November travel next year? Anyone think that might happen...

[LovesTimone]

We had planned a trip to Japan this year, and had to cancel due to this whole big mess with Covid. Which totally sucked... I know and I totally get it, and we are doing are part... Still it sucked...

Japan, Tokyo and Tokyo Disneyland are still on our bucket list.

Just so you know, we are 100% going to get the vaccine the second we can get it, and have no problems carrying or showing the vaccination card to show proof...

Anyone think that the Olympic are still going to happen?

So is this just a dream for us to still have Japan and Tokyo Disneyland on our list?

or

Most likely international to will not happen for at least the next 4 years... ?

Thoughts are always appreciated...

 

[Markolodeon]

We totally feel the frustration too! A centerpiece to our lives was planning the next big trip. We should have been just getting back from a 3 week trip to Japan which was a couple years in the planning. Now it’s truly one day at a time.

My guess is the Olympics will happen in 2021 with strict restrictions and limited attendance. Currently more are dying every day in the US from COVID-19 than Japan has had in total since the pandemic began. So unless the statistics drastically change I could see them only allowing vaccinated Olympic athletes from the US in 2021. The most optimistic I can be is for tourism to return to a somewhat (new) normal is fall of 2022. But who knows, I would be so happy to be wrong and things open sooner.

 

[nursejackie]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's priority is going on a big trip. I know it's described as a first world problem, but I work hard to earn money for lots of holidays, it's our thing. This year we lost out on booked trips to Dubai and Majorca, with another still in the planning phase, as well as short trips to Wales and Scotland. I also had Disneyworld booked for next February but that's gone now too. We've been planning Disneyworld in August 2021 since 2019 and still have a faint hope, but daren't book anything yet as the borders are still closed and the situation in the US is looking more dire for UK visitors ever getting back in. I want to go back to the times when the only barrier to travel was a lack of money.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I think the Olympics will still happen. But what the vaccine or travel situation will be in November is hard to predict. It's possible that countries will be physically open, but airlines may not have increased flights yet or there may be other issues. We also don't know what shows will be available in the parks then so that could be a reason for you to put off the trip.

Instead of being fixated on having flights/hotels/etc booked months in advance, you can make final purchasing decisions once information becomes known. Right now, you can make your itinerary for any two weeks in November 2021 with a list of things requiring reservations. The moment things open up enough for the trip to happen, you can check the list of things requiring reservations to confirm availability/pricing before booking. If some things are not available, too expensive or have changed, you can decide to modify that part of your itinerary or just not book the trip. Even if you don't book the trip then, you can still use parts of the itinerary for a later vacation.

As an example, here's how my last trip to Japan that began on Jan 26, 2020 went. On December 13, 2019, my friend asked if I wanted to go to Osaka with 2 days of Osaka, Kobe and Nara planned. At that time, I had other commitments so I declined. On January 8, my schedule opened up so I immediately checked flights, hotels, etc. Return flights from Osaka were expensive so I booked a return flight from Nagoya using miles instead. Then, I did a bit of searching to figure out what I would do if I had an afternoon in Nagoya and decided to visit the aquarium.

This was the only major adjustment to a vacation itinerary I've ever made and I regularly book vacations with less time in advance than this.

 

[Haley R]

We’re hoping to take ds next October or November. I have no idea if it will happen but I need something to look forward to. We’ve saved all of our chase points for flights so we have enough to fly first class.

 

[Shock13]

I've recently began making plans to go November 2021 as well. I went to TDR in May 2019 and would prefer to see the Christmas decor at TDR and fall colors in Tokyo/Kyoto. With vacation hours untouched for nearly a year, I'll have more than enough to cover a 3 week trip.

We’re hoping to take ds next October or November. I have no idea if it will happen but I need something to look forward to. We’ve saved all of our chase points for flights so we have enough to fly first class.

We need to get back in touch and discuss this.

 

[Twee]

We have tickets to the Olympic and hope to be there August 1-10 and stay at the Disney resort. Any chance this can happen at all?

 

[MKTokyo]

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Olympics will go ahead. Tourists will be back in Japan in time for the games, according to the news. The requirements will likely be a pair of negative tests (departure & entry), travel health insurance that will pay for your medical care if you become sick (this will likely be a reimbursement - so you will need to carry funds or a credit card to pay the hospital bills upfront), and a contact tracing app installed on your smartphone. The app is called COCOA if you want to read about it.

At this stage it doesn't look like the vaccine will be a requirement, but that could change, and it's better to have it anyway. No quarantine, no ban on public transport.

However, this is just about getting into the country. TDR is still open based on a fixed date system (unless you stay at an official hotel, for which they have not reopened overseas bookings) & there is no guarantee that you will be able to visit. I think they’re actually blocking ticket sales on the overseas website as well. Other attractions you want to experience may be closed or limited in capacity.

And, if it happens that a tourist brings the virus into the country, things could shut down again without warning. Public support for holding the Olympics is already extremely low. The government wants these games because of the money they will bring in; the public largely does not. Some people are also really angry about international tourism restarting (obviously not people whose livelihoods depend on it, though - they are more than ready to get on with it). For the first time in my life I saw a group of businessmen yell "dirty foreigner, corona" at an Indian or SE Asian man walking by.

All things considered, I recommend planning a long-awaited trip for 2022 so that you can visit when things are as "normal" as possible, and not sell yourself short. If you come often, it doesn’t really matter. But, if this is going to be a big once in a lifetime type trip, I really would hold off.

 

[Twee]

Thank you so much for the reply! This explained why I can’t even book the disney hotel