As people think about long-distance international travel, the biggest questions used to relate to the need for visas and the price of airfare. Now the biggest barriers to travel are the ever changing restrictions and requirements pertaining to Covid-19.

There are websites that identify the restrictions and requirements (such as Covid-19 testing, quarantine type and duration, and any other required documents) that residents of a country will have to meet to gain entry to any other country. One site that I use is compiled by the travel company Kayak and is updated daily. You can view the website here.

First, select any country that you are traveling from and the site displays a world map with a color-coded scale showing the ease or difficulty of travel to other countries. I selected the U.S., my home country.

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Then by clicking on any other country on the map, the site displays the specific requirements I’d have to meet for traveling to that country.

The site also shows a general summary of how many countries are open, closed or require restrictions for entry.

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The site also supplies information on the requirements for entry to your home country on return, the rate of vaccination in the local population, and restrictions inside the country such as wearing masks and if bars and restaurants are open. Maybe the most useful feature is the ability to get e-mail alerts for changes in the entry requirements for countries you are interested in visiting.

The site links to other very helpful information like airline policies. It does not identify visa requirements, and it is a good idea to verify the information with official government sources. All in all, not a bad one- stop source for useful travel information.

Happy travelling!