DEALS

FLIGHTS, TRANSPORT, & LODGINGS ARRANGED TO DOZENS OF SET DESTINATIONS THROUGHOUT:
SCOTLAND	IRELAND	ENGLAND	WALES	LONDON	PARIS	SWI+ZERLAND
ITALY	ICELAND	NORWAY	DENMARK	SWEDEN	BERMUDA	NEW ZEALAND
PLUS CUSTOM-MADE TRAVEL TO: BRITAIN, FRANCE, GERMANY, HOLLAND, ITALY, PORTUGAL, & SPAIN

The storm will pass. The rainbow reveals the promise of Hope.

"And the rainbow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember
the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature upon the earth."

— Genesis 9:16

Photo of Mürren, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland © Home At First

Dear Travel Fans,

We have been thinking about you, hoping that you can get around okay without taking too many risks, hoping your kids and grandchildren can resume their schooling safely & attentively, hoping that your bills are getting paid, hoping that your stocks & bonds have recovered into positive numbers (and stay there!), hoping you have found some moments to relax and enjoy life, hoping that you come out the other end of this tunnel unscathed.
And, when you do, maybe we can get together and dare to bump elbows. Better yet, let’s plan to meet for beers in London, or the Swiss Alps, or Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, Paris, Italy, Scandinavia, Iceland, Bermuda, New Zealand, Holland, Germany, Spain, or Portugal. We confess to knowing a few good watering holes.
Let us all dare to hope.

— Your Friends at Home At First

Home At First

BLESS YOU, BERMUDA

You're showing us the new way forward...

The EU has decided — quite rightly, based on the current rates of new COVID-19 cases across the US — not to include Americans on its current invitation list for 2020 tourism. All of the Schengen countries (the European Union member nations plus Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland) have had to agree to the invitation list or risk going it alone. Canada — which Americans also cannot visit as of now, and who has flattened its coronavirus curve to acceptable numbers — has been included on the EU's invitation list. The EU/Schengen zone countries review the numbers — theirs and ours — frequently. When Americans can suppress the pandemic at home and bring down our new-case numbers to acceptable levels, we will be invited back to Europe.

Americans still may travel to some places in 2020. Mexico and parts of the Caribbean have put out the welcome mat for us. But, among the many destinations Home At First offers on its travel menu, only Bermuda (currently) accepts American visitors, albeit with strict rules related to COVID-19 testing. (See the Travel Bargain listing for Bermuda, that follows.) Of course, because all this is new and uncertain, this too can change.

To our loyal suppliers in Home At First destinations around the world, and to our loyal travelers eager to travel overseas again, we urge patience, stoicism, and discipline. Avoid crowded situations anywhere, and especially indoors. Stay well. Stay fit physically and mentally. Encourage family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. Listen to the scientists. Wash your hands frequently, and try to avoid touching your face. Wear your mask and keep your distance. We will all be rewarded with freedom of movement and freedom of choice only when we have driven down the number of daily infections to a level epidemiologists calculate as safe enough to minimize further spreading of the virus.

Business here at Home At First remains anything but normal, as you might imagine. We have every intention of getting through these difficult times and resuming our trip planning services with renewed enthusiasm. We intend to travel again, too, just as soon as permitted and practical. The resumption of our business and restoration of our travel habit will heal us.

In the ensuing weeks and months we will continue to monitor developments carefully so we can advise you prudently. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your travel dreams for 2021 and 2022. It is our job to help you get underway again, but only with the best advice for when and where to travel and how best to travel safely. You have our renewed pledge that we shall do our best to continue to help make your travel dreams come true.

In the meantime, stay safe, be kind, help one another, and dream big. And, if you would like to travel to a lovely place with an extraordinary British history, think Bermuda!

Best wishes and God speed,

Judi Taussig Fahnestock & Ron Fahnestock

Becca Fahnestock

Kristen Crowther

Jessica Sponheimer & Kane

and all our colleagues around the world