International travel in the time of Covid

[fbhjr]

It’s just after 2 in the morning in Santiago Chile as I write this and we just got our latest negative Covid test so we can proceed.

Given all we’ve been through on paperwork for this trip, and still very worked up from the waiting, I feel moved to write about it.

To get to Chile in these days of Covid, you need to start at least 2 months before. They say 45 days, but I gave it 60 just in case.

You have to fill out a bunch of forms, your passport, your vaccine records, negative Covid tests, where you’re going, what you’ll be doing, your medical information and proof that everyone in the group has at least $30,000 in insurance for paying for Covid bills.
Then, in the next 2-4 weeks they send you an email that says “OK, we got all that, but don’t really trust you. You’ve got to do it all again 48 hours or less from when you get on a plane to come here. We don’t care about any flights you take before that last one, the one that lands in Chile is the only one we count for those 48 hours.”

Our flight from Lima Peru to Santiago Chile was Friday at 9:30 in the morning. That is what set the 48 hour clock. We left 45 1/2 hours before then, so had to do it all in transit.

I printed a small book of every printout of every item on the list and had it with me.
We got a new Covid test in Florida 25.3 hours before the final flight.
We got it there because it was $50 less there than in Boston.
$175 in Florida. $200 in Boston. Two of us doing it.

Once we had that I went to the Chile website and entered that, our passports and the proof of insurance and they sent us each a 2D scan code that was our “mobility pass” to get into Chile.

Leaving Orlando we were not even allowed to check in to the flight until I had shown paper copies of the negative Covid test, insurance coverage and the Chile “mobility pass”.

In Miami, before we could get on the flight to Lima Peru we had to show the negative Covid tests, insurance coverage, “mobility pass”, but also the actual email they sent us to get the pass.
“But, you get the pass from the email?” I asked. “If I have the pass, I must have had the email.”
“Show it or don’t go on the plane.”
I had printed it. I printed it all. But, finding it in the book took a while.

In Lima, before we could even go to the gate where the flight boarded we had to show all of the above, but also had to show what the insurance would pay out if we had Covid.
Never mind we had proof of insurance that said $100,000 for any medical issue, they needed to see something that specifically said Covid.
So, back to the book. It was in there, but it took a bit to find in one of the emails about the insurance coverage, in small print at the bottom, it did say “Covid treatment is considered the same as any other illness to this insurance.”

When we got to Chile we needed the negative Covid tests, the insurance proof and the code. They didn’t ask for the emails, or fine print.

They did insist on their own Covid tests, which involved swabbing the mouth and nose with the same swab. Can’t say I thought a lot of that…
But, no weird items from the book.

“You’ll have the results in 12 hours,” they told us. “Until then you must go to your hotel room and not leave for any reason before you have a negative test result.”

Our next flight is at 9 in the morning and I need a print out of that test. By 9PM, 7 hours after we landed, no results yet.
But, about 1:42 in the morning, the test finished.
And, just after 2 they posted it on the Chile website.
So, I’ve got my PDF downloads to print.

I am so glad that I printed every single email, form and test result and brought hardcopies with me.
I had it all electronic as well. But, it was paper the inspectors wanted to see at all those inspection points.
Maybe it took a bit for me to find the specific page out of the 100 pages or so of results I had.
But, I had it. I could show it.

The woman who checked us in at Orlando said to me “It’s nice to deal with someone who has all their documentation available” after confirming everything with me.
So, I suspect not everyone does print it all.

When I booked this trip for us back in March I really thought all this would be behind us.
If doing all this is what it takes to get on that boat, then I’m OK with it.

But, I’ve been very afraid that I’d jump through all these hoops and fail to dot one i or cross one t and we’d be stuck at one of the many stops on the way.

In 5 hours we get on the bus back to the airport and hopefully fly off to the boat.
Once on the boat, I can relax. I still have a pile of paper in front of me, and have to go find a way to print these two more test results to add to it.

And, who knows what they’ll ask for at the boat to let us on?

So far we’ve made it through all the hoops. Only one left. I hope we make that one too.

Comments

[threemeninaboat]

I do the same thing. Print everything out. Once Canadian customs broke John's laptop so he was not able to pull up any of his documents. While they were searching his car for bombs they found all his documents printed out in his glove box, that I put there.

[fbhjr]

That's funny as I've left things in my wife's car for crossing into Canada too.
But, there was also that time I left swords in the car while she was crossing. So, maybe they cancel out...

[ravena_kade]

all the paper work makes me wonder how people legally travelled around the communist countries in the time of the cold war.

I hope everything goes smooth for you. I look forward to your picks when you are out on the cruise.

[brickhousewench]

They say 45 days, but I gave it 60 just in case.

Smart move friend.

everyone in the group has at least $30,000 in insurance for paying for Covid bills.

EEEK!

We don’t care about any flights you take before that last one, the one that lands in Chile is the only one we count for those 48 hours.” … Chile was Friday at 9:30 in the morning. That is what set the 48 hour clock. We left 45 1/2 hours before then, so had to do it all in transit.

Also, could they make the whole process any harder? GAH! I’m super impressed that you had everything printed out and managed to successfully run the gauntlet multiple times. Go you!