Need warm weather ASAP, but don't know what countries are open? For our honeymoon, Trey and I headed down to Turks and Caicos! You may be wondering, where in the heck is that? You can find Turks in the Caribbean to the east of Cuba and to the north of the Dominican Republic. It was such a good time, but did take some extra work on our end to get there. Since it is a weird time to be traveling... I wanted to give you insight on how we got to Turks and what we had to do to get in the country! turks and caicos entryAlright, so the first thing you're gonna wanna do is check the Turks and Caicos website to make sure they are still open to tourists. This is the site I used! It's important to do this because countries have been changing their status left and right. Our original plan was to go to Tahiti, but about two weeks before our trip, they closed their borders and we weren't aware of this for a few days. Once that's done, it's time to find a great flight! I use the Hopper app to snag a good deal and then go to the airline with the deal, to book directly with them. Lately, I've only been booking flights directly with the airline to ensure I have valid insurance and a company to hold responsible in case something goes sour. We flew with United down there and they were very helpful with the covid process, but honestly their seats are not comfy. On a one hour flight you might not notice but the four hour one had our butts hurting! American Airlines though has decent prices for flights in May for $464, so I'd try those. Our flights turned out being $445 each with insurance and then we checked one shared bag for $30. covid requirements for turksAfter you have your flight booked, you'll want to research your options for covid testing. Turks and Caicos requires a PCR test done five days or less prior to your arrival. Antigen tests are not being accepted at this time by Turks. So, let's say you're flying out on a Monday, then you will want to schedule your test for the Thursday before. Now, a few days after we booked our flight with United they sent us an email about testing options. I was so relieved by this because I was having trouble finding a PCR testing site that would guarantee the result turnover time. We got our tests done at a CVS in the drive thru. They hand you the kit and you perform the test yourself in your car! It was pretty straightforward and went rather quick, which was nice. The best part was that we could schedule our time slots online. It looks like you have to book each appointment separately, even if theres two people needing a test. I feel like they'd let you drive up in the same car too, if you book two time slots back to back though. Together, our tests cost $278. A little pricey, but I figured testing cost into our budget and we were able to save in some other areas! TIP: Once its been a few days in Turks, you will want to schedule your second covid test. (If you are returning to the United States) The good news is the US is accepting multiple testing options. We opted for the antigen test and it was $50 each. I was so happy! When we checked in, our hotel had told us about testing options and we ended up walking to a nearby hotel. We went to Seven Stars for our test :) buying insurance in case you're sick abroadWhen your trip is five days away, you are now able to apply for entry to Turks and Caicos online. This process is done through TCI Assured. You will need a few things before you sit down and do this application however. Before starting, you must have a document of your negative covid test and know if your insurance covers covid expenses abroad. I recommend doing this form in one sitting as well. I let mine sit a day or two and then I couldn't refresh certain questions, so make sure you're ready! To submit your test result, you will need an online copy. There are a list of items too that must be on your document, so try to find a copy with things like the test type and name of testing center. Your application will list out the items you must have on your covid result document. Want to see more photos of our Turks trip? Head to my Instagram and follow for all my favorite travel pics :) travel requirements for turksI thought my insurance might cover the expenses, based on the overview of my benefits. Although it didn't and the TCI staff let me know within 20 minutes of submitting my application! That being said, it's possible to buy coverage for the time frame of your trip with TCI Safe. Surprisingly, it was rather affordable. I imagined $200 or so each, but it turned out being around $78 per person. After I bought the insurance, I plugged the plan information into my application and it was accepted the next morning! WOO. landing on turks and caicos islandsWhen they send you your TCI Assured certificate, you'll want to print out a few copies. Do this with your covid results as well. With United, they had a spot online where we could upload our documents a few days before the flight. This made checking in easy because they didn't need to see our paper copy results! The paper copies will be important though when you land in Turks. As you walk into customs, they want to see a health form you were given on the plane, your covid results, and your TCI Assured certificate. We had no issues and I was so relieved! YAY, you're ready to hit Turks and Caicos! It will be a blast, you won't believe it. Traveling abroad takes a little extra time right now, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible. The paperwork is 1000x worth it for this crazy blue water folks. Obviously I have a thousand more things to share with you about this trip, so keep your eyes peeled this spring! I hope y'all have the best Easter. Thank you for reading, I love making content for you guys!! Tell me below what else you'd love to know about Turks :) Also, if you're ready to start planning your trip, you can read my Greatest Tips for Traveling on a Budget post and sketch out some finance goals for your Turks trip! If you found this post helpful, pin it now and save it for later! LOVE EVERYTHING TRAVEL AND WANT MORE OF MY BEST TIPS? JOIN MY TRAVEL GANG AND GET THE SWEETEST ADVICE ON VISITING DOPE PLACES, LIKE TURKS AND CAICOS!
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