Use These Sites to Limit Real-Time Travel Restrictions Related to COVID
First of all, let’s face it, if you don’t have to drive right now, you should definitely stay at home. But if you absolutely have to travel, it’s important to have an up-to-date information on what’s happening with COVID-19 at your planned destination.
This can be confusing as the pandemic situation and associated travel restrictions seem to be changing almost day in and day out, but there are tools that show real-time information about the risks, restrictions and requirements for both domestic and international travel. Here are some options.
Dragon Killer
DragonSlayer – this service on a subscription basis, in the first place for the travel agencies, but it is also available to the general public . It scans in real time for the latest updates to COVID-19 restrictions across all 50 states and 124 countries, and assigns a color-coded score to each location based on an individualized risk tolerance survey.
You can also access official government guidelines and information on how businesses deal with quarantines and restrictions.
The service has a free 14-day trial, after which it will refund you $ 9.99 per month. But if you are traveling at the last minute, it will be worth it. Android users can find a separate app on the Google Play store , while iOS users are currently limited to the browser version .
TravelVitals Database
TravelVitals – this web database with the ability to search from the American Express Global Business Travel. You can narrow your circle by specific travel criteria, including location, airline, train station, or hotel name. You will receive a long list of relevant information, from entry restrictions to disguise requirements and what the company is doing with its reward program.
The search results also show the latest confirmation date, so you know the information you are reading is up to date. Several quick searches on our end showed confirmation dates on the same day.
IATA Interactive Map
The International Air Transport Association maintains a color-coded global map with COVID-19 travel restrictions by country. The interface is pretty simple: just click on a country and read the pop-up that also shows the latest publication date for that country.
IATA notes that the map is updated frequently, but in reality it may not be in real time.
United Airlines and Wanderu Interactive Maps
The United Airlines COVID-19 card is an internal version of the global IATA tool and is also available as a mobile app. It shows if the travel destination is open or closed , and any testing and quarantine requirements. You can also find out if businesses (restaurants, etc.) are open and what restrictions are associated with it. When you click on a specific status, you will see the date the information was last viewed – most of them – within the last few days.
We also examined Wanderu , which has an interactive state map, and is particularly useful when restrictions of movement of buses and trains. It’s not really real-time, but this is the place to start.