Vaccine tourism: how much does it cost to travel to the United States to be dosed

The process of vaccination against Covid-19 in Argentina accelerated in May and June due to the arrival of a significant number of doses of AstraZeneca and Sputnik V vaccines. However, the possibility of traveling abroad to the search for a vaccination against The virus which has the world on the ropes since the beginning of the year 2020 continues to be chosen by Argentines who do not want to wait their turn in the country and who have the means to do so pay.

There are different destinations around the world that vaccinate tourists, but when it comes to traveling from Argentina – for that matter, from Ezeiza – the cost differences make it more convenient to be in the United States and even inside this country. , they boil down to three: Miami, Orlando and New York. Destinations like Dallas, Houston, and Las Vegas that also make it easier to vaccinate visitors have much higher costs from Argentina.

With limited options to these two American cities with a relatively wide offer in terms of air connection, packages to fly and stay in these destinations are the most requested according to the companies in the sector.

“We think it’s great news that more flights were approved in June and 30 days in advance. If this momentum of approval is maintained, we will surely see better opportunities ”(Cristi)

“Miami is still in the ranking of the most chosen international destinations by Argentines. In this context, due to the minimum entry restrictions, this city has maintained a record of searches throughout the summer season and continues for the months to come, especially in the next 30-60 days ”, he added. he declares. Paula Cristi, Managing Director of Despegar for Argentina and Uruguay. “Miami, Orlando and New York top the ranking of destinations in the United States,” he added.

When planning a trip, prices depend a lot on how far in advance it is planned. Traveling immediately or, for example, within 15 days doubles the cheapest prices offered by airlines and travel agencies. To get the best prices, a trip purchased today should therefore be scheduled for at least August of this year.

In this sense, a series of flights offered by the main tourist portals They start at $ 103,605 per person, if you choose to go to Miami. And $ 104,265 in the case of New York.

In the first case, it is a flight with departure on August 19 and return on August 28. In the case of New York, the earliest date is August 11 and the return is August 23, according to Almundo portal prices today.

But that’s just the price of the air. According to operators, it is normal that the rest of the products such as hosting and transfers are purchased separately. The Argentine passenger, they explain, is not very fond of packages.

Anyway, for example Almundo offers a flight plus hotel package, for 7 nights in Orlando starting at $ 129,525 (albeit on a double basis). But again, this full service is only available in October.

A series of flights offered by major travel portals start at $ 103,605 per person, if you choose to fly to Miami. And $ 104,265 in the case of New York. But they are for August

To pay for the stay independently, the TurismoCity website calculates that in Miami you can get hotels from as low as $ 30 per night, up to over $ 1,000 per night. Unlike flights, which are still limited in number due to the pandemic, the offer is rather wide and practical in terms of accommodation.

To get vaccinated in Miami, you have to go to the Vaccine Spotter site and choose the state of Florida, where you can see the appointments available at the pharmacy. It is possible to organize the search by type of vaccine, important thing because in general the tourists have to choose the one from Johnson & Johnson, which is single dose and, in this way, allows a shorter stay (in the case of Pfizer or Moderna, it will be 2 doses and several weeks of waiting between one and the other). The vaccine is offered free of charge.

To take turns getting vaccinated in New York, tourists must go to the Vaccine Spotter website and choose “New York” from the options on the list; research available pharmacies in New York after providing information on type of appointment (number of doses), type of vaccine and pharmacy; and enter the site of the pharmacy where they want to be vaccinated and ask their turn. They will then need to record the information about the location, date, time and type of vaccine, go to their scheduled shift, and receive their first dose with the CDC immunization card.

The main problem for Argentines is the long wait to travel. In each case, it will be practical to calculate whether the expense is appropriate or simply to believe that the turn of local vaccination will finally come.

If, on the contrary, you want to speed up the departure date, the prices can increase significantly. In Almundo, Despegar and TurismoCity, it’s hard to find a flight for less than $ 280,000 final. And to get such low prices, you have to travel with layovers longer than 30 hours.

But depending on companies in the industry, cheaper and faster opportunities may appear in the short term. And that’s because the government cleared more flights to the United States this month and did so earlier, allowing it to meet more demand.

“We think it’s great news that more flights were approved in June and 30 days in advance. If this momentum of approval continues, we will surely see better opportunities and attractive offers to travel in the months to come, ”said Cristi. “We always recommend price-seeking travelers to be informed as early as possible when making a purchase. As long as the greater number of approved flights is maintained over time, it is very likely that better promotions will emerge, ”he concluded.

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