Travel Tips Post COVID 19
Travel Tips

Travel Tips Post COVID 19 Pandemic Era

Travel is not going to be the same ever again and it is time we face reality. Be it for work or for leisure, there will be several ways our traveling experiences will change when COVID 19 subsides. Yes, we must be hopeful and think about the time when we will survive the pandemic. We must also take measures to stay safe now, it orders to live our lives normally with due course of time. Let us find out what are the travel tips post COVID 19 era going to be like.

How COVID 19 has affected the travel industry?

The tourism industry contributes to 10% of the global GDP. There has been a sudden fall in the overall GDP, and travel has been most effected. These following points justify the statement:

  • The World Travel and Tourism Council has warned that more than 50 million people can be out of jobs from this industry.
  • The Asian continent is likely to be the worst affected in terms of tourism and travel.
  • It will take at least 10 months for the industry to recover after the pandemic is over.

How long the pandemic lasts will determine the impact at which the industry will be affected. At this point, there is no approximate data related to the losses that can incur. There are restrictions on international transportation taken by the US to restrict travel to Europe. But the measures are not making a good economic impact.

Around 8, 50,000 people travel every month from Europe and the US. The approximate contribution is $3.4 billion to the US economy. Out of the 50 million people who can lose their jobs, 30 million is estimated to be from Asia, seven million from Europe, five million in the US, and the rest in other parts of the world.

The amount equals to a loss of three months of world travel in 2020. Moreover, the impact can lead to reducing jobs by 12% to 14%. WTTC asked the government to simplify or remove visas wherever possible to cut down on travel taxes and introduce incentives after the pandemic.  There has to be cooperation from the people working in the sector to make travelers postpone their trips and not cancel them.

Airlines, cruise ships, and hotels are being majorly affected right now. Due to the confinement of places like Spain and Italy, there will be more impact on the industry.

How to plan trips post COVID 19

We understand how important traveling means to you, and you’re wondering when can you get back to exploring beautiful destinations. This is why, we have listed down travel tips post COVID 19 pandemic to help you stay safe and make the right plans. The situation is going to make traveling very complicated from now on. But in order to continue doing what we love most, we need to stay safe.

1. Maintain safety

The first thing that can come to your mind when traveling the next time, is the level of safety. Gone are those days when we used to think about physical safety, robbery, and scams, while going to international destinations. COVID 19 has changed our mindsets and we have to give preventive tips priority over everything else.

If you already have a vacation planned, you’re probably wondering if it is safe to go or not. According to experts, traveling at such a dire time is a personal decision. You have to analyze the risks and benefits of traveling to a certain place and then decide if you should go.

It is best to consult a healthcare provider before taking decisions related to traveling. You need to avoid every non-essential travel to places that have stage three notices. For example, Italy, China, and the US are not the right places to travel to at this time. These countries will take time to go back to being safe in terms of tourism.

2. Getting money return

If you’re wondering how you can get back your money from canceling your bookings, you must know that there can be fees charged. You might have to pay the cancellation charges and penalty for bookings if you hadn’t bought a fully refundable ticket. This can be a huge loss for you especially if you had booked international trips.

COVID 19 has hit several airlines very hard, and it includes Delta Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines, and more. They are loosening their booking policies and also suspending cancelation charges and rescheduling fees.

3. Travel insurance

There are specific circumstances where insurance companies pay out when you decide to interrupt or cancel a trip. If you choose not to travel somewhere because you’re worried to get infected, you will not get insurance because of that. In such cases, the answer is to go for cancel-for-any-reason coverage that costs more than usual. However, it pays back 75% of your booking amount.

4. Quarantine upon return

If you’re wondering if you will be kept under quarantine when you come back from your travel, the answer is yes. If you’re going to a place that doesn’t have many confirmed cases or no cases, but they start showing up during the stay, it can affect you from returning back home.

In a scenario, where health officials don’t quarantine you when you’re coming back, you might be still asked to work remotely. Things are rapidly changing and nobody can guarantee how things are going to become eventually.

5. Best to stay home

As of now, yes, it is best to stay home and limit your travel plans. Your health is more important than traveling to a place. Moreover, the pandemic is not about one person, it is about everyone around you. We must be very cautious about taking measures about our travel plans to make the most of them.

It is safe to travel during COVID 19 outbreak?

Sadly, this is not the best time to travel anywhere. With more than half of the world being shut down, people are panicking to even leave their houses. Traveling at this time can be fatal depending upon your age, health, and destination you plan to visit. While the fatality rate of COVID 19 is low, you still have to consider some things before you plan a trip. Check out the aspects to consider before you plan a trip:

1. Age

People who have low immunity levels can get severe if they have corona. This is why, children up to the age of 10 and elderly people over 60 are endangered. People who are between the ages of 10 to 39 have lower chances to die from coronavirus. The death rate among this age span is 0.2 percent. However, it doesn’t mean that you have no chance to get an infection. This means, even if you consider this as a green signal for you to travel, you cannot take your movements for granted. Moreover, people who are infected can spread the disease and cause more harm to other people.

2. Medical history

People who already have a medical condition are susceptible to getting ill from coronavirus. If you already have a condition, it is better you do not take the risks involved with traveling right now. People who have respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer should reconsider their travel plans.

3. Country you visit

The place you want to visit will determine your travel plans. The number of cases across the globe right now is humongous and major countries have been affected. From Italy to the US, conditions are critical in many. On the other hand, places like Singapore and South Korea have managed the cases in a better way. Their graph in terms of infected patients is slowing down. Thus, the place you want to visit, will make a huge impact as well.

4. Safety measure

The safety measures taken by the mode of transportation and the probability of getting infected depending on where you go will also matter. For example, most airports right now are not safe for people to go through. This means airlines might not the first option for you to take.

If you plan to travel from one city to another, by car or railway, you might be subjected to a lesser possibility of risks. If you have your own car and you plan a road trip, it can be the safest option among all. Since you own the car, the precautions you take will determine safety. If you hire car rental services, the level of safety the company maintains will determine your safety. These are determining factors that you need to think about when planning your next tour.

Travel Tips Post COVID 19

According to WHO, we must keep ourselves safe now and post COVID 19 era by following certain tips like rules. Here are some of the travel tips post COVID 19 pandemic:

1. Wash hands frequently

The most crucial tip right now is to ensure that you’re washing your hands regularly. If we all follow a simple step to wash our hands, we can keep away from the deadly disease. The best way to ensure washing hands is to set an alarm every two hours. If you have ever used a water app to remind yourself to drink water, this can work similar to hand washing. Even when we tend to forget, an app can remind us that we need to do it and keep ourselves safe with one basic step.

You must carry a hand sanitizer at all times. If you can carry a soap for yourself or a small bottle of liquid soap for travel, keep using it every now and then. When using soap, make sure you wash your hands for 20-30 seconds. You can also carry a medically approved sterilizer if you don’t have a hand sanitizer.

Make sure that the sanitizer you buy and carry always has more than 60% alcohol content. Cleanse your hands and wrists well. Don’t underestimate a good soap – soap water cleansing can be more beneficial compared to sanitizers.

2. Keep hands off your face

When you’re out and around the public, consciously keep your hands off your face. Thoroughly clean your hands before you do so, once returning home or to the hotel. The coronavirus can survive on any surface for hours after being touched by an infected person. You can infect yourself when you touch your eyes, nose or mouth if you share the infected surface anyhow.

3. Maintain distance

When you see someone sneezing, coughing, or showing similar symptoms of cold and flu, you need to stay away by at least 1 meter or 3 feet from that person. Coronavirus in airborne and you can get infected if someone cough/sneeze droplet get into your body.

4. Frequent cleaning

Use a cleaning wipe or spray to disinfect the objects you own in order to keep them free of the infection. When you stay in a hostel or hotel, you need to make sure that the place is clean. The tourism industry will have to maintain better levels of cleanliness from now on. Thus, keeping a check on the management will be harmless. Make sure that the place is properly cleaned and disinfected.

5. Avoid crowds

If you have to travel to a country that has had a high number of coronavirus cases, you should keep away from places that have large gatherings. You have to do your own bit of research to figure out if it is worth the risk or not. Ask the government officials and listen to their suggestions. If the authorities ask you to not go to a certain region, you should follow such instructions.

6. Wear a mask

There are different types of masks being sold in the market right now. From bringing masks into fashion to having different uses, there are innumerable options. We will have to incorporate masks to not risk infecting ourselves and the people around. At any point, if you find yourself having symptoms, seek medical help and keep away from people to stop the infection from spreading.

These were some of the travel tips post COVID 19 that you have to keep in mind at all times. These will help you stay safe and also allow you to do what you love most – travel!

2 Replies to “Travel Tips Post COVID 19 Pandemic Era

  1. Of course all of us lack travelling for now, but we have to follow the rules just for our safety. I’m dealing with that by speaking to people from all over the world in COVID-19 chat in Utopia p2p. All those forced for isolation spent time there and sharing the news. Everything will change for better. Just a little patience.

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