State Department eases global travel warnings, but you still can't get there from here

The State Department on Aug. 6 relaxed its pandemic warnings that Americans should avoid all international travel. However, as a spokesperson said, health and safety conditions are "improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in others." Also, many countries are wary of American visitors because U.S. infection and death totals are higher. The European Union decided on Aug. 8 to keep the U.S. on its list of countries whose travelers are most stringently restricted. The United Kingdom continues to require a 14-day quarantine. State Department officials urge would-be travelers to check out the department's updated country-by-country risk-level rankings.

Los Angeles Times

Airlines continue to get tougher with their face mask requirements this summer, with Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and Spirit among the carriers adopting a new policy of no mask, no travel, no exceptions. Passengers refusing to wear a mask after boarding risk suspension from future travel, according to all three carriers. "If you don't wear a mask, you won't be flying with us," Alaska Airlines said in a statement.

TravelPulse

After months of staying home, some families are creating travel pods — small groups of friends or relatives with whom to share an adventure. There are so many factors to consider when planning a group trip in the era of COVID-19. Do all potential travelers share a similar attitude toward safety and risk tolerance? Will each member quarantine before departing on your trip? Is pretrip testing an option? Will family members be committed to wearing masks as advised by the CDC? Does any member of the group have an underlying condition that might put them more at risk? Consider hosting a Zoom session to discuss specifics before making final plans.

FamilyTravel.com

A bad week for Mexican tourism promotion got worse when the English language version of VisitMexico.com appeared with hilarious mistranslations. Entire states like Hidalgo and Guerrero apparently got machine translated as "Noble" and "Warrior." The Caribbean resort of Tulum somehow became "Jumpsuit." The central Mexican town of Aculco somehow became "I Blame," and the Gulf Coast city of Ciudad Madero became "Log." The snafu came one day after the U.S. State Department cited the high number of COVID-19 cases in Mexico for issuing a "Do not travel" advisory for the country. Hours earlier, the resort of Acapulco was forced to pull "Anything goes" tourism ads that showed people partying without masks and the words "There are no rules."

Associated Press