The “new normal” nudge us to design our trips differently. Travel to Argentina during the pandemic (or to any other destination in the world) requires us to be more responsible when traveling.
Truth is that we are far from a mass vaccination. It seems we are going to have to learn to live with the virus and adapt to this “new normal”.
Therefore, we prepare this guide for you, to think and plan your trips in the “new normal”.
Because, it is no longer just about choosing a destination, planning the trip and booking a ticket. Now, we have to consider many other things and also we need to be more thorough when setting up our travel itinerary, and to anticipate to eventual cancellations.
So let’s get started!
Contents
- 1. Is it okay to travel during the pandemic?
- 2. Current restrictions for travel to Argentina during the pandemic
- 3. Requirements to travel within Argentina
- 4. Tips to organize your trip responsibly in times of pandemic
- Compensate the carbon emissions of your trip
- 😷 Respect local COVID-19 measures and always wear a mask
- Get tested for COVID-19 before and after your trip
- 🏨 Choose hotels that apply protocols
- Travel slow
- 🗓 Plan your outings and sightseeing tours in advance
- Support local businesses
- 🚲 At your destination, walk or cycle
- Always travel with a traveler assistance
- 🔎 Pay attention to the cancellation policies of your travel services before booking
- 5. Recommendations for a safer travel during pandemic
1. Is it okay to travel during the pandemic?
To travel or not to travel? That is the question.
Still in the middle of a pandemic and at risk of contracting new strains of the virus, it is very important to use common sense and to be more responsible, as inhabitants of this highly interconnected world. Since december 2019 it has been proven to all of us that individual acts affect the collective.
Therefore, if you are consider travelling you should ask yourself:
- Am I a person identified as a population at risk?
- Has the destination I want to visit increased its cases of coronavirus in recent times?
If the answer to these questions is yes, the best thing to do is to postpone the trip.
Not traveling, is not the solution. But, you should think of a better timing. Many communities in the world live exclusively from tourism. Stopping traveling to those destinations would drastically affect the quality of life of its communities. Therefore, stopping traveling is not a sustainable alternative.
Nor is it advisable to travel with anxiety or stress. In that case, the best thing is to be a tourist in your own city for a while. Or starting with baby steps, like scheduling outings for the day to nearby places, before taking big trips.
The time of longer journeys and to more distant places will return. When that moment comes and if you have already decided to travel to Argentina, you may wonder: how is the situation in Argentina? Is Argentina open for travel? Can I travel to Argentina right now?
Don’t worry, we got you covered!
2. Current restrictions for travel to Argentina during the pandemic
For the moment, the entry of foreigners to the country is restricted. Except in cases expressly authorized by the national government authorities such as family reunification, work or health issues.
Natives argentines and foreigners residing in the country or non-resident foreigners authorized to enter, will only be able to transit through the authorized international crossings, which are the Ezeiza and San Fernando airports and the Buquebus terminal in Buenos Aires.
The requirements to enter the country are:
- Complete an online affidavit, 48 hours prior your international trip.
- Attach a negative PCR test for COVID-19 (sample must be within 72 hours prior to your international trip).
- An asymptomatic medical certificate only be accepted if the country of origin is within the list of countries and jurisdictions where the PCR result can exceed 72 hours. In this case, you must do the PCR test for COVID-19 upon arrival in Argentina.
- A mandatory 10 day quarantine from the day that you receive your negative PCR result.
- Authorized foreigners must also attach a COVID-19 medical insurance.
3. Requirements to travel within Argentina
Although tourism within Argentina has resumed since december 2020. Until now, there are different requirements to travel within Argentina, apart from what is required in order to enter the country.
So, depending on where you are traveling within Argentina, the requirements you will have to comply will vary.
For example:
✅ If your destination is the city of Buenos Aires, in addition to the requirements mentioned to enter Argentina, the local city government requires that every person over 12 years old visiting the City of Buenos Aires complete another online affidavit within 48 hours prior to arrival.
✅ Then, if you are travelling to other provinces within Argentina you might need to get the “Verano” certificate. You can check out which provinces require this certificate in the map of the “Verano” certificate official website (only available in spanish).
To know the requirements to travel to the different provinces of the country, we recommend you to get in contact with the tourism authorities of each province.
We also recommend to double check the requirements in each town you visit. Since within the same province, a specific city or town may demand different requirements from tourists.
At the moment we publish this post, we are in the final stages of summer and Argentinians are going back to their routines.
We hope at least internal tourism remains open in the coming months and that the requirements to travel within the country are less and less.
Truth is we are in the COVID-19 second wave, and we are not sure how the general situation will be in the following months. From the end of March until the end of September we will be going through our autumn and winter season in Argentina. Therefore, we don’t know yet which are going to be the measures taken by the national and provincial governments in the near future regarding tourism.
Either way, we will keep you updated with the news. We will update this post as the current requirements to travel to Argentina and within the country change.
4. Tips to organize your trip responsibly in times of pandemic
When it comes to organize your trip to Argentina (or any other part of the world) there are some aspects to consider in order to be more responsible, when traveling in this context of pandemic.
When we speak of responsibility we are not only referring to the reduction of contagion risks but also to the social and environmental awareness that travel in these times, post COVID-19 requires.
So, some tips to organize your trip responsibly in times of pandemic are:
Compensate the carbon emissions of your trip
Many flights are going to reduce its passenger capacity, so offsetting the carbon emissions of your trip is more important than ever.
Calculate your carbon footprint with a carbon calculator and and offset your CO2 making a donation of the equivalent amount to your CO2 footprint with the organization of your choice.
If you don’t have any, we can recommend “Árboles Sin Fronteras” (Trees Without Borders). This is a non profit association that aims to reforest Argentina with native trees and to build a stronger environmental awareness in the community. We have collaborated with them since 2013. If you want you can offset your footprint with this association here.
😷 Respect local COVID-19 measures and always wear a mask
This is a basic recommendation, but it doesn’t hurt to mention it.
So, to inform yourself about what measures are being applied in the destination you are travelling to, in terms of COVID-19, and respecting them is essential.
And remember also to always wear your face mask and use it whenever you are on the street or in a space shared with other people.
Get tested for COVID-19 before and after your trip
Some countries, such as Argentina, requires a test for COVID-19 to all those who arrive from other cities and countries. And it makes sense, because testing is the way to prevent the spread of the virus.
If the destination does not ask you for a COVID-19 test, make sure to stay isolated for as many days as necessary before the trip.
The same applies when you return from your trip, if you cannot get tested for the coronavirus, make sure to quarantine after your arrival. In this way you ensure that if you are an asymptomatic person, you do not infect others.
🏨 Choose hotels that apply protocols
Most hotels are applying protocols to work, reducing the risks of contagion for their staff and guests.
In any case, at the time of booking it is important to ask the hotel what their protocols are. Which services are available to guests and under which security criteria they are offering them.
Once at the destination and after having done the check in, a good measure is to disinfect all the surfaces of the room that are frequently touched with a surface disinfectant wipes.
Travel slow
Visiting many destinations on the same trip is not recommended in times of pandemic.
Instead, seize the moment to do some slow tourism.
Travel slow and fully enjoy the place you may choose to visit.
Connect with the local culture and do more alternative activities in the destination.
🗓 Plan your outings and sightseeing tours in advance
Keep in mind that in general restaurants, bars and tourist sites such as museums or protected areas, are operating with a reduced capacity of people. Therefore, it is recommended to plan your visits and activities and book in advance.
If you do guided tours, make sure they are outdoors and in small groups to keep the distance of 2 meters. It is also advisable to consider booking private guided tours to avoid contact with other people.
Support local businesses
Many local businesses were affected by the quarantine and a large number of them have had to close “their doors”.
Multinational companies have a greater economic capacity to cope with this situation, but for local enterprises it is much more difficult.
Therefore, choose whenever possible buying to local businesses, to support local entrepreneurs.
🚲 At your destination, walk or cycle
In Ammanik we are fans of public transport.
But in this context, it is advisable to avoid public transport and move as much as you can on foot or by bicycle.
Avoiding crowds of people and keeping your distance at all times is key.
Always travel with a traveler assistance
One of the things of the trip that nowadays have become indispensable is the traveler assistance.
Traveling with peace of mind that you are covered against any eventual quarantine, border closure or that if you get infected while traveling, you have the return home covered, it is priceless.
🔎 Pay attention to the cancellation policies of your travel services before booking
Besides taking out a traveler assistance, take into account the cancellation policies of your travel services before booking.
Know what happens to the service and the amount paid if there is a quarantine and you cannot travel, if they refund your expenses or allow you to change the date to postpone your trip later.
Sometimes we are tempted with a super low fare and then it ends up costing us much more, since the cheapest rates are those that do not allow returns or changes.
5. Recommendations for a safer travel during pandemic
In addition to taking the necessary precautions in the place we choose for our next trip. The moment of the trip itself to and fro the destination is one of the moments of the trip in which we are most exposed when sharing transport or terminals with many people.
Although protocols are being applied in the means of transport and terminals. It is important as travelers to respect these protocols and be extra cautious to reduce the risks of contagion during the trip.
Traveling by plane during the pandemic
If you are going to fly during the pandemic, keep the following in mind:
- Get to the airports on time. The flights within Argentina are leaving from Ezeiza. With the protocols, it is necessary to get to the airport on time to do all the procedures prior to boarding. It is convenient to arrive at the airport 3 hours before take-off, be it an international or domestic flight.
- Bring several masks. To change them during the trip if they get wet or dirty. The airlines that operate within Argentina do not establish the use of a specific mask. They only do not allow masks with valves.
- Make the web check-in, on those flights in which this option is enabled.
- Respect the minimum separation distances on the terminals, indicated by the signs.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds immediately before and after going through check-in and control.
- Keep your travel documents handy and on board take only with you a backpack or handbag, to place under the seat. Load them only with the essentials for your flight: a coat, headphones, a book, alcohol gel. [Extra tip] fanny packs are a practical option and you avoid contact with other surfaces. We love how #girlboss Sophia Amoruso wears it in the picture.
- Bring hand sanitizer up to 100 ml. Generally the only sanitizer allowed on board. In any case, we recommend that you check with your airline what it is allowed to take on board. Since the requirements can vary from company to company.
🚆 Traveling by bus or train during the pandemic
Both buses and long-distance trains in Argentina have reduced the maximum passenger capacity per unit or car to 80%. They are also taking extreme hygiene measures and ensuring proper ventilation to reduce the risks of contagion during the trip.
The recommendations for long-distance train and bus travelers are:
- Bring several masks, hand sanitizer and other personal hygiene items.
- Maintain social distancing in terminals and when removing luggage.
- Remain in the seat throughout the trip, except to use the bathroom.
- Bring snacks and drinks for the trip. Food and beverage services on board are suspended.
- Bring the personal items you need for the trip. Blankets, pillows, magazines and headphones are suspended.
🚗 Traveling by car during the pandemic
Definitely traveling by car gives you more control of the environment and allows you to reduce the risks of contagion.
However, there are some things to keep in mind if your doing a car trip during the pandemic:
- Make as few stops as possible.
- Bring food and water for the trip. But if you decide to eat on the way, opt for restaurants that offer outdoor spaces or take away options.
- Bring several masks, hand sanitizer, surface disinfectant wipes and keep everything within easy reach, to use during the trip if necessary.
Hope you found this guide useful.
Now, we would like to know about you: have you already traveled during the pandemic? Are you planning to travel soon?
Tell us about your experience in the comment section, below!