Travelling post COVID-19
As we all are aware that covid 19 has changed the thinking of human being in every aspect. So it's very obvious that, life after covid 19 is going to change along with travelling, transport, accommodation, activities, tour, sightseeing, meals etc. Tourism is one of the most affected industries and going to change like never before.
In my own travel company bookings are down by over 98%. our support staff are working very hard to help travelers and admins. However, the scale of the problem cannot be ignored; entire nations have been ordered to stay at home, airlines have gone bankrupt, travel companies are laying off massive amounts of workers, and hotels are now hospitals. When things do start to return to “normal”, after this pandemic, travel, especially international travel, will look very different. Here are the top changes I see coming:
When will travel recover?
The million-dollar question. The short answer is nobody knows for sure. Travel will recover in stages and freedom to travel will vary, not only country-by-county but by region also. In addition, there are multiple factors that will influence travel such as whether social distancing on planes is economically viable for carriers, the reliability of antibody tests, and if immunity is lasting, to name a few.
Here is what we believe:
Domestic travel will begin to recover around October
International travel will take little more time to recover.
- The queue at airport longer than ever before.
- You have to go through lot of formality like thermal screening etc at airport.
- You could be asked for medical certificate.
- You have to go with lost of paper work.
You need more then a passport
Some countries will not even take the chance of testing at border, especially if you are coming from an outbreak hotspot. Entrance can be refused unless you have immunity certificate. Wristbands with barcodes like those in the movie contagion are a very real prospect.
Certainly in short term travel will become more defined by purpose. Countries will likely only open their borders where there is merit and its safe to let travelers through. This may means temporary visas and more documents that you will need to take with you when traveling.
You will pack differently.
Seen the TikTok video of a man taking out a bag of wet-wipes and thoroughly wiping down his table and seat before sitting down for take off? Well, it could be something you start to see in the flesh. Even if it’s not to that comedic extent, we’re being directed to wash our hands, and the only way to do that when on the move is with hand sanitizer. We may well see the relaxing of liquid carry-on restrictions as travelers want to take more than 100ml, especially on long-haul flights.
Along with hand sanitizer travel packs, it’s a pretty easy prediction to make that a lot more people will travel with masks. In the same way that companies like Away have made luxury, fashionable travel baggage, we will most likely see “desirable” travel masks worn by Instagram influences.
You’ll tick that little box every time.
We’re all very used to airplane bookings coming with tens of add-ons once we’ve chosen our flight. Let’s be honest, most of us skip past speedy boarding, extra baggage, car-rental, and even seat selection. One box that we won’t be skipping past as much is the one asking us if we want to insure the flight. Be careful though, often this “insurance” doesn’t cover you for many things, including the outbreak of a pandemic. Either airline providers or insurance companies are going to have to change to accommodate our new reality.
Society won’t like you when you’re sick.
Even those who have recovered from COVID-19, and have built up immunity (if the virus doesn’t mutate too much) won’t want to travel with a cold. The current situation and the conviction with which the world is adopting social distancing will make it socially unacceptable to travel with a cold or any symptoms. The looks you will get if you cough or sneeze at an airport or on a plane will be scathing. I predict that social stigma will put a lot of people off, resulting in the potential for more no-shows on travel days (once prices are stable).
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