Dee Le Cardiere As many of you know Jackdaw Journeys has just returned from our Oct. 9th-20th, 2021 Provence trip. This was a huge undertaking for us being that we had not traveled to Provence since Oct. 2019. We really didn’t know what to expect (interesting fact, over 75% of France’s population is fully vaccinated) but felt that if we did our homework before traveling, we would be fine. And we were!

Traveling internationally now requires a bit more planning than in the past. As owner and on site guide of Jackdaw Journeys Tours, I believe five steps should be taken to have an enjoyable and stress free trip in Covid-19 times.

 

  1. Get your vaccinations ahead of time. Unvaccinated guest traveling to France from the United States risk quarantine for 7-10 days. Time wasted in our opinion.
  2. ANTICOVIDApply to the French Embassy for the free French Covid-19 Pass, the Passe Sanitaire. Applications should be submitted at least two months or longer before leaving for your trip. Some of our guests got their Passe within three days of applying but others didn’t receive their Passe for about five weeks. Once the Passe Sanitaire is received, you will receive a QR code that will be downloaded into the ToursAntiCovid app (again free) on your cell phone. The Passe Sanitaire function in the ToursAntiCovid app enables users to add their Covid-19 test results and their vaccination status (even if vaccinated in the States). Having the Passe Sanitaire on our cell phones made our travel so much easier. Every time we entered a restaurant, museum, department store, place of social gathering, public transportation or any venue accommodation of 50 people or more we were required to show our QR code.
  3. Mask wearing? Yes, as required by the FDA we were required to wear our mask on our flights. We also wore our mask in some public places in Provence. Masks are not required outside. For me it is a cheap price to pay to be able to travel again.
  4. How we obtained our Covid-19 test 72 hours before flying back to United states? France makes it very easy to obtain a Covid-19 test. Most pharmacies will give you a test without a reservation. Within 30 minutes we received our negative PCR test results. The cost at the time was 29 euros. Again, these test results were downloaded on our ToursAntiCovid app and were shown before boarding the flight.
  5. Trip insurance must be purchased ahead of time. I always purchase trip insurance for each trip and now I purchase an insurance plan with extra coverage for any Covid-19 issue that may arise. There are many choices on line.

Yes, traveling during Covid-19 times has changed much. But here at Jackdaw Journeys we were not willing to lose another year waiting on Covid-19 to go away. Upon arrival in Nice, I realized that Provence was going to be even better than I remembered! Do your homework, make your plans and come with us. You too won’t regret it.

Let’s Have a Conversation!

 

Dee Poquette  is the owner and tour guide for Jackdaw Journeys Tours.

For the last seven years Dee has had the pleasure of guiding her Guest to the southern part of France-Provence. During their nine day stay they explore the abundant markets, sidewalk cafes, sun baked villages, experiment with cooking country French foods, and get to know the kind welcoming people.

Dee's obsession with Provence started over thirteen years ago when she attended her first cooking school at Julia Childs's home in Plascassier. From then own, Dee was hooked and there was no turning back. As quoted by Dee, "I may have the best job in the world hosting guest like you on the best, getaway French adventure imaginable".

Dee actively contributes to a blog at Sixty and Me, where she shares travel experiences and interesting bits and tips.

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