You’ve still got more trips ahead of you, but you might not recognize them. Top ten new realities of travel. For this list, we’re looking at some of the major ways in which travel as an experience is poised to change in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Few things can be said with any certainty in these strange times, but based on the available evidence, these are a handful of the ways in which we expect the travel industry to be redefined by the pandemic.
10 Way Less Freedom of Movement
There’s nothing like looking at the global passport index to make you appreciate just how much power one of these little booklets grants you, especially if you come from a country with good international relations. The thing is, the rules of travel have been rewritten by the pandemic, and now the question of who gets to come and go from a country is way more complicated than ever before, as various regions of the world begin opening up again. Most nations are choosing to do it with extreme prejudice, creating specific corridors. And bubbles of movement between neighboring nations. Depending on how COVID-19 plays out in the long run with regards to vaccination and subsequent waves and outbreaks, your eligibility for entering a foreign country could very well change from one month to the next for the foreseeable future.
9 New Travel Seasons
Historically, the number of people traveling to a destination throughout the year has always been determined first and foremost by weather when the weather is at its best, the number of visitors peaks when the weather is bad. If it bottoms out, there are a few other variables like festivals, wildlife migration or sports specific winter destinations like ski resorts, but that’s the general rule. Well, hard though it might be to imagine the pandemic could change not only where and how to travel, but also when, as discussed in our previous entry, governments are likely to be opening and closing their borders with far more regularity. As such flu season could literally become a no fly season for many destinations, forcing them to turn away the. Wards of Sun seeking tourists for fear of an outbreak. Should there be spikes of illness in their nations of origin.
8 Redefining Travel Essentials
Travel bloggers and Youtubers are going to need to update their packing tutorials. The list of must have items has received some notable new additions in 2020. All of a sudden you need to find room for multiple airline approved bottles of hand sanitizer between your socks and underwear, disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes. These are all likely to be considered. Non-negotiable, heading into the future for the fashionable traveler, you’ll want an assortment of cute, reusable cloth masks. One to go with. Every outfit will be touching on this more in later entries, but there is also going to be an increased desire to bring our own personal items rather than use the public or complementary alternatives. Expect the inflight touchscreen display on the headrest of the seat in front of you to go extinct. You’ll use your own tablet
7 Fewer Personal Touches
Smart technologies. Apps, algorithms and AI have become an ever more integral part of the travel industry over the last decade or so. Such developments have largely made the experience more efficient, but there are those who bemoan the lack of human interaction, personalized touches and face to face interactions. Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the pandemic has not only solidified these changes, but it’s going to push the industry even further in that direction. People are thinking about germs and illness like never before, and given that the travel industry is defined by the rapid movement of humans from all across the world, expect every effort to be made to keep the number of close proximity interactions between staff and customers or passengers. To a minimum, everything that can be done remotely from your phone, like ordering food or checking in will be.
6 A Major Change İn Marketing
The travel industry is big business. Before the pandemic it was estimated to be worth $13 trillion and encompassed well over 300 million jobs. Yes, that includes airlines. And hotels, but also an entire subset of the marketing industry that tells people where they need to go next and why every piece of the complex ecosystem that is the travel industry will be forced to pivot and respond to the unique challenges of a post pandemic world, but few will face creative challenges like those in advertising buzzwords come and go, but for the foreseeable future, you can expect a major focus placed on cleanliness, sanitation and personal space, air quality and air purification will likely become. Expected selling points pristine. A term typically used to describe wilderness and travel circles will now be used to tout the cleanliness of hotel rooms and planes private, uncrowded and isolated destinations will likely be the next big trend.
5 Stringent Screenings
Are you the sort of person who gets frustrated by the long waits and extensive security involved with international flights? Well, it might be time to take up meditation or other stress management strategies because all signs point to travel being. Infinitely more complicated than ever before. You’ll likely have to go through the entire process twice now once for traditional security, and then another health centric process. Various countries, airports, and airlines around the world are drafting protocols to protect the future of travel, as well as the health and safety of employees and travelers, blood tests, infrared temperature checks, UV sanitizing baggage tunnels, mandatory masks. These are just a few of the tactics that could become standard practice. Some industry insiders are. Even predicting that airports as a whole will be overhauled to make them as close to zero touch as possible.
4 Health Passports
Traditional passports tell people where you’re from and where you’ve been. It’s the ultimate piece of internationally recognized government issued ID. What it doesn’t telltheborder, however, is your medical history, but certain countries are toying with the idea of implementing a separate form of documentation to allow them to get verifiable confirmation of your health as it relates to COVID-19 or other potential future viruses. If and or when a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, proof of vaccination will likely become a must have to enter more cautious countries. Similarly, there is continued talks of immunity passports which may be implemented depending on whether long term immunity proves to be reliable. Many people feel that such regulatory measures infringe on their rights and freedoms and that their efficacy will be shaky at best, but this is uncharted water and governments are exploring all avenues. Depending on your destination. You may even need to download a contact tracing app upon entry number.
Three higher prices across the board. In recent years there have been more people traveling the globe than ever before. While this has brought with it issues of over tourism and environmental concerns, there’s something undeniably uplifting about the idea of travel being more affordable and inclusive. Unfortunately, the pandemic seems poised to set the clock back in this regard to combat issues of overcrowding and promote social distancing. Many travel related businesses. From airlines and cruises to tours, museums and hotels will likely have to limit the number of customers.
3 This İs An İndustry
Whose profits depend on crowds to turn a profit, so when you add social distancing to what is sure to already be a decreased interest in travel over the next few years, businesses are left with no choice but to up their prices to cover the gap from your plane ticket and hotel room to the cost of entry at the Louvre, everything is likely to get more expensive. The reality is those who travel on a tight budget might see a notable decrease. In the variety of trips they can afford to take.
2 İnsurance And Flexible Travel
We, as a global community, have learned a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the many tough lessons learned is that travel plans years in the making and with thousands of dollars invested can suddenly disappear overnight. And if a major event is the ’cause, you may have no recourse in terms of getting a refund moving forward insurance is likely to be a must have for any travel or planning. A major trip gone are the days of picking the cheapest option. With the highest deductible following the logic that you’ll never need to use it, people will likely be paying top dollar for whichever insurance provider is willing to give them the most coverage with the least ifs, ands or butts. Not only are there going to be insurance options, allowing you to cancel mere hours ahead of the trip, but we also expect to see greater flexibility with the travel providers themselves unless people are made to feel that their investment is safe and adjustable, they won’t book trips.
1 And Unrecognizable Bar And Restaurant
Industry, so you’ve jumped through all the hoops packed accordingly. Submitted yourself to the various tests, and now you finally arrived at your destination. The question is, do you recognize it when talking about how travel has been changed by the pandemic? We often focus on getting from A to B, but the destinations themselves have been changed by this global crisis. One of the industries hit hardest is the food and service industry. Bars and restaurants often work with razor, thin margins and massive overhead. It’s the nature of the business, but. Unlike airlines, these establishments aren’t getting bailed out. Many governments have rolled out programs to help, but it’s rarely anywhere close to enough. It’s been estimated that one in five restaurants closed down by the pandemic won’t survive to reopen. Other predictions are even more grim. So while you anxiously await your next big trip, be sure to support the business is closest to home so that they might survive to be discovered by future travelers.
