Travel to Guatemala during Covid

If you are to look at travel advisory warnings that are posted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) they tell you basically to not travel anywhere and that the risk of Covid is very high. However, they would probably tell you the same thing about going to KFC - so if you are scared of that sort of thing then I guess just stay at home and wear 4 masks on top of one another. However, if you are the type of person that feels as though you are a responsible adult and can manage to use sensible controls on your own without the government forcing you to do so then you are indeed allowed to travel, even internationally.... which given the dramatic drop in tourism basically everywhere, is much cheaper than it usually is, especially in countries that were already cheap such as Guatemala.

src

Guatemala is famous for a lot of things but among the top attractions is the ancient Mayan ruins such as Tikal, which is a massive site that was meant to have at one point in time contained over 200,000 inhabitants. Several days can be set aside for visiting just this location alone if you want to explore it all. There are other smaller sites such as Yaxha, but they are significantly smaller, less awe-inspiring, and not as well maintained.

src

There are also a ton of beaches in the country that are just as lovely as all the other neighboring countries and while these places were already cheap to stay at in the past, they are even cheaper now since the supply far exceeds the demand. All of the beaches in this country are on the Pacific side (as far as I am aware, Belize blocks all of the possible eastern shores) so the water tends to be cooler and is subject to waves at times.

src

Lago de Atitlan (Atitlan Lake) is one of the most beautiful lakes in the word in my opinion and the mountainous terrain that surrounds it makes is even more breathtaking. This is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been anywhere in the world and comes highly recommended.

You could easily spend a month in this country exploring the history, culture, natural beauty, and beaches even though it is not a very large country at all. But let's go ahead and get to the bread and butter about what this article is really about.... Traveling there in times of Covid-19

---

Covid Testing

According to the official government website, a negative PCR or antigen test is required (negative result of course) no more than 72 hours prior to the beginning of your flight out of your home country.

Paperwork

The usual "health declaration" must be completed before you will be allowed on the plane departing your home country. It is called the Guatemalan Health Pass and can be completed online at their official website. The website is extremely slow and frequently times out so be sure to save your work manually in a separate document lest you want to be subjected to re-entering the information over and over again.

Like many of the other countries that have this "health declaration" I personally feel as though it is a waste of time but governments do seem to really enjoy paperwork. No matter how you feel about it you have to do it, so go ahead and get it over with early on in your preparation to travel.

Insurance

Guatemala does not require health insurance to travel there. However, it is always a good idea to get insurance should anything go awry, Covid-related or otherwise.

Local Mandates

Populated areas have mask requirements but these are loosely enforced. For the sake of not being a jerk I would recommend wearing one even if the locals are not, just to avoid criticism and / or problems with police. Social distancing of 1.5 meters is "required" but again, this is not generally enforced. Personally, I travel to countries like this one to NOT be around a bunch of people at the beaches and in rainforest areas so social distancing should not really be an issue once you get out of Guatemala City.

Flight Cost

Flights to Guatemala are extremely cheap coming from major USA airports. I did a random date search from NYC, Atlanta, Dallas, LA, and Chicago and all of them were around 100 dollars for a one-way ticket. I can't even imagine how the airlines make any money doing this unless of course they have been lying to us all along about how much a ticket "should" cost.

Visas

Most countries do not require a visa for stays of 90 days or less. Unfortunately, at least at the time of writing this U.K. and South African citizens are not allowed to travel to Guatemala at all.

Costs

Guatemala is an extremely inexpensive country to get lodging in. A plethora of hostels in all the major destinations can be acquired for less than $10 a night, probably even less if you agree to a longer stay. The unfortunate reality of the situation is that this already very poor country is lowering their prices due to the intense competition that exists between the various places that have for a year now, found themselves with very few customers. Therefore, you can get a pretty nice place to stay for next to nothing. If you are a fancy-pants traveler, you can get 3-4 star places that would normally cost several hundred dollars per night for less than $100.

---

If Covid has you down and you are looking for a getaway, Guatemala should definitely be one of the places you consider for travel. The seriously diminished costs of getting and staying there will almost certainly increase dramatically once this Covid disaster gets sorted out, so take advantage of it if you can!