OT: travel, quarantine...

[NB4PSU]

So we traveled to Colombia for a mongo wedding (Tuesday thru Saturday... all out balls to the wall). Of the couple hundred who departed, I have yet to hear of anyone testing positive for covid (even using the fasty test that is barely 60% on target). I'm curious if any travelers out there are hearing of ANYONE now testing positive (certainly many are once they're back in the states) and being stuck in quarantine in some 3rd world country. Gotta think if the word got out of folks being in q-tine for a week or more at their own expense in colombia might slow down visitors a bit... just sayin...

More interesting is the money... down there, you have pesos in play and a $5 bill there buys you a house. ok, i'm exaggerating, but you get the drift. The whole week you are thinking in terms of how much $5 (i think it's like 5 million) pesos translates to but not really THINKING about it. Along comes your covid test.

That will be $25 per person... American dollars. You don't think twice, you just pay it. In Italy it was the about the same.. but in Italy the numbers matched up with our currency. Not so much in Cartagena lol.

Today, it dawned on me just how much $50 in american money is in Cartagena... let's just say it's sizable. And every person exiting the country is paying it. Somebody is making some serious do-re-mi here. I'm thinking business opportunity here! ok, maybe not lol.

Edit... i'm thinking about how this all works. You and I travel wherever pretty much in the clear. We spend our dollars (see how long that lasts given inflation and recession at hand) in some other country... and THEN we need a test to re-enter OUR country. Ohhhh. So millions of travelers are now on the hook to drop roughly $25 a pop for a relatively meaningless testy (seriously, the PCR has been shtcanned as useless and the fast test is barely running at 60%... so why are we doing this?)... iow, foreign countries are getting wealthy at OUR expense.

Or did i miss sumpin? lol. It's a racket worthy of a cartel. BTW, when you fill in those forms you might notice all the MANY people who do not have any restrictions placed on them. They have no need for the jab and no need for a test. The list is incredibly long. For instance.. Congress critter? No worries, no requirements for you!

It's a joke.. and it's on us.

 

[91Joe95]

So we traveled to Colombia for a mongo wedding (Tuesday thru Saturday... all out balls to the wall). Of the couple hundred who departed, I have yet to hear of anyone testing positive for covid (even using the fasty test that is barely 60% on target). I'm curious if any travelers out there are hearing of ANYONE now testing positive (certainly many are once they're back in the states) and being stuck in quarantine in some 3rd world country. Gotta think if the word got out of folks being in q-tine for a week or more at their own expense in colombia might slow down visitors a bit... just sayin...

More interesting is the money... down there, you have pesos in play and a $5 bill there buys you a house. ok, i'm exaggerating, but you get the drift. The whole week you are thinking in terms of how much $5 (i think it's like 5 million) pesos translates to but not really THINKING about it. Along comes your covid test.

That will be $25 per person... American dollars. You don't think twice, you just pay it. In Italy it was the about the same.. but in Italy the numbers matched up with our currency. Not so much in Cartagena lol.

Today, it dawned on me just how much $50 in american money is in Cartagena... let's just say it's sizable. And every person exiting the country is paying it. Somebody is making some serious do-re-mi here. I'm thinking business opportunity here! ok, maybe not lol.

Edit... i'm thinking about how this all works. You and I travel wherever pretty much in the clear. We spend our dollars (see how long that lasts given inflation and recession at hand) in some other country... and THEN we need a test to re-enter OUR country. Ohhhh. So millions of travelers are now on the hook to drop roughly $25 a pop for a relatively meaningless testy (seriously, the PCR has been shtcanned as useless and the fast test is barely running at 60%... so why are we doing this?)... iow, foreign countries are getting wealthy at OUR expense.

Or did i miss sumpin? lol. It's a racket worthy of a cartel. BTW, when you fill in those forms you might notice all the MANY people who do not have any restrictions placed on them. They have no need for the jab and no need for a test. The list is incredibly long. For instance.. Congress critter? No worries, no requirements for you!

It's a joke.. and it's on us.

They're handing these tests to kids at school like candy. Seems like a good use of your tax dollars.

 

[PrtLng Lion]

I've wondered about this too. And unfortunately the thought of it has prevented me from traveling internationally for the last couple years. Wanted to get to Costa Rica and Ireland but not interested in dealing with this sh-t.

 

[TiogaLion]

They're handing these tests to kids at school like candy. Seems like a good use of your tax dollars.

Well, they were manufactured in China so it makes sense to send more tax dollars there.

 

[ClarkstonMark]

I went to Mexico City, Sao Paulo, and Barcelona in January, and the whole trip I was worried about my exit test from BCN.
Did not want to have to extend my trip, but there are worse places to have to quarantine.
Luckily test was negative.

 

[Bison13]

They're handing these tests to kids at school like candy. Seems like a good use of your tax dollars.

The school system I work for was handing them out on a weekly basis through the winter and spring. Before spring break you could pick up as many as you wanted for your whole family. One of the science teachers decided he was going to see how effective they were so he tested himself, his wife, both of his dogs and some type of slime mixture that he made up.

Turns out his test, one of the dogs and the slime came back positive.

 

[Nohow]

The school system I work for was handing them out on a weekly basis through the winter and spring. Before spring break you could pick up as many as you wanted for your whole family. One of the science teachers decided he was going to see how effective they were so he tested himself, his wife, both of his dogs and some type of slime mixture that he made up.

Turns out his test, one of the dogs and the slime came back positive.

Yeah, right. Probably operator error.

 

[91Joe95]

The school system I work for was handing them out on a weekly basis through the winter and spring. Before spring break you could pick up as many as you wanted for your whole family. One of the science teachers decided he was going to see how effective they were so he tested himself, his wife, both of his dogs and some type of slime mixture that he made up.

Turns out his test, one of the dogs and the slime came back positive.

Getting a false negative is even easier. In fact, the directions tell you exactly how to do it.

 

[91Joe95]

Yeah, right. Probably operator error.

I don't think you really understand how tests work. They look for a tell tale chemical marker, not the actual pathogen. There's lots of things that either produce or have the compound or something similar enough that will trigger the chemical reaction.

 

[EricStratton-RushChairman]

At the Ritz Cancun a month ago they had a room set aside for free testing. Sitting on the table next to the person giving the tests was a tip jar. I thought that was very funny

 

[NB4PSU]

It is amazing that we are relying on a test that is barely 60% accurate and another (pcr) that has been discredited (it's creator said as much prior to passing on) insofar as determining the presence of C19 (versus, say, the flu). Yet there we are in a third world country on the equator wondering if we're going to spend a week in an room the size of a common kitchen without a/c at our own expense. Helluva way to end a vacation lol.

Of course, not one tested positive... until we came home lol. Whew.

Funny aside... while in Italy my wife openly expressed the hope of testing positive so we could stay another week in Rome and gallavant about!! 10 minutes of explaining the facts of life (we pay, there may or may not be a/c in a hovel of a room, we will NOT be going outside nor enjoying lovely meals and picturesque landscapes) and the fear in her eyes was a very real thing. Q-tine in any country is not a happy meal. I suspect, 99.9% of all travelers from this country will never receive a positive test. Just sayin...

 

[s1uggo72]

It is amazing that we are relying on a test that is barely 60% accurate and another (pcr) that has been discredited (it's creator said as much prior to passing on) insofar as determining the presence of C19 (versus, say, the flu). Yet there we are in a third world country on the equator wondering if we're going to spend a week in an room the size of a common kitchen without a/c at our own expense. Helluva way to end a vacation lol.

Of course, not one tested positive... until we came home lol. Whew.

Funny aside... while in Italy my wife openly expressed the hope of testing positive so we could stay another week in Rome and gallavant about!! 10 minutes of explaining the facts of life (we pay, there may or may not be a/c in a hovel of a room, we will NOT be going outside nor enjoying lovely meals and picturesque landscapes) and the fear in her eyes was a very real thing. Q-tine in any country is not a happy meal. I suspect, 99.9% of all travelers from this country will never receive a positive test. Just sayin...

Question. Who checked your paperwork relative to the virus when you came home?
Customs? Immigration? The airlines?

 

[TheBigUglies]

So we traveled to Colombia for a mongo wedding (Tuesday thru Saturday... all out balls to the wall). Of the couple hundred who departed, I have yet to hear of anyone testing positive for covid (even using the fasty test that is barely 60% on target). I'm curious if any travelers out there are hearing of ANYONE now testing positive (certainly many are once they're back in the states) and being stuck in quarantine in some 3rd world country. Gotta think if the word got out of folks being in q-tine for a week or more at their own expense in colombia might slow down visitors a bit... just sayin...

More interesting is the money... down there, you have pesos in play and a $5 bill there buys you a house. ok, i'm exaggerating, but you get the drift. The whole week you are thinking in terms of how much $5 (i think it's like 5 million) pesos translates to but not really THINKING about it. Along comes your covid test.

That will be $25 per person... American dollars. You don't think twice, you just pay it. In Italy it was the about the same.. but in Italy the numbers matched up with our currency. Not so much in Cartagena lol.

Today, it dawned on me just how much $50 in american money is in Cartagena... let's just say it's sizable. And every person exiting the country is paying it. Somebody is making some serious do-re-mi here. I'm thinking business opportunity here! ok, maybe not lol.

Edit... i'm thinking about how this all works. You and I travel wherever pretty much in the clear. We spend our dollars (see how long that lasts given inflation and recession at hand) in some other country... and THEN we need a test to re-enter OUR country. Ohhhh. So millions of travelers are now on the hook to drop roughly $25 a pop for a relatively meaningless testy (seriously, the PCR has been shtcanned as useless and the fast test is barely running at 60%... so why are we doing this?)... iow, foreign countries are getting wealthy at OUR expense.

Or did i miss sumpin? lol. It's a racket worthy of a cartel. BTW, when you fill in those forms you might notice all the MANY people who do not have any restrictions placed on them. They have no need for the jab and no need for a test. The list is incredibly long. For instance.. Congress critter? No worries, no requirements for you!

It's a joke.. and it's on us.

It seems that everyone is catching C19 these days after avoiding it for 2 years. It does seem like ******** that the US is forcing airlines to check that travelers have a negative test before letting them get on a plane. I can get on domestic flights, buses, trains, etc without having to test. I can leave the country without taking a test(i guess depending on where you are going) but I need to test negative before boarding a plane to the US. It does seem like it has become a racket.

 

[NB4PSU]

Question. Who checked your paperwork relative to the virus when you came home?
Customs? Immigration? The airlines?

That's not only a fair question, it's one without an answer. In Colombia my sense was that the airlines checked but the testing results were coming from the gummint... more and more people from the wedding tested positive after arrival... personally convinced everyone is rubber stamped thru... after all, only an incredibly small % of covid testers actually get sick, let alone get really sick, let alone go the hosital (recent data is pretty clear... vaxxed are overwhelmingly the ones headed for hospital care)... let alone die. So sending folks home to the usa is no big schwing.

In italy, i really have no clue. THAT was a cluster fk of epic proportions. We filled out so many useless forms that were confiscated at the entry line by the airline that i have zero idea if and if and if and IF anything went further. I seriously wanted to sign my name as Bugs Bunny or Popeye or Daffy Duck or road Runner... NO ONE checked ****. No one checked anything... they simply collected the required bureaucratic silliness and sent us on our way. The whole thing was a joke.

Sorry... those of us traveling are laughing at the lunacy.

 

[s1uggo72]

That's not only a fair question, it's one without an answer. In Colombia my sense was that the airlines checked but the testing results were coming from the gummint... more and more people from the wedding tested positive after arrival... personally convinced everyone is rubber stamped thru... after all, only an incredibly small % of covid testers actually get sick, let alone get really sick, let alone go the hosital (recent data is pretty clear... vaxxed are overwhelmingly the ones headed for hospital care)... let alone die. So sending folks home to the usa is no big schwing.

In italy, i really have no clue. THAT was a cluster fk of epic proportions. We filled out so many useless forms that were confiscated at the entry line by the airline that i have zero idea if and if and if and IF anything went further. I seriously wanted to sign my name as Bugs Bunny or Popeye or Daffy Duck or road Runner... NO ONE checked ****. No one checked anything... they simply collected the required bureaucratic silliness and sent us on our way. The whole thing was a joke.

Sorry... those of us traveling are laughing at the lunacy.

Ok I was kinda shocked actually. They made a big deal about getting Vaxed but only the airline looked at the paperwork, I mean who are they?
US customs etc never asked

 

[CF Lion]

I've wondered about this too. And unfortunately the thought of it has prevented me from traveling internationally for the last couple years. Wanted to get to Costa Rica and Ireland but not interested in dealing with this sh-t.

No sh-t to deal with traveling to Ireland any longer. No proof of vaccination, test or quarantine.

 

[Tgar]

I've wondered about this too. And unfortunately the thought of it has prevented me from traveling internationally for the last couple years. Wanted to get to Costa Rica and Ireland but not interested in dealing with this sh-t.

Just got back from Costa Rica. It takes about 2 minutes to get tested and the results are emailed to you. The woman sticking the swab up my nose barely got it in there. I don’t think they care or want to have positive results. They are only complying with US regulations which will go away sooner or later.

We have been to Mexico a number of times during Covid as well as Antigua and Costa Rica. Every place we have been the test procedure was smooth, quick and results are emailed same day. Costa have come down from 250.00 to 25.00 or so it seems to get tested.

Some resorts pick up the cost ( it’s built in ) to attract Americans.

I agree, it is unnecessary at this point but the 3rd world countries love the money and the USA loves the rules.

Only the USA and some Asian countries currently seem to care about testing, Vaccine passports etc

 

[PSU Blue]

So we traveled to Colombia for a mongo wedding (Tuesday thru Saturday... all out balls to the wall). Of the couple hundred who departed, I have yet to hear of anyone testing positive for covid (even using the fasty test that is barely 60% on target). I'm curious if any travelers out there are hearing of ANYONE now testing positive (certainly many are once they're back in the states) and being stuck in quarantine in some 3rd world country. Gotta think if the word got out of folks being in q-tine for a week or more at their own expense in colombia might slow down visitors a bit... just sayin...

More interesting is the money... down there, you have pesos in play and a $5 bill there buys you a house. ok, i'm exaggerating, but you get the drift. The whole week you are thinking in terms of how much $5 (i think it's like 5 million) pesos translates to but not really THINKING about it. Along comes your covid test.

That will be $25 per person... American dollars. You don't think twice, you just pay it. In Italy it was the about the same.. but in Italy the numbers matched up with our currency. Not so much in Cartagena lol.

Today, it dawned on me just how much $50 in american money is in Cartagena... let's just say it's sizable. And every person exiting the country is paying it. Somebody is making some serious do-re-mi here. I'm thinking business opportunity here! ok, maybe not lol.

Edit... i'm thinking about how this all works. You and I travel wherever pretty much in the clear. We spend our dollars (see how long that lasts given inflation and recession at hand) in some other country... and THEN we need a test to re-enter OUR country. Ohhhh. So millions of travelers are now on the hook to drop roughly $25 a pop for a relatively meaningless testy (seriously, the PCR has been shtcanned as useless and the fast test is barely running at 60%... so why are we doing this?)... iow, foreign countries are getting wealthy at OUR expense.

Or did i miss sumpin? lol. It's a racket worthy of a cartel. BTW, when you fill in those forms you might notice all the MANY people who do not have any restrictions placed on them. They have no need for the jab and no need for a test. The list is incredibly long. For instance.. Congress critter? No worries, no requirements for you!

It's a joke.. and it's on us.

NB, in January of 2020 I went to a wedding in Colombia, 5 days in Cartagena, and 5 days in Bogota (where the wedding took place). It was only then, mostly in Cartagena but also in Bogota, did I understand the crisis going on in Venezuela. The poverty is crazy. Also, in Bogota, where every socialist in the USA should visit to understand, well socialism. No middle class, just a small amount of very wealthy people, and a bunch of poor people.

That said, a beautiful country and the people were nice.

 

[Nitt1300]

No middle class, just a small amount of very wealthy people, and a bunch of poor people.

welcome to the future

 

[NB4PSU]

NB, in January of 2020 I went to a wedding in Colombia, 5 days in Cartagena, and 5 days in Bogota (where the wedding took place). It was only then, mostly in Cartagena but also in Bogota, did I understand the crisis going on in Venezuela. The poverty is crazy. Also, in Bogota, where every socialist in the USA should visit to understand, well socialism. No middle class, just a small amount of very wealthy people, and a bunch of poor people.

That said, a beautiful country and the people were nice.

A friend (colombian) is taking his family back to the highlands of Colombia (better coffee up there lol) in june... i envy his sense of safety... i trust it is well placed. But... with MY family. Not a fing chance. That said, I loved Cartagena... just not the local coffee.

Great comment re socialists in usa.. spot on. Those of us who have seen and lived in third world regimes have a far different perspective of reality. I've been to more than 80 countries and the majority are "3rd world"... it is an eye opener and it should scare the bejesus out of the hoi polloi... this mess is fast becoming the new us of a. y'all best wake the f up... the baby formula meets $5+/gallon gas should be all the wakeup you need. Sadly, it won't.

 

[NB4PSU]

Ok I was kinda shocked actually. They made a big deal about getting Vaxed but only the airline looked at the paperwork, I mean who are they?
US customs etc never asked

Correctomuno. Frankly, the only people that really looked at our papers were on the train. Better have that mask thing going on.

We loved this one. They are all over us on the masking thing.. BUTTTTTTTT... you leave naples for rome and it's about 10 mins to the next stop. No one checks ****. Only AFTER you leave that stop do they go about the "papers please" routine. IF you fail, they will put you out at the next station... iow, Rome. Wow... bummer. lol. In short, exactly where you want to be.

If they checked on you out of naples, they put you off at the stop BEFORE rome... in which case ur fooked. But they intentionally do not.. they purposely wait.

Whole thing is a scam.

 

[NB4PSU]

It seems that everyone is catching C19 these days after avoiding it for 2 years. It does seem like ******** that the US is forcing airlines to check that travelers have a negative test before letting them get on a plane. I can get on domestic flights, buses, trains, etc without having to test. I can leave the country without taking a test(i guess depending on where you are going) but I need to test negative before boarding a plane to the US. It does seem like it has become a racket.

Fascinating that they require a test with 63% efficacy.. of course you could get the "better" one that has been disavowed since last sept as it can't distinguish between the flu and covid.. as it's creator told us a long time ago. The test is a bad joke that foisted a "pandemic" upon us.

But hey, you want to travel anywhere, they will happily welcome you and YOUR MONEY. $$$ is what they want, and it's what we bring. Those who want to argue with me had best travel outside sweetpoopy usa first... most arguers are holed up deeeeep in their basements and have NO idea wtf they are talking about.

I travel and I sure as hell do.

 

[NB4PSU]

Just got back from Costa Rica. It takes about 2 minutes to get tested and the results are emailed to you. The woman sticking the swab up my nose barely got it in there. I don’t think they care or want to have positive results. They are only complying with US regulations which will go away sooner or later.

We have been to Mexico a number of times during Covid as well as Antigua and Costa Rica. Every place we have been the test procedure was smooth, quick and results are emailed same day. Costa have come down from 250.00 to 25.00 or so it seems to get tested.

Some resorts pick up the cost ( it’s built in ) to attract Americans.

I agree, it is unnecessary at this point but the 3rd world countries love the money and the USA loves the rules.

Only the USA and some Asian countries currently seem to care about testing, Vaccine passports etc

I laughed at the "test".. it's clearly a 'we gotta do this bs" thing.. cuz the minute any wealthy american gets stuck in a 3rd world country doing the Q-thing in a hot box with no a/c.. all dollars go bye bye.. iow, i will not happen. You can have the worst case of covid since life began and you will test negative. Than you for spending ur money and kindly go home safely. And please come back!!!