It is no secret that study abroad trips are a huge part of many students’ college experiences and a vital learning opportunity that contributes to the growth that occurs during one’s college years. Unfortunately, the cancellation of these trips is just another casualty that Covid-19 is greatly responsible for. Following the initial outbreak in March of 2020, students who were already abroad were asked to return home, and all future travel plans were postponed indefinitely. As the world slowly continues to find a new sense of normalcy, students have once again begun planning their trips and are getting excited about the prospect of experiencing life abroad.
Study abroad trends
In a typical year, student travel tends to peak in the months of August and January as students return to school to start a new semester. 2021 saw half as much student travel than it did in 2019 prior to the onset of the pandemic. According to our data, 40 per cent of last year’s study abroad trips were to Europe in just five of its countries: Italy, the UK, France and Spain. Another top travel spot for students departing from the US was Costa Rica. On the other hand, student trips inbound to the US were most often booked by those traveling from India, China, Brazil and Bangladesh.
According to a recent New York Times article, travel has increased in Europe since the European Union recommended the opening of borders in June. However, each country in the EU still has the freedom to make its own choice in terms of what is required of incoming visitors. Most countries, however, will require an approved Covid-19 vaccination if visitors do not want to be subject to taking a test or quarantining upon arrival. If you are travelling from a lower-risk country, you may be allowed entry even if you are not vaccinated.
At the time of writing, France requires proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of entering the country, while Italy requires that visitors from non-European countries present a negative test and complete a 10-day quarantine. Italy is also only allowing essential travel from countries that are high risk. Spain requires their visitors to be vaccinated and is allowing travellers from high-risk countries so long as they receive a negative test. The UK, on the other hand, has a more extensive process for regulating travel; it created a ‘traffic light’ procedure that allows (or doesn’t allow) visitors to enter based on quarantine and testing requirements as well as taking into consideration the number of cases in the visitor’s home country. This procedure is reviewed every three weeks and adjusted as necessary.
