A holiday in Portugal? Yes you can!

Sun, 05/16/2021 - 21:36 - 
Iris

Good news! You no longer have to stay home and dream about all those beautiful places I have happily been posting photos and videos off. Most of you can now come and visit yourself, unless you come from a country where unfortunately out of 100,000 people still 500 or more covid19 infections are counted.  

It is important to understand the impact of this rule well, for example: Belgians are currently allowed to travel to Portugal from Belgium. But not if they would prefer to fly from the Netherlands. This is an important detail as some of us live closer to an airport in Holland than in Belgium. Our Dutch friends have to wait a little longer until their number also drops below this limit per 100 000 inhabitants. Portugal puts everybody’s safety first.

What are the current rules if you want to travel to Portugal?

  • Everyone must provide proof of negative RT-PCR test, not older than 72 hours and written in English.
  • Of course, you should not travel in case you have any symptoms of illness, you must respect the rules at the airport and on board the aircraft, such as wearing a face mask. The requirement to undergo this test before departure applies to all travelers from the age of 24 months and up.
  • Only if you travel from one of the following countries to Portugal, you must also respect a period of 14 days of quarantine upon arrival: Brazil, Cyprus, India, Croatia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and South Africa. Others will not have to quarantine upon arrival in Portugal.
  • You should always check the rules which your own government imposes as well at the time of traveling to Portugal and when you return to your country. For example: before returning to Belgium after a holiday in Portugal, you must complete the PLF form: https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/plf/. Based on your answers, it is decided whether or not you pose an increased risk. Portugal does not currently have the color red in the European covid chart. However, more strict rules may be in effect in certain regions of a country or depending on what you do during your holiday, with whom you have contact… you could still fall into a higher risk group as far as the Belgian government is concerned, even if the country itself is not red on the European color map. For example, in Galicia, Spain, the figures are higher than in Northern Portugal and therefore certain restrictions apply when you wish to travel from Galicia to Portugal, although the border is open between the two countries. It is therefore not advisable to just go ahead and book a plane ticket or jump in your car to start your vacation immediately.
Inform yourself well before departure and during your trip. Or contact us so that we can put together a responsible travel itinerary in which we take into account your wishes but also what is possible and responsible at the time.
 

What is possible and what is not?

Here in Portugal, every two weeks a new evaluation is made to see if more restrictions can be lifted. That is why a number of, not so restrictive rules anymore, currently apply, such as:
 
  • Shops, hairdressers and restaurants have already been open for months. The restriction is that shops are open until 9 PM during the week but only until 7 PM during the weekend, confusing even the locals.
  • Libraries, archives, most museums, art galleries, monuments (places of interest), cinemas, theaters and auditoriums are open.
  • Cafés, restaurants and pastry shops are open (maximum 50% occupancy and 6 people inside, maximum 10 people on the terrace). Open until 10.30 PM.
  • Open-air events allowed (with limited occupancy).
  • Beaches are accessible. The usual rules such as keeping your distance from others also apply. Now, this has not been a problem here in Northern Portugal so far since I find myself often, especially during the week, (almost) alone at the beach.
  • During nature walks with your own bubble, you can take of your mask if there are no other people around, which is often the case at the moment. If you do happen to cross other hikers, you should put it on just for the moment you pass each other. When running or cycling you do not need to wear a mask.

Would we recommend you to travel or not at this time?

This is a tricky and complicated question since situations can always change and much also depends on your own health, where you will go, where you are traveling from, what you plan to do and how you will behave while on holiday. One vacation can be completely different from another. Are you going to relax on a busy beach in the Algarve or are you visiting a less well-known region? Do we rent a house for you, a room in a small-scale quinta or have you booked something yourself? Do we make a travel plan for you with recommendations, personalized routes, activities…? More than ever, local people who know where and when to best do what, are very valuable sources of information to consult when planning your holiday, in order to travel as safely as possible in these times.

However, we too cannot argue with governments who suddenly decide to make a destination (or transit country) a red zone when there would be a sudden increase in the number of infections. You should always take into account, wherever you travel, that the situation in a country and therefore also the travel restrictions of/for a country, can change before and during your trip. This can for example have an impact on whether or not you need to quarantine when you return home. It is strongly recommended to check with your insurer what is covered in your policy if your destination suddenly becomes a no go zone (cancellation, return ticket, medical costs…?).

 

Why book with YŪGEN tours?

  • YŪGEN tours always tries to avoid crowded places.
  • We carefully select our partners, accommodations, guides and activities which meet strict safety and hygiene protocols. They have received the “clean and safe” seal, which proves that they have implemented the more strict requirements which have been put in place since the outbreak of covid19. You can read more about this quality seal in our previous blog https://www.yugentours.com/en/blog/portugal-introduces-clean-and-safe-stamp
  • We are present here in Portugal and are following the situation closely. There is no destination in the world, for which it is recommended to undertake a trip without having sufficient knowledge of the specific situation in the region to which you are traveling. Moreover, the more people who book through specialized agencies and don't travel last-minute on their own, the better we can estimate where it will be busier or less busy in a certain place at a certain time.
  • We work closely with local partners, providing them with an income after a very rough year.
  • Local guides take you on the most authentic experiences or provide the most interesting self-guided routes
  • We can provide local picnics, transfers, assistance as we live in the region...
  • We respect nature, human and animal rights

We sincerely believe there are several (more) great reasons to book your holiday through us but don't take our word for it, feel free to come and experience this for yourself. Whatever you decide to do this holiday season, we kindly ask everyone to be respectful to others when traveling: some people you meet on your way may not have been vaccinated yet at this time.

For more inspiration you can also visit www.yugentours.com/nl, our Facebook page and Instagram account. If you like to request a tailor-made offer, feel free to go consult our compass tool which immediately presents you with a number of questions and options you may want to consider. Based on your answers we will work out a personal travel itinerary, just for you.

Sunny greetings from Portugal!

Iris

 

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