I can confirm that Omicron travel is hell

CANNES, France -- When I flew to Europe last week for a luxury travel conference, I had no idea what to expect.

Just days before 4,000 representatives of the world’s top luxury travel companies were set to reunite after two years of pandemic chaos, omicron emerged, sparking a new round of fast-changing travel rules and restrictions.

Some attendees cancelled their plans to attend ILTM, the International Luxury Travel Market. Others, including representatives of Fairmont hotels in Morocco, had to drop out after that country shuttered international travel for two weeks. Still others fell victim to confusion over the new French rules requiring that all travelers, vaccinated or not, present negative covid tests for entry.

This experience showed me that even the most seasoned global travelers had an incredibly confusing time navigating a new level of travel hell. And the jury is still out on whether it was worth it.

The chaos kept building

Because I had planned an overnight stop in London, I had to book and pay for a post-arrival PCR test in order to board my flight from the U.S. to London. After two hours of searching the Internet, I was unable to find an open slot for a test that would guarantee my results in time to avoid the country’s isolation requirements. So I booked the cheapest option at just under $100 and switched from a downtown hotel to an airport Hilton.

Just as I finished ironing out those plans, France announced all vaccinated travelers would have to also show proof of a negative test within 48 hours of arrival. So it was back to the Internet to find an antigen test at Heathrow (for an additional $50) that would guarantee my results in time.

In the end, no one from British Airways or the French government even asked to see that test. But that apparently was just an incredible stroke of luck. Because sometime during my transatlantic journey, France had either changed or clarified its rules, requiring that antigen tests be conducted within 24 hours of arrival. Mine fell outside that window by two hours. Go figure!

Others weren’t so “lucky.” A friend I’d been planning to have dinner with Sunday night was denied boarding from Istanbul. And a fellow writer from London said his flight from Heathrow was called back to the gate from the tarmac and several people removed because their tests fell outside of the new rules.

Shocking twist: Three COVID tests in 24 hours!

While I was en route to the U.K., further tightened its rules, announcing that as of landing, all international visitors would also need pre-arrival PCR tests within 48 hours. And since my return was again planned with an overnight through London, that meant I would now need three tests to get home:

1. An antigen test within 48 hours of departing for London

2. A post-arrival PCR test

3. And a separate test within 24 hours of my departure for the U.S.

I finally cried uncle and called Delta to reroute my flight. Fortunately the travel gods showed a little mercy and I was able to get rebooked on a direct flight home via Amsterdam.

Assuming I test negative after spending three days around thousands of people from around the world, I’m pretty sure I’ll stay put for a while.

4,000 people?

Despite the last-minute travel hassles, ILTM officials told me they had few cancellations. Just over 4,000 people were registered, about 20 percent fewer than the record-breaking attendance logged for its 2019 show. This surprised me, frankly. I honestly thought it would’ve been a much smaller event.

The pandemic hangover, however, was definitely evident. The traditional opening forum in Cannes’ famed Palais des Festivals et des Congrès was cancelled, and many parties and dinners were moved outside despite the chilly morning and evening temperatures.

Still, with everyone in attendance vaccinated and tested, others eschewed masking and other protocols during off-site events, raising questions about whether the meeting would turn into a superspreader event.

That seemed to be the last thing on people’s minds, however. Instead, I found nothing but enthusiasm for the future of luxury travel.