Canada Is Reopening Its Borders to U.S. Travelers

Americans can finally visit their neighbors to the north.

Throughout much of the coronavirus pandemic, international travel has been off-limits to Americans. And that has included trips across the border to Canada.

But in recent weeks, more countries have loosened their policies. At this point, a number of European countries are welcoming U.S. travelers, albeit with certain requirements in place. And soon, Canada will join their ranks.

Access to Canada is back

Beginning on August 9, U.S. citizens who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to visit Canada after having been banned since March of 2020. This means that Americans who want to cross the border will need to have received the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (or, in the case of Johnson & Johnson, the single dose) at least 14 days prior to entering Canada.

Families with children who are too young to be vaccinated will also be allowed to enter the country. And those families won't be subject to quarantine upon arrival.

Also, fully vaccinated travelers will not need a COVID-19 test upon entry to Canada unless they happen to be randomly selected to take one. However, travelers will need to show proof of a negative PCR or molecular test within 72 hours of requesting entry to Canada.

Should you visit Canada this year?

If you've already seen your fair share of the U.S. and want to explore someplace new, then Canada is a great place to put on your travel list. And it may be a safer prospect than traveling somewhere like Europe, which will require you to fly. Depending on where you live and how much time off you can snag, it may be possible to road-trip it to Canada.

In fact, if you're on a budget and can access Canada by car, it may be a less expensive alternative to visiting another country. That said, if you want to fly to Canada, it pays to find a good travel rewards credit card and use it to book your itinerary. You may be able to score a nice chunk of air miles or hotel points in return, which could make it easier for you to travel on the cheap in the future. And if you already have air miles or hotel points saved up, now may be a good time to cash them out.

Also, some travel reward credit cards offer perks like free checked bags on airlines. That, too, could help keep your costs down.

Of course, if you're going to visit Canada this year, be sure to keep reading up on the requirements you might need to fulfill, as they could change from what's listed above as the coronavirus situation evolves. You may also want to purchase travel insurance so that if you need to cancel your trip, you have that option without losing all of your money.

While some travel reward credit cards do offer a degree of built-in protection, you'll generally get much more comprehensive coverage with a separate travel insurance plan. And it's worth purchasing that insurance to give yourself peace of mind when traveling in the age of a pandemic.