Local travel agency navigates travel restrictions

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL)- The pandemic continues to impact the travel industry, but a local travel agency has experienced an increase in bookings for American travelers. 

Because COVID guidelines vary from country to country, more travelers have resorted to booking through a travel agency to navigate restrictions. 

Travels by Donna is a local travel agency in Columbus that has noticed more people switching their destinations to ensure they are able to return home without complications. 

“We’ve had people that have children here in Columbus and they want to come back and they want to make sure that they’re not stranded so they’ve changed their destinations,” Donna Anderson, owner of Travels by Donna, said.  

According to Anderson, some all-inclusive vacation resorts have even implemented things like free on-site COVID testing so that travelers can easily get results if they need them.

Some resorts are allowing extended stays at reduced rates for guests who do test positive, so that they are able to have a place to stay if they do become stranded.

Travels by Donna currently has to maintain several spreadsheets with COVID regulations for different countries as well as COVID-19 protocols for various resorts and hotels across the globe.