Hi ,

As I write this I'm staring at our negative covid tests from earlier this afternoon. We are packed up and ready to sail tomorrow on Celebrity for 10 days, visiting 5 Caribbean ports.

Travel, and in particular the cruise industry, is hot news now with the quick spread of Omicron, covid's newest face. Some people are not comfortable traveling and have cancelled their trips (both ship and land) until later in the year. I'll be able to tell you up close and personal what's it like to be on Celebrity so look for my updates.

CDC Statistics

I'm not here to tell you whether to travel or not. I believe that is a personal decision. Here are the latest stats from the CDC about travelers and vaccination status which might help you with your own decisions about travel in early 2022.

• The unvaxxed are getting Coronavirus at a rate of 451 cases per 100,000.
• It's 134 per 100K among the vaxxed.
• It's 48 per 100K among the vaxxed-and-boosted.
• The death rate is as follows. 6.1 per 100,000 among the unvaccinated, 0.5 among the vaxxed and 0.1 per 100,000 among the vaxxed-and-boosted population.

Future travel to consider

• Talk to me now if you want to book travel within the United States any time this year, especially spring, summer, and fall. If you are interested in a small group of 6 to 10 people taking a completely private tour of Utah's Big Five let me know. This is luxury travel and you don't have to be a hiker, although you can be. Personal means customizable. It's a trip you won't forget and you can be with friends and family.
• Christmas Market river cruise from Vienna to Prague, departing November 28th and returning December 6 is booking now with a decent price through mid-January.
• Early June river cruise Burgundy to Provence with a few extra nights in Paris for early June, 2022, I have about 3 cabins available right now.
• For 2023 there's a really unusual one-time cruise in conjunction with the Smithsonian that will completely sail around Sicily with stops in many ports. This will be a very fun and beautiful trip!

That should be enough to whet your appetite, ha ha. Let me know what you want to do travel wise this year and we'll get planning

Travel documents

Remember that you need a current passport with at least 6 months left on it from the day you RETURN to the United States if you are going abroad. Also remember you must be vaxxed for the vast majority of countries, and some are now requiring the third vax or booster, so get your shots done and documented. Masking - yes right now, who knows for in the coming months?

Happy New Year to you!

Sue Painter