A Trip to England: Covid Risks and Responsibilities

In November I’ll travel to England, my first overseas trip in over 1½ years. This will be the first time I’ve flown eastbound across the Atlantic on a daytime flight.

But, enough of firsts.

The trip isn’t assured. It’s possible Covid travel restrictions to the UK could be tightened and I would have to cancel the trip. The flights were booked with Delta SkyMiles, so they can be cancelled and the miles re-banked at no charge, taking advantage of my loyalty level with Delta. All the hotel reservations can be cancelled at no charge.

But I can reasonably expect I’ll be going to the UK.

Outbound to UK

As I always do when traveling internationally, I’ve registered the trip with the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). I’m receiving UK-specific email travel advisories, and will have to jump through fewer hoops to access emergency services from the US Embassy while in the UK.

However, mandatory Covid testing and documentation make some of the formalities of this journey unfamiliar to me. I’m writing this post to take my mind through these additional steps, and to minimize the possibility of overlooking something important.

Mobile Phone

“Mobile phone number” is a mandatory field on travel forms I’ve filled out. These days, international travel is impossible without a phone. For example, if the outbound flight is cancelled, I’ll use my phone to:

• Select another flight, possibly while I’m on board the cancelled flight as it returns to the gate.
• Re-book a mandatory Covid test to be taken soon after arrival in England.
• Submit an updated Passenger Locator Form to the UK authorities, supplying the re-booked Passenger Locator Reference Code supplied by the Covid testing company.
• Check in to the flight I selected, possibly supplying the updated Passenger Locator form reference number.
• Let friends in England know I’ll be late.

I usually travel with a phone and a tablet with a SIM slot. As I once found when my phone failed while traveling in Japan, the tablet is a useful backup. However, I don’t want to carry the extra weight of a tablet during a multi-day hike early in the trip, so I’m bringing an old phone as backup. I’m also bringing a battery pack to ensure the phone doesn’t run out of juice at a critical moment.

Before Travel: Book Two Covid Tests in the UK

Being vaccinated makes travel easier. The UK requires only one Covid test soon after arriving in the UK, and the US requires a test before returning from the the UK to the US.

When you arrive in England – fully vaccinated

After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2.

You must book this test before you travel.

[“Day 2” is the second full day in England, it does not include the day of arrival.]

gov.uk

Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test…for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States

…you will need to get a viral test no more than 3 days before you travel by air into the United States (US) and show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight… .

CDC.gov

I’ve found available time slots for tests dry up two or three days ahead, so I’ve already booked these tests. I’m using airport-based test centers because they should best understand the documentation requirements of airlines and governments.

• Test at Heathrow Terminal 2. (UK arrival airport.)
  I was unable to complete a reservation on a desktop Windows 10 computer, an iPad, or an Android phone. After a phone discussion with the UK testing company, we arrived at a solution: set my phone to the UK time zone before making the reservation.
• Test at Newcastle Airport. (UK departure airport.)

I’ve opted for the more reliable PCR test. Other tests are faster and cheaper, but are more likely to produce false positives or false negatives or not be accepted by the authorities.

About Three Days Before Travel: Take Voluntary Pre-Travel Covid Test

Because I’m vaccinated, the US and UK no longer require a Covid test before traveling from the US to England.

However, I choose to be tested before travel to minimize the possibility of a positive Covid test when I arrive in England. A positive test in England would really mess up my plans!

I’ll visit a community testing site, so there’s no charge for this test.

Submit Passenger Locator Form to UK Authorities

Within 48 hours before arriving in the UK, I’ll fill out a Passenger Locator Form online. There’s no charge.

Fill in your passenger locator form

You must complete a passenger locator form online before you arrive in the UK.

GOV.UK

At this point I have to identify which passport (UK or US) I’ll use to enter the UK upon arrival at London Heathrow. I’d been hoping I could choose whichever immigration line was shorter.

To make it easier to fill out the form, I’ve already created an account and entered details into the account profile. If there is a long flight delay or cancellation, I’ll submit another Passenger Locator Form to meet the new 48-hour window.

Outbound Day 1: Minneapolis MSP to New York JFK

I’ll land at JFK early evening, then spend the night at the TWA Hotel. The hotel’s expressive public areas are in Eero Saarinen’s (former) Trans World Flight Center.

Outbound Day 2: JFK to London Heathrow LHR

The 6½-hour flight departs in the morning, and arrives LHR late evening on the same day. Because of the late arrival, and potentially long immigration lines, I’ll walk over to a hotel adjacent to LHR’s Terminal 2.

Normally I travel to the UK via Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport because of the airport’s friction-free connections from the US to non-Schengen countries, including the UK. I usually connect to a flight to Newcastle NCL, my home town, where I’m often the first, and sometimes only person in the immigration line for travelers arriving from outside Europe.

On this trip, however, I’m traveling nonstop from the US to the UK: I’ll avoid possible changes in regulations, such as quarantine requirements, that might suddenly apply to travel through Schiphol.

Outbound Day 3: UK-Mandated Covid Test

On my first full day in the UK, I’ll have an English breakfast at the hotel then walk to Heathrow Terminal 2 for the preordered Covid test. I’ll then get on with my day and be notified of the result, via email, within 24 hours.

If my flight is delayed or cancelled, and I miss the testing appointment, I’ll have to scramble to find a testing site with an open time slot. I could’ve delayed the test by one day, but I plan to be hiking towards Oxford on the Thames Path by then.

While in England

The vaccination rate in England is higher than in Minnesota: 68% vs 59% are fully vaccinated (October 10, 2021 numbers). The unvaccinated continue to fill up hospital beds and put us all at risk.

While I’m in England I’ll take the same precautions as I do in Minnesota: try to keep my distance from people, mask-up indoors or in crowded spaces, even if there isn’t a mask requirement, wash my hands frequently, and so on. Current English government recommendations do not legally require masks or vaccination, but businesses can choose to require masking and proof of vaccination. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales have their own legal requirements, but I won’t be visiting those countries.

I’ve installed the NHS (National Health Service) Covid app, which will warn me if I’ve been near any other app users who’ve tested positive for Covid. Because I’m vaccinated, there isn’t anything I need to do if I get a warning, but it’s an interesting metric nonetheless.

Return to US

If the US pauses tourist travel from the UK while I’m in the UK, I’d quickly try to book a flight back to Minneapolis before the restriction took effect. If I was unable to return to the US, I’d use this as an opportunity to travel within the UK until restrictions are lifted. I’m grateful I have the time and resources to carry this risk.

Alternatively, my return could be delayed because I get a breakthrough Covid infection. To put it mildly, this would be inconvenient. I’d use my regular US health insurance to cover most of the costs of emergency treatment. Over the years, I’ve saved many thousands of dollars by only having repatriation insurance and no general travel insurance; I prefer to self-insure some risks.

However, most likely, the trip will go as planned.

No more Than Three Days Before Departure of Flight to US: US-Mandated Covid Test

The US requires a Covid test no more than three full days before the day of departure of a flight back to the US.

Lead times for taking tests and filling forms are just a little confusing.

• If I depart from Europe on a flight for the United States on a Friday, I can be tested any time on the Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.
• However, the UK’s Passenger Locator Form must be submitted 48 hours or sooner before the flight arrives in the UK. If the flight is delayed, and I arrive 49 hours after I submitted the form, I’m not in compliance with the regulation.

I’ll depart from Newcastle Airport in the northeast of England. Two days before departure I’ll ride the Tyne and Wear Metro to the airport to be tested. There are other test sites in Newcastle upon Tyne where I’ll be staying, but I’m assuming an airport clinic has a better chance of providing correct documentation.

Two days before departure is plenty time for the results to be emailed to me (usually within 24 hours). If my flights are delayed, I’ll have an extra day of slush time before I would have to be re-tested to meet the new three-day window.

Day of Travel: Newcastle NCL to Minneapolis/St. Paul MSP via Amsterdam Schiphol AMS

My CDC vaccination card and (digital) proof of a recent, negative test should get me home to Minneapolis. I’m not finding any special requirements for an airside layover at Amsterdam Schiphol. The Dutch currently place no additional requirements on vaccinated passengers in transit from the UK to the USA.

Before boarding the flight to Minneapolis, a KLM agent will collect a completed CDC Passenger Disclosure and Attestation Form.

3 to 5 Days After Travel: Voluntary Covid Test

The CDC recommends a Covid test 3 to 5 days after travel. I’ll go to a community testing site for this voluntary test.

Authoritative Information Sources

The best-laid plans are just that: plans.

One of the joys of travel is experiencing the unexpected, as I did a few years ago trying to enter China at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport. I played the cancer card, which was a bit desperate, I know. After officials reviewed my online medical records, an exception was made I and was eventually allowed to enter the Shanghai area for the originally planned few days. Delta even paid for an onward flight to Seoul to make my status fit the official definition of a transit passenger.

However, there often isn’t a lot of flexibility with government regulations, so I’m monitoring changes in travel rules. I’ve signed up for emails from the US STEP program and GOV.UK. I’m also keeping a firm eye on authoritative Web sites:

• Traveling from USA to UK. US Government | UK Government
• Traveling from UK to Amsterdam Schiphol airport (transit). UK Government | Netherlands Government | US Government
• Traveling from Schiphol to Minneapolis. US Government | Minnesota Government (Arrival restrictions vary by state.)
• CDC recommendations