As restrictions loosen and countries set their standards for the “new normal”, traveling internationally during Covid-19 is becoming increasingly common. As I was feeling ready to venture out into the world again, I recently took a trip to France — my first international travel experience since before the pandemic.
On this trip, I traveled with Avalon Waterways on their Active & Discovery Rhone River Cruise and was pleasantly surprised by how easy the health and safety regulations were to follow. Though I had my hesitations before dusting off my passport (mostly around the logistics of traveling right now), I found my cruising experience to be incredibly safe and hassle-free.
Here’s what I found traveling internationally in the Covid era with Avalon Waterways!
If you plan on traveling internationally anytime soon, chances are you’ll have to show proof of vaccination — regardless of the country you’re traveling to.
When I traveled to France for my cruise, it was a requirement to be vaccinated and I had to show my documents to enter the country. These requirements are always subject to change, of course, depending on the country.
Then, once I was aboard the ship, I could relax knowing that all Avalon Waterways staff are double vaccinated and they get specific training, temperature checks, and screenings. A healthy crew means healthy patrons, and you can rest assured that they pay attention to every detail in regards to safety.
When my cruise started, I noticed that Avalon Waterways had a ton of sanitization stations set up all over the ship. They asked guests to sanitize their hands before going into the dining room, and they even sanitized all bags before they come onto the ship.
Avalon Waterways also deploys extensive cleaning practices including disinfection of each room between cruises, regular dining room sanitization, and disinfection of all goods prior to loading them on board.
When I was out on excursions in towns and cities, there were hand sanitizing stations set up in many establishments and I always made sure to carry a small bottle of sanitizer with me as well.
Read more: 10 Benefits of Taking a River Cruise with Avalon Waterways
It seemed like such a shock to the system when we were first asked to wear masks almost two years ago, but wearing them is now standard practice on airplanes, in restaurants, and aboard ships.
Airlines all require masks now and you should be prepared with a couple of options. Some planes won’t allow cloth masks, but they do provide surgical masks if you don’t have one. It is recommended to bring your own N95 mask.
On Avalon Waterways’ ships, the staff is required to wear masks at all times, although the rules are a little different for patrons. Though guests are required to wear masks when serving themselves at the buffet, they aren’t mandatory aboard the ship if you’re comfortable with it. I used my discretion on this during different situations and felt safe and comfortable. That said, it is recommended that you wear your mask on buses and indoor excursions.
Before returning to the United States, plan to get tested for Covid-19. Avalon Waterways made this extremely easy for passengers by bringing the testing to the ship! This was a rapid test and I got my results within 15 minutes.
In addition to this test, guests on the cruise are routinely checked via a temperature gun before entering the dining room. This is to ensure nobody onboard is experiencing a fever.
Even with all of the safety measures that Avalon Waterways employs to ensure safety, it’s still recommended that guests in different parties social distance onboard. Though this isn’t a hard and fast rule in any way, they have set up socially distanced seating in the dining room and lounge to make it easy.
However, social distancing can be a little tougher on buses and some excursions. If this is important to you, then book yourself on walking tours and do activities such as kayaking and hiking — by nature it’s easy to social distance with these.
Read more: 10 Things To Know Before Taking a River Cruise In France
Even though social distancing was paid extra attention to onboard the ship, it was made easy simply given the size. Because European rivers don’t have the width or depth of an ocean, Avalon Waterways deploys smaller cruise ships than your typical ocean liner.
These smaller ships mean that each cruise has an average of 150 guests or less with about three guests per staff member. Fewer people coupled with spacious rooms and lounge areas means that you’ll always be comfortable and never feel crowded.
Before I set out on my trip, my main worry (besides actually getting sick, of course) was that it was going to be a logistical nightmare. But the staff at Avalon Waterways are true pros, and they made the whole process easy and stress-free.
The team sent over all the documents that needed to be filled out before I arrived in France and returned to the States, and they were extremely transparent and gracious every step of the way.
You can check out all trip options currently in operation on the Avalon Waterways website (it includes the most updated travel requirements as well).
A big thanks to Avalon Waterways and iambassador for inviting me to be part of the #AvalonAD campaign. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Read More:
What to Pack for a Sailing Trip (Packing List & Must-Have Essentials)
10 Important Wellness and Self-Care Tips for Travelers
10 Best Tips for Traveling Europe (Everything You Need To Know)
5 Fairytale Towns in Europe That Should be on Your Bucket List
The post What It’s Like Traveling Internationally In The Covid Era appeared first on Ordinary Traveler.
Putri and Ben Mackereth are serial renovators. They moved from New Zealand to the UK nearly 12 years ago and starting out with a small flat renovation in Clapham, South London.
Ben has a building firm (www.macbuildingsolutions.co.uk) and Putri an interior design consultancy (www.maehousedesign.com). Their combined skills have seen this dream team complete 11 renovations of their own and over a hundred for clients. This is their first self-build together, and what a dream real home it is.
Photography: Chris Snook/FuturePLC
Ben began trawling online portals looking for the perfect plot and found a dated house in Streatham, South London, in the summer of 2019, on approximately 700m2 of land. They demolished the house in February 2020, just before the pandemic hit.
‘We were lucky that the construction industry was still able to operate, otherwise we would have been left with an empty site,’ says Ben.
Photography: Chris Snook/FuturePLC
The build itself was relatively straightforward and quick. Securing planning permission, however, was one of the biggest challenges for the couple. ‘It took a pre-application meeting, three planning applications and numerous Variation of Conditions (VOC’s) to get to the design we were happy with.’
Not only was a self-build new to them, but they were hoping to build in a Conservation area. Their architect David Bell from AtelierDB explained that it would be difficult to get planning permission for their contemporary vision and suggested they incorporate architectural forms and characteristics from within the conservation area. ‘The tile hanging at first floor level and the gable roof were examples of this and really helped us create a house which was sympathetic to the surrounding area,’ says Putri.
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
Open-plan living and impressive design features were top of their list of must haves. ‘We wanted a polished concrete floor throughout the ground floor; it’s a very Antipodean look, but after doing some research we found out they can be problematic; they can stain and crack and are very difficult to patch in when something goes wrong. So, we opted for large Terrazzo style porcelain tiles and used throughout the ground floor to unify the spaces.’
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
‘The ground floor was designed to make the most of the southerly aspect and capture the sunshine all day. We really liked the look of metal doors, however wanted these to open right up to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces. After much searching we found a company that could create exactly what we had in mind.’
The outdoor BBQ is where Ben spends most of his time. ‘We both loved the existing rustic brick wall, so decided to retain but added cedar cladding at the top to tidy it up and create some privacy with our neighbours. For the decking, we chose a composite product called Millboard which looks just like timber but without the upkeep and issues of rotting and warping.’
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
With a new build, its essential to incorporate eco-efficiency measures where possible. In addition to double glazing and EcoTherm insulation for thermal efficiency, an air source heat pump was installed so no gas is required at the property.
This powers the wet underfloor heating throughout the entire house. They also had to pass an air pressure test to ensure the house was well sealed; minimising any heat loss.
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
‘The kitchen really is the heart of the home. I spend a lot of time here and the open plan allows me to keep an eye on the kids. It also makes a great space for entertaining,’ says Putri.
‘I really liked the idea of having a walk-in pantry to keep everything hidden away, but unfortunately the space didn’t allow for it. Instead, we opted for a kitchen design with fold away doors which allowed us to create a larder cupboard with the same functionality. Opened right up it gives easy access to everything but when not in use it can be closed right up.’
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
A tan leather sofa makes a stylish yet practical place for the children to hang out while the couple prepare meals. ‘Building your dream family home is a lot of fun and creating a space that you know will make your family life easier is very rewarding.’
‘Not only does our house work well for our young kids now, it can be easily adapted as the kids grow older to work well in the future.’
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
‘Sometimes starting from a blank canvas is easier than refurbishing, and self-building allowed us to make our family home exactly how we wanted it,‘ says Ben. ‘We added a coffered ceiling complete with LED strip lighting as a point of difference in our main bedroom suite. The soft lighting works well in the bedroom and gives the impression of increased ceiling height.’
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
With three young children the couple don’t get away as much as they used to and they wanted to create a luxury hotel room feel with an open plan en-suite complete with free standing bath, as a space to unwind after a busy day.
Photography Chris Snook/Future PLC
Deep green ceramic wall tiles, laid vertically rather than horizontally, add a modern twist that makes the brass towel radiator and bathroom fittings really ping.
The post From Wreak to Wow! Step inside this fabulous self-built, eco family home appeared first on Ideal Home.
