Without a doubt, COVID has changed the world. Masks and social distancing are part of what is called the new normal. Where before a passport used to be essential for travelling, the vaccine passport is now, too.
Our well-travelled CEO Monique Surges took the plunge and went on her first overseas trip in two years and shares her experiences and travel advice.
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a travel guru.
I know my way around most airports, I know the best seat on most airlines, I pack my bag without batting an eyelid – been doing this thing called international travel my whole life and, in particular, since I began working for the GNZCC in 1993.
So embarking on this first trip, since being grounded in early 2020, should have been a breeze – far from it!
My great travel agents ATPI, got straight onto mapping out the options for my first trip back to Germany – gone are the days when your favourite flight path is regularly available, you take what you can get. Let me say at this point that in the past when I have had straight forward trips I will often book online, but in these challenging times you want someone who has your back, rebooking flight connections when things go a bit off plan, and not just that, you need guidance through the myriad of requirements for each place you land. My chosen route was via Singapore and Zurich to Munich.
So your flights are in place and now its time to get yourself familiar with said requirements.
Around and around in a circle we go – there is so much conflicting information out there and when you think you’ve got it sorted, the country in question changes their entry requirements. The Sherpa website became my most frequented site in the 3 weeks lead up to this trip, and a big thank you to Grant Bevin, head of ATPI in NZ who spent hours surfing the net with me to get this sorted.
What are the essentials?
So before I sign off for today I want to talk about the pre-departure Covid-19 tests. There are now numerous places you can book for the pre-departure testing but they are not all the same, other than they all cost a fortune! I was so nervous I booked at two different places and the experience at each was very different.
Rako Science offers a standard service and an urgent one with clear turn around times. I had my saliva PCR test at 8am, in a clean organised quiet test centre, and had the results back in writing including QR code by 11.33am that same day – that is what I call service!
The “other” one took the nasal sample at 9.30am (I stood in the outside queue for about 30mins, along with numerous people there because they had symptoms, ie no distinction between the healthy and the potentially contagious) – and then to ensure I had any chance of getting this result back I drove my sample out to Labtests myself. The SMS confirming, I had a negative result came in at 17.25 but an SMS is no good for a traveller’s requirements. The formal letter, without a QR code, finally arrived next day after much chasing at 10.30am – my flight was departing at 15.30 – if I had not already received the Rako results I would have been a bundle of nerves – not really good enough and according to the labtest website this is going to get worse as number of tests increase.
So now I’m sitting in the one open lounge in Changi airport, a once vibrant place, now pretty much closed down with plastic wrap over everything. It is going to be a long 3 hours transit.
- Monique Surges
I can’t get over how empty the planes were from Auckland to Singapore and Singapore to Zurich - max 40 people in each. After the ghost town that was Changi Airport, I was pleasantly surprised that Zurich airport was operating at about 3/4 capacity, even the onward flight to Munich, featured in the attached selfie, was more „normal“.
Sadly the infection rates are climbing in Germany meaning that many states are mandating masks again. The vaccination letter issued by NZ MOH better work otherwise I might not be enjoying restaurant meals for the next 3 weeks!
Now talking paperwork didn’t get asked once for my test results nor my vaccination certificate! Murphy’s law - if I didn’t have them I would have needed to produce them!
Off to find a strong coffee as need to stay awake for a few more hours - enjoying hearing German all around me again!
- Monique Surges
Had my first experience of how large companies ensure the safety of their staff, here in Munich at BayWa.
Little cotton bud swirled around each nostril 5 times and popped in a tube. 5 mins later I had my little certificate allowing me to proceed past reception. That plus vaccination means you can work without a mask in your designated area - there’s still social distancing and masks when moving around but it’s all just matter of fact.
- Monique Surges
One of the best ways to travel through Germany is by train 600km for €35!
Yet Germans continually complain about trains being late - 8 mins late- is that really late?! - in the German book it is. Yet I repeat: one of the best and certainly more carbon friendly ways to travel. As you can see from the photos everyone is dutifully masked up and socially distanced - and in this particular carriage social distancing really wasn’t an issue!
- Monique Surges
... wins again!
Good news 10 minutes at the Apotheke (Chemist) with my MOH letter and passport and I now have an EU digital COVID Certificate for each vaccination, that I can upload to one of the EU approved apps on my phone. No more silly papers or bits of cardboard!
New Zealand stop recreating the wheel and just use this tried and tested option - so easy and effective, allowing those who choose to be vaccinated the freedom to live as normally as possible!
- Monique Surges
Sorry terrible play on Shakespeare’s words but trying to keep things light-hearted!
So what is 2G, 2G+ and 3G? - All very confusing when you get here but not nearly as confusing as that new system everyone’s trying to get their heads around in NZ!
2G = Geimpft (vaccinated) or Genesen (recovered) i.e. anyone not vaccinated or not recovered is totally banned from entering
2G+ = Geimpft (vaccinated) or Genesen (recovered) AND tested that day - so again unvaccinated are banned, but here there is the added level of precaution by adding the requirement for a test that day for vaccinated and recovered
3G = Geimpft (vaccinated) or Genesen (recovered) or Getestet (tested) – in this case the unvaccinated may enter if they have a negative test result that day.
There are numerous apps available to load your digital vaccine record on but the one I liked best is LUCA – it has both a scanning feature, so you can record where you have been, and holds the QR code of your vaccine record that is needed by the establishment you are trying to enter, be it a restaurant, café or hotel for example. In Germany the establishment must scan and record your vaccine QR code, i.e. the onus is on them to manage who is coming in.
I have found that it is general business practise to test regularly - I’ve shoved so many cotton buds up my nose now I’ve sort of got used to it!
People either do regular self-tests at home or in some cases the employer insists on testing in the presence of a colleague.
What I have as a take away from this experience is testing is key to living a relatively normal life now.
The photo this time is a screen shot of my search for a local testing station as I needed an officially recorded test for one of my meetings. Not really an issue finding a suitable testing station!
- Monique Surges