USA ESTA Travel Pass News

Since last month, as the Korean government has completely exempted self-quarantine for overseas COVID-19 vaccine recipients upon arrival in Korea, complaints about passport and visa issuance for visiting Korea have increased rapidly at the Los Angeles Consulate General.

According to the Consulate General of Los Angeles on the 11th, there were 368 visa issuance complaints in April, which is a 100% increase from 184 in March. In particular, the application for a visa for overseas Koreans (F-4) was the driving force behind this.

Passports surged from March when the news that self-quarantine would be exempted began to spread, and this trend continued in April. According to the Consulate General of Los Angeles, passport issuance complaints increased 48.3% from 739 in February to 1,096 in March, and maintained the trend by recording 1,100 in April. The number of cases in April was 48.8% higher than in February.

On the 11th, Minwoo Park, Consul General of the Consulate General of Los Angeles, said, “This trend is still continuing even in May.”

This phenomenon appears to be due to the increase in demand for visits to Korea following the quarantine exemption measures. According to the travel industry, sales of Korean tickets and inquiries about travel to Korea have increased significantly since last March (reported on March 15 of this report). Also, from the first day when quarantine was exempted, Incheong Airport was crowded, and on April 1st, the number of passengers using Incheon Airport exceeded 20,000 for the first time in more than two years since the start of the Corona 19 crisis.

The Consulate General of Los Angeles expects that applications for passport and visa issuance will increase further from June, when the summer vacation and vacation season begins in earnest. The Korean travel and airline industry is also spurring preparations, expecting that the demand for Korean travel, which has been suppressed for the past two years, will materialize in earnest from this summer.

When applying for a passport at the Los Angeles Consulate General, you will need a passport issuance application form, an original (most recent) passport and a photocopy of the original passport, and two passport photos (taken within 6 months). In addition, required documents may differ depending on circumstances, such as minors under the age of 18, non-commissioned persons, or dual nationals. You can apply for an emergency passport in case of an emergency such as a funeral.

Visa application form, visa issuance application, color photo for visa (shown within 6 months), original passport and photocopy (if the remaining validity period is less than 6 months, application may be rejected). Required documents vary depending on the case. More information can also be found on the website of the Consulate General.

Those who have completed vaccination who wish to visit Korea are classified as subject to quarantine exemption by directly entering their vaccination history into the ‘Quarantine Information Advance Input System’ (cov19ent.kdca.go.kr/cpassportal/) and attaching a certificate. Consent to terms and conditions, email input, passport information input, entry and stay information input, quarantine information input, health status input, input information confirmation, QR code issuance, etc. A person who has been vaccinated is a person who has passed 14 days and has not passed 180 days since the second dose (one dose for Johnson & Johnson) or who received the booster shot (3rd dose).

An American couple in their 50s is a hot topic after retiring early and living a “travel life” by staying on a cruise ship instead of at home. Surprisingly, those who say their daily cost of living is cheaper than a home mortgage payment do not plan to live on land again in the future.

The main character of the topic is Angeline Burke and Richard Burke, both from Seattle. All in their 50s, they have always dreamed of a life of travel after retirement. The Burkes’ original plan was to spend the rest of their lives changing countries once a month, staying on a cruise ship after retirement.

Their dream, which seemed far away, became a reality one day in 2021, when Angeline, an accountant, made simple calculations ahead of schedule. Because it was calculated that if I had to pay 43 dollars a day for living expenses, I could live even if I quit my job. It was much cheaper than their daily living expenses at the time.

“We both love to travel, so we were looking for an economical way to continue traveling after retirement,” said Angeline. I can live.” The calculation came out.

After that, the couple quit their jobs and started traveling. I was also freed from bills that arrive home every month. They first toured Europe on a 50-day cruise on the Adriatic Sea. After that, I went on a 51-day cruise from Seattle to Sydney, Australia.

The most memorable travel destinations I have visited so far are Singapore, Italy, Canada, Iceland, and the Bahamas. I plan to travel all over the world in the future.

The couple, who have consistently saved and lived a frugal life to realize their dreams, said, “The material is not important, but the experience is the real asset. It is a relaxing trip that can be done.”

The couple, who said they slept on land only a handful of times in the past year, except when itinerary doesn’t match between cruises, say they have no plans to live on land in the future.

There is an indicator that never fails to know the tourist interest of a destination: Google. The more searches, the more trips. And Google, crossing data, has reported that Europe has become the preferred destination of Americans, who are massively taking out or renewing their passports to travel.

Remember, no one gets a passport in person, and no one knows the address where it is obtained: for this, everyone enters Google, which obtains this information. Google also knows what they are looking for. And these are the preferred destinations, in order: Paris, London, Rome, Athens and Lisbon. Google, which is not surprised at all because it has experience in these things, has nevertheless said that searches are “shocking” compared to other years. In 2021, for example, among the most searched cities there was only one non-American: Cancun, which is as if it were.

The same data from the number one search engine indicates that the appointments to obtain or renew the passport increased by 300 percent in these first three months of the year, clearly pointing to an increase in trips abroad. Likewise, the search for luxury hotels has doubled compared to what was searched for in 2019. Google also detects those searches for “girls travel destinations” increase three times. For singles 200 percent and something similar happens with cruises.

The American company has just launched a seasonal link between the Côte d’Azur and the Big Apple as part of its deployment strategy which mainly targets Europe. This makes it the third player to choose Nice Côte d’Azur airport on this line, after La Compagnie and Delta.

Between Nice and New York there is only one step. A giant step of 6,500 kilometres that airlines are eager to take. Such as United Airlines which has just launched this April 30 a link between the Côte d’Azur and the Big Apple.

This makes it the third company to position itself on this line, after Delta Air Lines and La Compagnie. “This route confirms our ambition as much as our conviction that the future of air transport depends on the development of direct connections, in particular international ones, a guarantee of a better quality of service and better connectivity”, is satisfied Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Board of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.

The airline announces the resumption of its flights to Houston from Munich and the opening of a new line to Denver. The deployment of links between Europe and the United States continues for United Airlines.

The airline has announced flights between Munich Airport, Germany and Houston, Texas are resuming. Suspended since March 13, 2020 due to the pandemic, the route will be flown aboard a Boeing 767-300 which will take off daily from Munich at 11:55 a.m.

At the same time, United is inaugurating a new link between the German city and the United States with its Munich-Denver line. This is the first time the Colorado city has been connected to Munich. The daily flight will take off at 4:05 p.m. aboard a Boeing 787-9. The company now offers 6 daily flights from Munich to the United States with services to Chicago, Washington, Newark or San Francisco.

While the Covid continues to kill more than 400 people a day in the United States, a judge considered that we could not impose the wearing of the mask in public transport. The airlines immediately lifted the restrictions.

The most total confusion reigns in the United States on the wearing of the mask. Since Monday evening, it is no longer mandatory to cover your nose and mouth on a plane on American territory… But it still is in most airports. Similarly, in most of the country, you can do without a mask in taxis and VTCs… but not in New York, where it also remains compulsory in the subway. Even more ubiquitous: the authorities continue to impose it in New York at LaGuardia and JFK airports, but not in Newark, located in New Jersey, a few kilometres away.

A Florida judge ruled earlier this week that wearing a mask could not be imposed at the federal level on public transport. Immediately, the airlines announced to their passengers that they were free to remove their masks. Some did it mid-flight. On social networks, videos are circulating showing scenes of joy, and pilots did not hesitate to shout their satisfaction… On Tuesday, on most flights, three quarters of passengers had already removed the mask.

 

 

A fragmented country

But the soap opera may not be over. As of Tuesday, the spokesperson for the White House, Jen Psaki, regretted a “disappointing decision”. “We believe that the obligation to wear a mask should continue and that it is safer for passengers to wear one in flight,” she explained. “Public health decisions should not be made in courts but by experts, by science and hard data.

On Wednesday it was announced that the Justice Department would appeal the decision of mandatory mask wearing on transport. This decision came about after the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) ruled that it was necessary. Some experts noted, however, that an appeal would be heard by the reputedly conservative Eleventh Circuit, and therefore the federal bond was unlikely to be reinstated.

This situation is ultimately only the result of a completely fragmented policy. Since the start of the pandemic, under Donald Trump and then under Joe Biden, Washington did not wish, then did not manage to impose a united policy on the whole territory. The previous administration had left the decision-making power to the States, and Joe Biden never managed to change the situation.

The balance sheet is getting heavier

The court decision comes even as new Covid cases are on the rise in the United States. Over the past two weeks, they have jumped 47%, even if they remain at a modest level, far from the January peak (nearly 42,000 new cases for Tuesday, ten times less than during the busiest days). charged at the beginning of the year). While only 66% of the American population is fully vaccinated, more than 400 people continue to die from Covid every day across the Atlantic. The bar of one million victims could soon be reached.

Seating next to the driver is also available Uber, a ride-hailing service, also ‘shared’ the move to lift the mandatory wearing of masks in the United States. The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 19th that Uber has decided to end the requirement for drivers and passengers to wear masks. Uber has also decided to end measures to prevent passengers from riding in the seat next to the driver. However, in a statement, Uber said, “Many people think it is safe to wear a mask for quarantine purposes. Please respect other people’s choices.” Uber made it compulsory for passengers to wear a mask and use the back seat of a car immediately after the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). It is also mandatory for drivers to wear masks. The decision was taken in consideration of the Florida federal court’s ruling the day before that the U.S. government’s decision to extend the mandatory wearing of masks when using public transportation such as buses and planes was invalidated. After the ruling, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) decided not to make it compulsory for passengers using public transportation to wear masks, and airlines such as United Airlines and Alaska Airlines also decided to leave it to passengers’ choice. However, Uber emphasized that the lifting of the mandatory mask applies only to the United States, and that Uber users from other countries must follow local quarantine regulations. In the UK and the Netherlands, the compulsory mask measures have already ended. Previously, the UK changed the wearing of masks voluntarily in public transportation facilities such as subways and buses in February of this year, and France and Germany respectively abolished the mandatory wearing of masks in public facilities last month.

Since the arrival of a certain pandemic in March 2020, Quebec skiers and snowboarders have been greatly missed at Vermont resorts. This is what La Presse found by going down the slopes of two favorited mountains of amateurs, Jay Peak and Stowe, to highlight the reopening of the borders.

Located just under two hours by car from Montreal, Jay Peak station needs no introduction. With its wide variety of trails (81 in total) and its vertical drop of 656 m, the resort delights many Quebecers every year. The feeling is mutual. The proof? To address fluctuations in the lone (which is worth about 78 cents US at the time of this writing), Jay Peak accepts Canadian money at par with US money. To take advantage of the discount, customers must show proof of valid citizenship (passport, driver’s license) and pay cash. Unfortunately, we were unaware of this policy when purchasing our lift ticket. Having withdrawn nothing at the counter before crossing the border, we had to pay for our half-day access by means of a credit card, and thus absorb the exchange rate, which increased the price of the ticket by $22 (from US$76 to C$98).

Another proof of Jay Peak’s affection for Quebecers: the signs are often bilingual. In addition, a track is called Montrealer (La Montréalaise, in French). To get there, take the Jet Triple Chair lift.

In an interview, Jay Peak’s communications director, JJ Toland, welcomed the return of Quebecers. The closing of the borders has affected us a lot. Half of the people who ski at Jay Peak are from Canada. Without them, 2021 has been a tough year, to say the least. JJ Toland, Communications Director of Jay Peak.

For this reason, Quebecers who will find Jay Peak this season will not detect any novelty. “We did not make any significant investments because when we made our budget, we anticipated the worst for the second year in a row, explains JJ Toland. We had prepared for another year of minimal, if not zero, traffic from Canada.

In terms of infrastructure, nothing has changed much in Stowe either, apart from these “Adventure Zones” mentioned by Jeff Wise, director of communications of Vail Resorts, during our visit. These are areas accessible from the beginner and intermediate slopes.

Located two and a half hours from Montreal, Stowe Mountain, which celebrates its 85th anniversary this year, contains two distinct peaks: Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak. The resort offers a vertical drop of 719 m and, above all, 129 runs. Those reserved for experienced skiers being closed during our visit, we exclusively explored the intermediate ones. Too bad, because seeing the look of the double diamonds through the windows of the imposing gondola that took us to an altitude of 1105 m, we were salivating at the idea of attacking some of them. The GOAT, named after the acronym “Greatest of All Time”, which in French means “best of all time”, was certainly part of the lot.

We are very happy to welcome Canadians back. You have always been part of our winter sports community. Jeff Wise, Vail Resorts Director of Communications

After-ski Both resorts offer two different types of après-ski. Jay Peak offers a choice: the “relaxation” option, made up of restaurants, a cinema, a spa, and an outdoor fire surrounded by benches to slouch on, and the “exhaust our last reserves of energy”, with its climbing wall and (fasten your toque) its indoor water park. In just a few minutes, you can therefore switch from merino wool jersey to swimsuit.

As for the pandemic health measures, very present last year, such as wearing a mask outside, physical distancing and the obligation to book well in advance, they have disappeared. “Our visitors can do whatever they want,” JJ Toland assured us.

On the Stowe side, après-ski is slightly more traditional. In the heart of the “village”, at the foot of Spruce Peak (which you access by taking a gondola from Mount Mansfield), there are a few shops, restaurants, a whiskey bar, a microbrewery, as well as a theatre of 420 squares, where a variety of “cultural” events are presented.

For those who wish to fully experience the theme of sliding sports, an outdoor skating rink is in the centre of the esplanade. You can rent skates there, which you leave after use in bins located near the ice area, without having to return to the counter. “It’s a code of honour,” an attendant told us.

Yes, Quebecers like to ski in Vermont, but they are not the only ones. Americans also like to slalom in the north-eastern United States and can travel hundreds of miles to satisfy this need. A single glance at the parking spaces at the foot of the slopes is enough to realize this. Nevada, Florida, New Mexico, Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Rode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania… We identified license plates from all over Uncle Sam’s country during our stay.

If you like history, then Washington is the ideal city for you as it is one of the most historical places to visit. Most museums in Washington DC have free admission, so you can enjoy all its glory without having to take out your wallet.

Washington has many free museums including:

The Smithsonian, Arlington Cemetery, La Casa Blanca, The Lincoln Memorial, The Vietnam Monument, The National Arboretum & The Naval Museum.

There is also usually plenty of outdoor concerts and events during the summer, which are also free.

Baltimore – This city has a long history and allows you to get to know it for free to increase your knowledge and be closer to the city you are visiting.

Places to visit include, climbing the Washington Monument, Visit Edgar Allan Poe’s memorial, visit Fort McHenry and take a stroll through picturesque little Italy.

Orlando – This is not one of the most popular cities in the United States for domestic tourism, but for outbound tourism. There are many tourists interested in knowing this city, which is full of surprises for its visitors. It’s also a cheap city, so you won’t have to scratch your pocket too much to enjoy everything that’s waiting for you.

While it is true that when you go to Disney or the famous Universal, they are not cheap places, there are many other cheaper things you can do to enjoy your cheap Orlando vacation which include:

Rollerblading along the beautiful Orlando shoreline, Visit the Lego Imagination Center, go to the Ripley Museum, Visit the Science Center and getting to know the Museum of Trains and Trolleybuses.

Philadelphia – When you read the name of this city you will certainly think of a very famous film by the actor Tom Hanks, but beyond that you will also think of because it is a city that can bring you a lot without having to spend too much money.

This city is a great place to visit on a budget and there are a lot of things you can do in Philadelphia for free. The sites of historical interest do not charge an entrance fee. It seems unbelievable as you are used to living in a country that almost charges you for breathing. In this case, however, you can enjoy the following places of historical interest, such as:

The Liberty Bell, The Independence Hall, America’s First Bank, The Masonic Temple, the town, The Rodin Museum, various art museums and The Edgar Allan Poe Museum just to name a few.

There is an abundance of accommodation choices from shared hostels to 5-star hotels at affordable prices with many amenities.

Las Vegas – This city is not only the place where many people will get married to celebrate an atypical wedding – it seems that it has already become a classic – but it is also a paradise for those on a tight budget. There are many people who think that if they go to Vegas on a small budget, they will walk away with a lot of cash thanks to the casinos and gambling houses that exist there. However, the reality is that gambling is never a good choice to make money with certainty. So if you are on a low budget it is best not to go near the gambling houses as then you risk running out of anything.

But in Las Vegas you can find many hotel deals, cheap meals, and inexpensive activities or for a limited budget. It is a city that never sleeps, where the lights are always on and that you can always enjoy great walks at affordable prices, like for example:

The Venetian’s gondolas, The Sports Hall of Fame, Silverton Saltwater Aquarium and The Chocolate Fountain in Bellagio.