contactless service.) And with absolutely everyone now booking ahead, these too are more likely to sell out.
Travelers visiting our particular website probably understand this so we won’t beat a dead horse. If you are the type of traveler who likes to go somewhere with no plans or reservations in order to just see where fate takes you, we say, “Good luck and bless your heart.”
So, grab one of our travel books and peruse through it to the end. You’ll be shocked at how a city you knew nothing about is suddenly as familiar as can be. It’s almost magical. Happy travels, Dean & Andie
The folks here at Clued In Travel Books wish you and yours a wonderful and safe holiday season filled with lots of love and lots of food. If you avoid conversations about religion, politics, and mask mandates you’ll be just fine! Let’s hope we get back to some normalcy in 2022, especially in regard to travel. It’s what we live for.
To enter Great Britain you now must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test even if you are vaccinated. This is due to their current surge. The result can be from the rapid antigen test but must be taken within 48 hours of your flight time. Before you fly you must also fill in their official “locater form” as well as reserve and pay for a Covid test ahead of time for your first or second full day after arrival. The all-important info can be found here. By the way, London’s BOOTS PHARMACY happily accepts non-British visitors for the rapid test. They have many locations so book ahead through their website.
Here’s yet another update: To enter France you now must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test, even if you are vaccinated. This is due to their current surge. The result can be from the rapid antigen test but must be taken within 48 hours of your flight time. (And remember, if you also end up needing a test once you are in Paris, Pharmacie Bader on Boulevard St. Michel happily accepts non-French visitors for the rapid test. The cost is around 25 euro.)
Now is the time to plan a glorious trip to Europe. The spring months should be amazing, with the crowds still at a minimum and hotel prices on the lower side. Take advantage of it for sure. We were in Europe for the entire month of October 2021 (before the current winter Covid spike) and each city we visited was fun, joyous, and utterly fantastic. It will be this way in the spring we predict, so book those cancellable flights while you can.
The biggest difference we noticed on our recent trip was in London; the British capital had gone almost entirely cash-free in order to provide contactless service. It will probably stay that way for a long time to come. We couldn’t give away our British Pound notes! From pharmacies to cafes to movie theatres, no one would take our cash. We were finally able to find some black cab drivers that accepted it, along with the famous Rules restaurant in Covent Garden. We say, Use the winter months to find the perfect credit card, one that’s completely free of foreign fees. You’ll be glad you did.
Also, note that all of our new editions of our Clued In travel books for 2022 are up on Amazon.com (except for Clued In New York) as well our new editions of Bored in London – Awesome Experiences for the Repeat Traveler and Bored in Paris – Awesome Experiences for the Repeat Traveler. They’re chock full of surprises and the paperback version makes a great gift under $10.00!
Wow what a year it has been for us, with lots of travel and tons of writing, but we got it done! We must confess that we didn’t know what to expect when we set foot in Paris at the start of our whirlwind European jaunt. The truth is that the atmosphere there was as if nothing had ever happened. People in Paris (seemingly mostly locals) where filling the streets and cafés every night in a joyous mood, perhaps just happy to be out and about again. We thought, Okay that’s the French for you… they want to live their life and don’t worry about things so much.
But then it was the same way in Italy, Spain, and the UK. That’s why we say yes, go to Europe now. It’s fantastic. Sure, you might have to take a Covid test here or there, especially if you go from one country to another by airplane or rail, but it turned out to be no big deal.
Anyway, the new 2022 versions of our travel books are super-fun and have more than a few surprises, like our new independent excursion from Rome to Tivoli’s breathtaking Villa D’Este for only €18 a person complete! It’s much better than the multitude of online tours that charge you a fortune and tell you when to sit, when to eat, etc. With our books you’ll always know how to do everything on your own!
We sincerely hope you enjoy these new books. Happy travels, Dean and Andie, & the Clued In Travel Book team
Oh one more thing… we were so busy traveling that we neglected our home city of New York. We are working on that book now and hope to have Clued In New York for 2022 published around the start of the new year.
We just got home from Italy and will be making an immediate change to our “Clued In Rome” book which will be republished immediately on Amazon to reflect it:
Unfortunately, one of our recommended restaurants, I Clementini, has been sold and is under new ownership with the same name, same google info, same pics, etc. We can no longer endorse this restaurant due to the recent changes to their food. As usual, we are the guinea pigs so you don’t have to be! It will not be included in our upcoming new edition of “Clued In Rome” for 2022.
