#1024 – The Expat Files: CDC Travel Rules, Backpacker Insights, and Business Lessons

Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.

[00:00] South of the border down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to play and now that I wonder Hello there all you ex-pat wannabes. I'm Johnny Mueller and you're listening to the expat files living in Latin America The show that tells you just what it's like to live work play and or retire down here in Latin America It's a mix of the good the bad the ugly and the great and it's all right here. So let's get started Hey, I've got a great boots on the ground gringo is doing business here in Latin America story coming up Actually a gringo failing in business story. You don't have too many of those But first the latest poop on the covid it crisis and traveling to and from Latin America

[00:46] So as of this third week in January 2021 Here's what you absolutely need to know about the new covid it testing requirements for traveling and I'll paraphrase this article it says on Sunday January 17th the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that starting Tuesday, January 26 2021 all air Passengers ages 2 and older must show proof of a negative covid 19 tests to enter the US From any destination the new rule includes US citizens legal and permanent residents as well as foreign travelers Then it says following this travel news panic and confusion ensued in all segments of the travel and hospitality industry according to travel industry analysts the order created a lot of anxiety partly because the timeline from the

[01:34] Announcement to when it goes into effect is so short and partly because it's unclear exactly what it means For example with people who have upcoming flights booked or who are in transit right now then it says both US residents who are currently abroad or had plans to go to abroad and return and Who may have purchased their tickets already as of January 26 or later as well as international travelers who are scheduled to fly to the US? Have numerous questions about what they need to do to ensure their entry into the country and not Get refused at the airline check-in gate or get stuck in quarantine Then it says many foreign resorts and foreign governments are scrambling to get prepared to offer covid it testing to us bound flyers That said here's what you need to know

[02:20] Question number one what kind of covid it tests are considered acceptable for travelers and for airlines and airports Answer travelers bound for the United States on international flights must have a PCR and or antigen tests Both will qualify. I know I know the PCR tests are pure BS and could be up to 40% in error But that doesn't matter when idiots and politics prevail question to how far in advance Can you get tested before entering the US? Answer the time frame is no more than three days before your flight In fact CDC spokesperson Katlyn Shockley says that if you are flying on a connecting flight into the US a valid test is one that is taken no More than three days before your flight departs to the US But only if the entire trip was booked under a single passenger record hmm clear as mud, huh?

[03:08] Then it says each layover between connections can't be longer than 24 hours or you need another test In other words it says if you're connecting flight to the US was booked separately or you have a longer connection than 24 hours You need to get tested within the three days before your final flight to parts for the US That means you'll get tested twice within a short period So it says if you're flying out of the country for less than three days You can take a test in the US before you depart and use it for your return or take a rapid test before you return Flight oh, so at least they mentioned the rapid test here. All right next question What happens if you're traveling internationally now and come back to the US after January 26th? Well, it doesn't matter if you took a test or not when you left the country You have to have a negative Covid it test to enter the US next question

[03:57] If you are visiting a US territory like for example Puerto Rico, do you need to get tested? Nope US territories and possessions of the US are exempt according to the CDC Next question if you have insurance does it pay for your test answer many do but you have to have a doctor's prescription First if you just walk in and ask for a test and don't have one then usually the insurance won't cover it It's on your dime next question. Who's checking these results at the airport answer It depends on the destination But you'll likely be asked for documentation of a negative test result when you get to the checkout counter or pass the first Checkpoint that means the new mandate will most likely mean you won't be able to check in online to your flight to the US anymore You'll have to check in at the airport in person That means you'll have to get there yet another hour earlier even earlier than the ridiculous two or three hours required to check in

[04:48] Even before the Covid it thing next question. What kind of documentation or proof? Do you need to show the CDC is requiring flyers to have a paper or electronic copy of your negative test and airlines? Highly recommend travelers have a hard copy of their negative test result as opposed to having them only on their phones Because it's difficult for agents to read documents on phones You don't want them to have an excuse not to board you You know though you should always have it on your phone as a backup next question What if you've already had the Covid at 19 virus? What kind of documentation? Do you need to show? Answer if you've recovered from Covid it within the past three months You'll need both proof that you tested positive in the past three months before your flight and a letter from your doctor stating You are cleared for travel Remember the PCR test is inaccurate and can continuously show that you're positive even if you're well over the disease

[05:40] In fact, that test is so inaccurate. It'll pick up positives from previous Viral sicknesses and flus you may have had that go back even years ago And that's really the crux of the problem with that PCR crap test Then it says if you've recovered from the virus more than three months ago the CDC says that you'll need to retest Duh, that's clear as mud too, huh? Hmm that calls for a double Duh next question if you've gotten the dreaded Covid it vaccine. Do you still need to test? Yes, the same requirements apply and you'll need to have a negative test. All right me Johnny again Let me throw my two cents in here. Let me tell you why that last question and answer makes no sense at all But then again, what does? According to a survey of 20,000 UK healthcare workers

[06:27] It's the largest covid it study of its kind in the world so far according to UK health care specialists people who've already contracted the coronavirus are as Protected against reinfection as those who have received the best Covid it vaccines again. That's according to data acquired by studying 20,000 UK healthcare workers So then how'd they come to that conclusion? Well, the UK public health care system regularly tested two matched groups of volunteers between June and November 6,000 workers who had previously been infected with coronavirus and 14,000 who had not been infected and a comparison of Infections in the two groups described in results released on Thursday found that prior infection provided 83%

[07:14] Protection against Recovid it infection with dr. Susan Hopkins senior medical advisor for the national healthcare system saying she was strongly Encouraged by the findings that having the infection gives a powerful protection against reinfection for at least five months And she says the natural infection immunity looks as good as the vaccine Which is very good news She says for the infected population and though she says the study can't provide data beyond five months That's all they had for the test so far She believes natural immunity if you've had the infection previously will last much much longer than that In other words, she says if you believe you've already had the disease you are protected and can be reassured It's unlikely you'll develop a severe infection again

[08:01] In other words, and it's me Johnny again talking it seems to be completely stupid idiotic and redundant to vaccinate Anyone who's already had the covid it they've got a natural immunity That's equal or better than having the expensive covid it vaccination But then again, it's all about the money, right? But you knew that already, huh, by the way If you want copies or links to any of this data, send me an email to expect files at gmail.com Oh, and even though I absolutely hate Gmail I've been on it for at least 12 years now well before we knew what Google was all about So I still use it as a link to regular users, but only for non-critical Conversations and chats where we talk about info that's not particularly sensitive for that We use encrypted and anonymous email services like protonmail and start man By the way, you've heard me say that everybody here in Latin America uses what's up and you better be on it

[08:50] Or you won't even be able to get a plumber. Well, I'm also advising everyone to switch over to signal that come That's an encrypted what's up like app. That's end-to-end encrypted So no one could ever intercept what you're saying because you know some encrypted services encrypt at the server That means your message goes out as is normally until it hits the server Which could be six countries away So it's not encrypted the whole way and on that path to the server can be intercepted by anyone Not just the NSA who's getting it all anyway So the signal app is end-to-end and encrypted and they don't save any of your data chats or files So for example, if you and I decide to hook up for an expat consultation, we'll do it on signal No more WhatsApp or Skype. Oh and for those of you who've sent me emails saying Johnny

[09:37] Why not switch to the encrypted app telegram? Well, that's a good choice too, but it's not anywhere near as good as signal Why because you see the signal messaging app is end-to-end encrypted So no one can snoop on your communications and its technology is open source So anyone who knows the coding language can check that it's truly secure Signal does require your phone number to use but that's about all the information it collects. In fact, these apps need your phone number That's how you connect with your contact that as opposed to telegram Plenty of what's up groups are migrating to telegram for privacy reasons, too But it's important to note that only private messages can be encrypted Not every single message as with the signal app In other words, if you have the telegram app, you have to specifically select the secret chat feature

[10:28] Or your messages won't be private or encrypted whereas again with signal It's always end-to-end encrypted and truly secure So by all means keep what's up for your plumber and cleaning lady But get signal for all the other stuff and remember I don't get anything out of suggesting that to you only peace of mind By the way, I'd like to thank expat insider seminar repeat offender Doug for turning me on to this app quite a while ago So who's Doug? He's an internet security specialist. That's his job. Alright, let's continue on with this covid it requirement crap for travelers Here's the next commonly asked question. How do I find a local testing site while I'm abroad? Hey, I've been in that spot myself Matter of fact, we worked out that very problem for my expat insider seminar that was recently postponed

[11:15] So anyway had it gone off as planned on January 8th my number one seminar logistics lady Rita Well, her father happens to be a surgeon in Guatemala and her aunt works at a well-known medical testing laboratory And we worked it so that we could get a PCR result in less than a day So as for Guatemala, we had it more than covered So anyone who's going to Guatemala or happens to be there right now and needs Infamous PCR tests to return to the states or wherever just shoot me an email the expat files that you mail that common I'll hook you up with Rita in that lab But as for the rest of Latin America and points abroad the answer that the question of finding a local testing site That'll give you the results quickly. It varies from country to country Finding a lab that does it quick can be challenging

[12:01] Especially in countries that are way off the tourist trail and therefore people aren't traveling in and out of the country much Best advice is to find out a testing location before you take your trip outside the states Check with the hotel that you're booked at or your airline They'll be up on where you can get a covid at test on top of that because of the latest news a growing number of Hotels especially in destinations that are popular with American travelers have started to offer on-site testing Right at the hotel or resort for example in this article It says if you go to st Lucia in the Caribbean more than 20 properties and villas offer free rapid testing another example the Bahama resort And the Bahamas has rapid tests for 25 bucks and PCR tests for 125 And if you go to for example like collection resorts through the DR in Mexico

[12:51] They give you free rapid tests right then and there whereas other Destinations and resorts like for example curtain bluff and Antigua. That's not Antigua That's Antigua the island in the Caribbean They're hitting you up for 250 bucks a person for a PCR or rapid test So it all depends some will give it to you for free some 250 bucks man So just check with your hotel and the airlines before you come down by the way when you go on one of the big Consolidator sites like obits or Expedia if you're searching for let's say hotels They'll often be a link right on the page showing you where you can get a co-vidia test nearby Next question are airlines allowing passengers to change their flights so they can arrive in the US before the testing requirements take effect on the 26th

[13:37] Well Delta for example is waving the fair difference through February 9th for customers who were booked to travel Internationally to the US through Friday February 9th because you know most airlines when you change your dates will charge a hundred bucks Then you've got American Airlines in United who are also waving the fair difference for customers who change flights because of new requirements That is the ones who want to get in under the wire before they require the testing and with American customers who have flights scheduled from January 12th through February 9th can rebook for no charge if they're departing from and arriving into the destinations on their original ticket However, the trips again must start before or on January 25th final question What happens if you're in a foreign country and you test positive? Obviously, there'll be some kind of isolation or quarantine but 99% of the time

[14:26] I'll just tell you to go back to your hotel and wait it out for five ten maybe fifteen days So when your symptoms subside or maybe you don't even have any symptoms, but at one point you tested positive You'll just have to keep getting tested until you're negative and remember in some countries You'll pay a hundred or more dollars to get that test. What a bunch of BS, huh? Oh and one last comment about the Covid it situation I know we're seeing all kinds of news saying there's a huge surge in Covid it cases as if all of sudden There's a second wave a tsunami and idiot politicians force another lockdown But what they're not telling you is that the higher percentage of new cases is because they're testing way more now The fact is the cases aren't on the increase testing is so even though it sounds bad It's just smoke in mirrors even just a few months ago only a tiny percentage of people actually took a test

[15:16] Fact is I never took a test till about three weeks ago myself because it was required for a flight But now the whole world's geared up for testing like never before so naturally if there's millions of people being tested every day When just a few months ago, it was thousands or tens of thousands The stats will show there are many many new cases simply because huge quantities of people are being tested In other words, let's say a country has 10 million of people and you don't test. Well, you've got no positives then do you? Then let's say the government decides to test 10% of the people Well, it'll be a huge spike in positives, right? But no one grease at all in the actual number of sick people It's just statistics and since so many employers are requiring testing now, that'll spike the numbers, too

[16:02] Reminds me of the phrase ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies That kind of sums up the whole cold idiot situation. So the news you're getting is not necessarily fake It's just a way to scare the population and it's working and if you're over 60, it'll probably scare the hell out of you But again, it's just manipulation of numbers. I repeat there's no increase in the number of cases It's just a huge increase in the number of people being tested And you know when you run into people who are freaked out If you don't wear a mask or folks who are all panicked because they're reading in the papers There's a huge increase in positives. It's obvious. They never took a statistics course So despite the apparent increase in gov idiot cases nearly all health ministries in all the 20 Latin American countries See no real covid surge. In other words

[16:50] The emergency rooms are not overcrowded and the people aren't lining up at hospitals to get treatment Even so the lame Street media news gets crazier and crazier and governments stupider and stupider, but you knew that already, right? Hmm was I digressing maybe but not much. All right, how about this for a boots on the ground story? You know I like to talk about gringles and expats doing business here in Latin America because a good percentage of us need to do so We all come down with some kind of a nest egg could be really small just a grand or so or in the millions But most people come down with a nest egg that is not enough to last them a lifetime So they need eventually to find a job or make some money like for example expat Eddie when he first came down He had five thousand bucks that he borrowed from his mother and man

[17:36] He struck it rich in the restaurant business But is that a good plan now even if you got a great idea? Well in the past it was but these days the covid idiot thing and the lockdowns perpetrated by malignant governments have thrown a real Wrench into the works for example as explained by lifetime backpacker Kenny who just wrote me this email He said dear Johnny you like to talk about gringles doing business in Latin America And you always talk smack about backpackers too Well backpackers have business ideas too and sometimes we act on them we get around you know So it's with a heavy heart that I'm gonna tell you about my failed business experiences in Latin America In fact, I'm gonna highlight for you exactly how not to run a backpacker hotel now as for me Johnny a 40-something guy

[18:23] Who's done a lot of backpacking and especially my early 20s? I thought I had the backpacker hotel system down pat I thought hell owning a backpacker hostel would be a piece of cake I must have stayed at a hundred of and I know exactly what backpackers do and don't want So about seven years ago when I just couldn't stand my nine-to-five job anymore in the states I decided to move to Latin America and start a backpacker hostel And I had about ten grand in cash and figured that'd be plenty enough to rent a nice big house Buy some cheap furniture office equipment refrigerator freezer kitchen build a reception Bathrooms showers a hangout area or two and of course one of the beauties about having a backpacker hotel is you don't need Parking cuz backpackers don't drive now a true backpacker hostel Johnny is a special kind of business that

[19:14] Creators to young people right out of college who are kind of carefree and careless Based on the fact that almost all backpackers. I know eventually get robbed Hell it happened to me twice It's all about hanging out seeing the sides partying and living on the cheap and the great thing is for a hostel owner Backpackers are easily pleased and their standards are low in reality setting up a hostel is easy Imagine renting beds not rooms to people who don't mind sleeping next to someone They don't even know and that's completely all right with them you get what you pay for right, but man I'll tell you in a bit how Covid did a number on that plan anyway I know the business well having backpack the world for six years or so after I graduated from college at least I thought I knew the business I was mainly working waiter and bartender jobs for cash and living out of my backpack and hostels and spending months

[20:06] Living in places like Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Eastern Europe I found Latin America the best for setting up a hostel with cheap and mostly free interesting places to visit Cheap public transportation and food cheap beer plenty of nice friendly people great weather cheap beer Yep, I said it twice cheap beer and you'll see why later now my first mistake I found out all too soon was that I started a backpacker hostel in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Though by setting that place up and watching it fail I learned some valuable lessons for my second try which was a success in the beginning though eventually crashed and burned, too For example always choose a location that smack on the backpacker trail You know nearly every country has a set backpacker trail and the vast majority of backpackers will stick to that route

[20:53] Problem is you see and the exception to that rule is Caribbean island countries for a lot of reasons and I figured it out way too late island countries have very few backpackers at least not traditional backpackers as Was the case with Haiti and the Dominican Republic? I should have figured that right off when I first visited the DR and saw virtually no scruffy looking gringos with oversized backpacks They were scruffy gringos. Alright, but without backpacks same thing with Jamaica Bahamas Aruba and all the Caribbean islands They just have no backpacker crowd to speak of there are gringos who've gone native, but they're not backpacking. They're living there They've settled into the beach bomb island life for keeps So that was the main reason the hustle I started in Santo Domingo Dominican Republic failed

[21:39] I chose a country and a region in general where backpackers don't tend to visit So tip number one skip Caribbean countries even Cuba these days where the average ways is something like 30 bucks a month For travelers, it's more expensive than the US So no backpackers there because you have to use the gringo part of the two tiered Monetary system and Haiti where I visited before the big earthquake had zero acceptable budget accommodations for backpackers I had to stay in a guesthouse for 40 bucks a night Used mainly by do-gooders church ladies and volunteers There just was nothing resembling a backpacker trail and in the DR what I took a crack at opening a backpacker hostel They pretty much lack low budget accommodations as a whole Not to mention the bus lines were hard to figure out in the food expensive and it's even more expensive in other Caribbean countries

[22:30] Like the Virgin Islands st. Martin even Puerto Rico. That's more expensive than the US now So the lesson is if you're a backpacker are planning on opening a backpacker hostel stay on the backpacker beaten trail Other lessons I learned while opening up a failed backpacker hostel number one you need a nice big social area they want a safe place to crash at night, but most of all a place where they can hang and socialize and meet other travelers and You must have plenty of electrical outlets if you don't there'll be extension cords everywhere And that's a fire hazard even little details like having round tables in that area instead of rectangular once adds to the openness and the hangout Feeling in the atmosphere number two sell beer by the court by the gallon if they make it Yes backpackers will walk a mile with their oversized pack and blazing midday heat

[23:18] To save two bucks on a dingy accommodation, but that same night They'll blow 20 bucks on beer bottom line if you don't sell beer They won't hang around and spend any dough in your place at all now you and the average American might care about hot water parking Cable TV AC etc, but backpackers needs are minimal. They don't really care much about that stuff All they really need is free Wi-Fi and outlets to charge their phones Oh, and if you include breakfast in the deal, man They love it, but never offer seconds or all you can eat or they're sure to pack their cargo pants with rolls and cupcakes for the day's Trek they'll make sure to get a lunch out of it, too And forget about offering all kinds of travel and guided tours from your front desk people won't buy them They just want to go out and do it themselves Anything to save a buck did you know at night when backpackers start filing in guess what one of the main topics of conversation will be

[24:10] How little they paid for beer and lunch and how much they saved by seeing the sights for nothing That is not paying the going rate for a tour like a typical tourist would then there's that little-known fact that backpackers are always trying To out-cheap each other. Oh and another thing I've learned There's not much point on having an on-site restaurant at the hostel Most backpackers won't eat there if they can find cheaper stuff around the corner and they will But what they really love is being able to cook their own food So if you open up a small kitchen and word gets around it'll be free advertisement and they'll come running but then you have to know they're all slobs and your place will be Absolutely full of kookaracha's and in the rooms the pool guys or bed bugs will be a never-ending headache Oh and look out for the do-gooder tree hugging backpackers when they get a whiff of some insecticide which you'll have to use

[25:01] Well get ready with an answer cuz you'll have to fight that battle when the environmental backpackers and there's more and more of them Get on social media and call you out for destroying the planet Doesn't matter how many times you explain the fact that the same pillows will be comforting hundreds of unwashed heads Which is why it's a good idea if you are a backpacker to go on Amazon and buy it one of those special Zipped pillowcases and a portable sheet set. It's a personalized sheet for campers and backpackers I have a set and you'd think they'd be more popular, but you really never see them. Yep backpackers are full of contradictions They cringe when it comes to insecticide and bug spray But they don't care much about the constant intermingling of sweat bugs and bodily fluids They'll pass around that quart beer bottle when it suits them They'll eat street food and take bites out of each other's sandwiches even eat off each other's plates

[25:51] But bring out a can of off and someone's bound to throw a hissy fit How dare you contaminate my space and kill the ozone layer another tip is you need a really great host at the front desk Someone who's friendly and honest, of course funny though in my experience I've seen that it's mostly lily white pierced and heavily or oddly tattooed European 20-something skinny females with multicolored hair that fit the bill Not only are they quirky types and people that gringo is especially like they're always overqualified for the position and don't seem to care Talk about overqualified. They generally can speak English Spanish German Dutch and some odd Eastern European dialect or two And they'll work for a song room and board and two bucks an hour. Oh and forget the tip jar Backpackers don't tip even if you're pre-loaded with bills and coins

[26:40] Nobody will tip except guys trying to hit on that green haired spiked tongue chain-smoking European front desk girl Oh and did you know that backpacker hostels are incredibly cheap to furnish? You can buy the cruddiest old used sofas rugs bed and furniture Backpackers absolutely expect that for 12 bucks a night if you buy it new it's gonna get trashed Anyway backpackers trash things. So in the end I failed in the DR but got off to a running start in Honduras Let's say but but alas COVID killed the backpacker crowd there, too It's social distancing that did the hostels in think of eight beds in a room common areas sofas couches and benches Backpackers ear hole to a hole So my advice for gringo businesses in general skip the brick-and-mortar Businesses and stick strictly to an internet business if you can't run it out of your house or apartment

[27:29] Skip it signed a canny in Colombia You've been listening to the expat files living in Latin America If you need some help with your own plan B We can schedule a one-on-one phone or Skype consult Just send me an email the expat files at gmail.com And if you want to get on the waiting list for my next week-long expat Insider seminar in Central America where you're guaranteed to get a two to five year head start on your plan B Send me an email the expat files at gmail.com No spamos You