VIDEO: COVID testing uncertainty has some cancelling holiday travel

Testing requirements for international travel are ramping up just as holiday vacations loom, and for some people, the uncertainty is too much.

"We have seen a fair amount of that. We have seen cancellations," said Kelowna Airport Operations Manager Phillip Elchitz. "But we are also seeing people saying that have decided they are going to carry on with their trip."

Elchitz said if you set aside the time and follow the requirements, there is no need to cancel your travel plans.

"I think it's really about the planning part of it. You have to have the ArriveCAN app," he said.

It's on that app that international travellers are asked to detail their plans to home quarantine.

Mexico

"If you're coming home from Mexico you do need a PCR test 72 hours before you leave Mexico. And then you'll be tested again when you land in Canada," explained Elchitz. And there's more.

"You'll have to quarantine until the negative test result comes back."

If you are given a take-home testing kit, that could mean as long as three days of quarantine at home, but if you're lucky enough to get tested at the airport in Vancouver for instance, the wait could be as short as 24 hours before you get the all-clear.

USA

Trips to the U-S are slightly trickier before you board the plane.

You need an antigen test prior to departure.

That testing is available at a temporary building in the airport parking lot in Kelowna.

An appointment is required.

"And they'll get those results back to you within 24 hours or within the one calendar day," explained Elchitz, "but you do have to book an appointment and they are very busy."

If you are heading to a destination in the United States, testing upon return is random, so you may not have to be tested at all.

It's expected that within the next few weeks all inbound travellers should expect to be tested.

The other thing Elchitz said is that things can change quickly, and people are urged to contact their airline for the most up-to-date requirements as their vacation date approaches.

If all of these requirements make you feel anxious, consider this.

Elchitz said they should really give you comfort.

"You have a test before you get on the plane, you have a test before you leave your destination, you have to be vaccinated if you travel, and all the staff on the airplane are vaccinated," he points out.

"It's safer than ever."

For more on what to expect if you're travelling this month, the latest information from the Kelowna International Airport is here.