Reader Feedback: “I use this tool to track the latest updates in a country.”

The pandemic, by definition, has spread far and wide. It has disrupted economies in every corner of the world and has impacted families emotionally and financially.

Governments have had to financially rescue airlines (and travel-related industries) particularly in countries where a large percentage of the economy is based on travel.

As governments around the world have placed restrictions on travel, it has been challenging to find and understand the myriad of changes during the public health crisis.

SUBSCRIBER FEEDBACK

One aspect that I love about writing every day is the interaction that I receive about a particular subject after I post an article.

A few days ago, I posted a blog about my personal, go-to source for COVID-19 travel information. Within a few minutes, I received an email from a subscriber that was experiencing the same frustrating challenges, however, they were relying on a different tool to keep track of the changes.

This interactive map is published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and I have found the map equally as handy to track global travel restrictions.

As you can see from the photo above, the color coded map classifies each country into one of four categories:

• Totally Restrictive
• Partially Restrictive
• Not Restrictive (or no regulations for COVID-19 have been implemented)
• Latest updates currently under review

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The user-friendly map is easy to use. Simply click on the country that you are interested in visiting and you’ll see the latest travel updates / restrictions. An added benefit to the map is, once you select the country, it will also provide with the date it last updated. For example, I selected South Africa and you can see that it was updated only a few days ago.

FINAL STAMP

I predict that we may see opening and closing (and re-opening) of borders as we attempt to manage this public health problem.

There is the off-chance that things could’ve changed in the last few days since an update but this is a great tool to also have in your travel tool-kit as we continue to wait for the virus to pass and governments to relax restrictions.

Even if you don’t have international travel planned in the near future, this tool is worth bookmarking.

What tools do you use when planning travel?