Fully vaccinated travellers can now enjoy a modified trip around the world by visiting London and then Phuket, Thailand. After more than a year of restrictions, this luxury vacation will provide truly new sights from West to East.
What England Has to Offer
You can travel to England on a budget and book an affordable hostel, or you can go big and book a grand manor like Somerset’s Antarctic Manor with eight bedrooms and beautiful wide gardens.
Many attractions are open in London in August 2021, and tickets for some are already available online. For the first time, the Buckingham Palace Garden is opening to the public from July 9 to September 12. From July 18 to September 27, the Buckingham Pala State Rooms used for official ceremonies and entertaining are open to the public. Evening tours of Windsor Castle from six to eight p.m. are available on selected dates in August and September. You can also view the Crown Jewels in the Tower of London.
A tour of the Warner Bros Studio featuring The Making of Harry Potter is at a discount. So is the one-day unlimited hop-on-hop-off bus tour that travels to all of the city’s major sites. Go to Greenwich and stand on the prime meridian line at the Royal Observatory, right between the western and eastern hemispheres. This is emblematic of your west to east vacation.
Travel Requirements to England
U.S. travellers with full vaccinations are allowed into England without the need for quarantine upon arrival. You must, however, take several steps before your trip. Take a COVID-19 PCR test not more than 72 hours before you arrive in England, and be prepared to show your negative result. Go online and book another PCR test that you must take on or before the second day from your arrival in England.
Still online, you must accomplish the required passenger locator form within 48 hours before you arrive in England. Be prepared with your passport and travel details, where you will be staying while in England, and the reference numbers for your PCR test booking in England. Afterwards, you will be sent a QR code as proof of completion. Save this on your phone and have a printout ready for your convenience because you will need to show this in England.
What Phuket Has to Offer
Not all of Thailand is open to foreign visitors, but Phuket has been open since July under the Phuket sandbox program after 74 percent of locals were vaccinated. This is where you will find many of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and you can luxuriate in the sand and sea under the sun.
The most popular is Patong Beach, but you can also explore the equally breathtaking Kata Beach and Karon Beach. There are islands you can tour by boat, including Nakha Noi that features pearl culture. Phuket also has perfect spots for snorkelling and scuba diving.
Food is another main attraction of Thailand, and you can have all you want in Phuket. On weekdays, you can go to the indoor fresh market at Banzaan. On weekends, there is the Sunday Walking Street Market, where you can also pick up arts and crafts.
Travel Requirements to Phuket
Fully vaccinated U.S. travellers do not need a visa to enter Thailand as tourists and can automatically stay for 30 days. You must, however, show a confirmed ticket to fly out of the country within 30 days from arrival and funds totalling a minimum of 10,000 THB per person for your stay.
In addition, you must bring your vaccination certification and proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken not more than 72 hours from departure. Before your trip, you must purchase an insurance policy that includes COVID-19 and has a minimum coverage of $100,000.
You will submit this when you apply for a Certificate of Entry (COE) online not less than five days before your departure going to the country. You must also book and pre-pay SHA+ accommodations in Phuket for the duration of your stay, as well as book and pre-pay COVID-19 tests that you will take upon arrival and on days six or seven and 12 or 13.
You Deserve a Change of Scenery
With full vaccination, you deserve a break from all the difficulties brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. While some restrictions are still in place, touring London and Phuket are two vastly different experiences that will surely satisfy your cravings to stretch beyond your previous confinement. Do this now while there is a window of opportunity. We never know when countries will close their borders once again.
