Thanksgiving is coming up, and we have so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for my family, my friends, and my colleagues. I’m thankful that we are back to traveling and continuing to change the lives of directors, music educators, and their groups — it’s what Encore does best! As we look ahead to traveling in 2022, many destinations are now either denying entry to unvaccinated visitors or have introduced vaccination requirements in order to move freely within the country. Even in locations without such official regulations, delivering a safe and enjoyable travel experience for all becomes difficult to achieve in the close quarters of a group performance tour when some travelers are vaccinated while others are not. Given these restrictions, all Encore Group Leaders and travelers will need to be fully vaccinated in order to travel. Just like a passport, vaccination cards are going to be an essential travel item for the foreseeable future. For 2022 travel, requiring vaccinations is the responsible and logical policy. If it becomes clear that vaccines will continue to be necessary for 2023 travel, you can expect the policy to remain in place. We hope this policy gives all of our travelers peace of mind. There is now no reason to worry that you will be sharing a bus or hotel room with an unvaccinated traveler, and you don’t need to worry about missing out on any elements of your itinerary. I’ve been vaccinated for months, am now boosted up, and have loved recently traveling to Spain, Italy, Greece, the UK and France. And, as always, can’t wait to travel again. See you out there somewhere.
February 12, 2026 Encore Tours Why International Travel Can Transform a Church Choir A church choir can rehearse together for years. They can sing beautifully, serve liturgy faithfully, and become an essential part of parish life. Backstage Blog
February 12, 2026 Encore Tours Announcing Encore’s Best Promotion for Early Planners If you’re starting to think about an international performance tour in 2027 or 2028, this is an especially good moment to begin the conversation. Backstage Blog Planning Your Tour
February 4, 2026 David Solar ETIAS Explained: What U.S. Travelers Need to Know for Europe in 2026 If you’re planning a performance tour to Europe in 2026 or beyond, you may start hearing more about ETIAS. ETIAS for U.S. Backstage Blog Get Ready To Travel