COLUMBUS, Ohio — When an Ohio couple booked their trip, they weren't planning to quarantine for half their vacation, but new travel restrictions will force them to do so.


What You Need To Know

  • Traveling this fall may be a challenge
  • An Ohio travel agent said travelers can expect busy airports

  • The travel agent also said travelers can also expect aircraft that are fully booked and overbooked

“Within eight to 10 hours after booking it, we received a notification from our airline,” said Brett Goldstein. 

Goldstein and his wife, Josie, booked their trip to the Netherlands and Amsterdam on Sept. 2. Starting Sept. 4, Amsterdam began requiring U.S. travelers to quarantine for 10 days, dropping to five with a negative COVID-19 test.

“With us going for about nine days, we didn’t see any reason to sit in our hotel for five days,” said Goldstein.

It’s a scenario ATG Travel Worldwide B.V. CEO Tammy Krings said she spends most of her days planning for.

“Tracking COVID numbers has become very normal for us,” said Krings. “We have a lot of resources to obtain what’s going on in an area and even do some predictions on what will be happening in the next few days.” 

She said traveling this fall will come with its challenges beyond just COVID-19 restrictions.

“Travelers can expect very busy airports, very busy aircraft. They can expect to have the aircraft full booked and overbooked,” said Krings.

She said there isn’t as much of a financial risk in booking flights.

“The airlines have been very forgiving on reimbursement and reuse of airline tickets for international travel.”

When it comes to hotels, Goldstein suggests paying a little more for the “refundable” option. 

Goldstein said she learned that lesson the hard way.

“We did book it through Airbnb, said Goldstein. “We reached out to try to get a refund due to this coming up last minute and they are not willing to work with us.”

Krings suggests booking trips as usual and adjusting when changes arise.