12 Countries Vaccinated Travelers Can Enter Without Testing
If you’re fully vaccinated, here’s where you can travel right now that doesn’t involve additional testing, quarantines, or other complicated entry requirements.
As we enter the 2022 travel year, test shortages are a reality that many hopeful travelers are dealing with. On top of shortages, some travelers are stressed out with entry requirements that can quite frankly be so complicated it’s almost better to select a more streamlined destination for winter vacation. We’ve received many requests for an updated list of places that vaccinated travelers can go with just their proof of vaccination cards, and without any pre-departure testing.
Here are our 12 top recommendations for test-free travel in 2022 for vaccinated travelers, which gives quite the variety of different destinations and some reasons why you should visit.
Colombia
Colombia is allowing travelers to enter just by flashing their proof of vaccination and filling out a simple Check-Mig form.
Throughout most of 2021, Colombia had no entry requirements at all but added proof of vaccination in December 2021 due to Omicron concerns.
Travel Off Path visited Colombia 4 times in 2021 and highly recommend it for eager travelers, especially digital nomads and budget travelers, who want to stay in Latin America but want something a little different. The two cities we recommend are Cartagena and Medellin. Cartagena is great for someone looking for a fun, vibrant, coastal vibe, and Medellin is ideal for those searching for the perfect climate, insanely good restaurants, and a jungley co-working vibe. While Medellin still grapples with some safety issues, common sense goes a long way and it can still be enjoyed by even female solo travelers.
Albania
Albania was on the top of most 2020 and 2021 travel lists for being exceptionally relaxed, well priced, and decent enough weather year-round. The same is true for 2022. Many of our readers have voted Albania as one of the most ‘normal’ places to travel to during the pandemic due to its readiness to reopen tourism, relaxed entry rules, and attitude towards visitors.
If you want to visit Albania test-free, you’ll only have to show your proof of being fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks before entering. Those not fully vaccinated can also show proof of recovery for test-free entry.
For those that don’t mind brisk temperatures, visiting in the off-season (November to March) can make Albania one of the most affordable places to travel to, especially for extended stays.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica is allowing tourists to enter test-free, even if they are not fully vaccinated.
While visitors looking to spend time in Costa Rica don’t actually require vaccination to enter the country, they will want it once inside. Costa Rica’s government has been trying to enact a country-wide vaccine passport to enter restaurants, hotels, and other services. Also, being fully vaccinated will also exempt passengers from purchasing the otherwise mandatory travel health insurance, although we feel every traveler should have coverage anyway, especially with Omicron causing delays and potential cancellations.
Costa Rica is very easy to get to from Canada, the United States, or Mexico, with tons of direct flights happening daily. Passengers can fly in directly from Toronto, Montreal, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, Washington, Mexico City, and more.
Spain
While the rest of Europe is adding massive entry rules, like multiple PCR tests and 10-day quarantines, Spain has kept their rules relatively simple, at least for now.
Tourists, as long as they are fully vaccinated, can still enter Spain without any testing or quarantines, making it one of the most accessible European countries. This is true whether visitors are headed to cities like Madrid or Barcelona on mainland Spain, or even to Spain’s more exotic destinations like Las Palmas in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.
Spain will also require that passengers fill out a mandatory health form, along with a recommended contact tracing app.
Panama
If tourists can prove they’ve been fully vaccinated at least two weeks before entry, they can visit Panama without any tests or quarantines.
From the super-modern skyscrapers of Panama city to its countless beautiful beaches, the country truly has something for every type of visitor. Tourists can enjoy swanky luxury hotels or go on an eco-tour through the rainforest, and everything else in between, making it the perfect destination for couples or groups that have different interests.
While Panama did see some very strict lockdown and movement restrictions in 2020, daily life has resumed to more of a ‘normal’ status for 2022, with no curfews or movement restrictions in place. Other than some mask mandates still in effect, visitors won’t have many restrictions during their vacation in Panama.
Turkey
Turkey was gaining momentum before the pandemic as one of the most visited countries in the world, coming in 6th place in 2019. While the past few years have definitely affected Turkey’s tourism numbers, their relaxed entry requirements have kept a constant flow of arrivals, keeping it as one of the top-visited nations throughout 2020 and 2021.
So far in 2022, Turkey has kept a relaxed approach for visitors, allowing fully vaccinated tourists to enter test-free and without quarantines.
Turkey is also allowing non-vaccinated tourists to enter with testing or proof of recovery, but some attractions and services within the country are requiring proof of vaccination to enter, otherwise, tourists will constantly have to PCR test and carry the negative results on their person.
Where should you go if visiting Turkey in 2022? We recommend Istanbul for cultural immersion, Antalya for luxurious resorts, Sanliurfa for history buffs, and Fethiye for seafarers.
Honduras
While not the most popular destination in Central America, Honduras should not be overlooked for your 2022 bucket list.
They’ve kept entry requirements relatively the same throughout the entire pandemic, and yes, vaccinated passengers can skip entry testing and go straight to enjoying their vacation.
Honduras is blessed with access to both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, lots of opportunities to dive and see everything from coral reefs to sharks, several archeological ruins, rainforests and mangroves, and a 400-year-old city to explore.
Armenia
While Armenia is not the easiest place to fly to from the Western world, it’s still a wonderful option for more adventurous travelers in 2022.
Armenia, a nation bordering Turkey and Georgia, is one of the oldest countries in the world and is rich with ancient history, ruins, and archaeological sites. It’s also a nation that has some of the most affordable 4 and 5-star hotels in the world, making it a great budget destination for travelers who like luxury for less.
Armenia is allowing fully vaccinated visitors to enter without tests or quarantines.
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic has consistently had easy entry requirements, which include test-free entry for most visitors. Throughout the pandemic, they’ve been testing around 5% of arrivals with a quick breath test, but fully vaccinated passengers are exempt from being selected.
The Dominican Republic is still one of the easiest places in the world to visit for 2022 due to the great flight connectivity, availability of hotels and vacation rentals, and of course their simple entry rules.
Ukraine
Ukraine is welcoming fully vaccinated travelers completely test-free and quarantine-free.
Both Toronto and New York have seasonal direct flights to Kyiv, otherwise, travelers will have to connect throughout Europe and Asia.
Not only is Ukraine a great spot to visit in regards to having easy entry requirements, but it’s also incredibly easy on the budget. Many destinations in Ukraine, such as the ‘Little Paris’ city of Lviv, gives a high value of experience for such a small cost. Not only can you see charming buildings, cobblestone walkways, and picturesque cafes, but stopping to have tea might only set you back $0.75. A 3-star hotel can be found for under $35 a night, while a 5-star is a bargain for under $50 a night. Even a 3-course Ukrainian dinner for two people will come in under $20.
Georgia
Georgia, the country not the state, is very easy to visit in 2022. No testing is needed as long as you can prove being fully vaccinated.
Georgia has also been promoting their new digital nomad visa since 2020, which allows remote workers to stay and legally work their online businesses for at least 180 days and up to 1 year.
Georgia is very attractive for long-stay tourists due to its super low cost of living. Some digital nomads who’ve been in Georgia during the pandemic have now compared the cost of living to some Southeast Asian countries, or the lower-cost Latin American countries.
Another idea is to add Georgia onto your 2022 list along with our previous suggestions of Armenia and Turkey, which all border with each other.
Cuba
Cuba’s rules for vaccinated travelers aren’t as straightforward as the other 11 we’ve mentioned, but still worth exploring. Fully vaccinated travelers do not have to provide any pre-departure tests to enter, but they may still be selected randomly upon arrival for a test once they’ve landed at the airport.
American travelers will have a few more hoops to jump through to travel to Cuba, but as many of our readers say, it’s definitely worth the effort.
Mexico and El Salvador
As two bonus destinations, I don’t want to leave out Mexico and El Salvador, which are nations with no entry requirements whatsoever. Both countries have decided to have an open-door policy and allow all tourists with no testing, no quarantines, and no vaccine requirements.
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