The travel industry has possibly been the greatest affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic. With most international and domestic borders closed for the indefinite future, travel companies have collapsed and those that relied on that beach vacation are having to stay home for the forceable future.
A positive way to handle things during uncertain times like these is to look for the light at the end of the tunnel: You may not be able to book travel holidays for next week, but what about a couple of months from now? When will that long-awaited visit to your overseas family become a reality? Let’s take a look.
People are already booking holidays
Flight companies are giving travellers an option to change cancelled trips to a later date in the year and well-booked events are getting rescheduled to September and October, in hopes that the risk of spreading COVID-19 in a large social setting will have all but disappeared by then.
“For many, having something to look forward to in the future will be a positive to focus on. It is a personal choice of whether now feels like the right time to start thinking about a trip,” Skyscanner’s Jon Throne advised. “If you do so, be sure to check the policies covering your booking.”
Borders might open sooner than you think
Although situations like this aren’t exactly predictable, we can expect the situation to ease as quickly as it was restricted. Depending on the country, if numbers remain low restrictions will be eased and people will be allowed to return to everyday life. Yes, this includes travelling!
While international borders are still a long way from opening to other countries again for recreational use, domestic flights and travel within your own country or “bubble flights” between partner countries is a very realistic reality a few months from now.
“Certainly this is a good time for a bit of dreaming, a bit of planning. Think about that Aussie break that you might take when we do finally get to the other side of this,” said Simon Birmingham, Australia’s Federal Tourism Minister. “There may come a time where at least we can relax some of those travel restrictions within Australia and that will give you a chance to be able to get out, if you’re in a position where you can afford to do so – perhaps to support some of those regions who at the start of the year were dealing with bushfires, or indeed many other tourism regions who are struggling at present because of the loss of business.”
Be prepared for your trip to be different than pre-virus travel
While the idea that we could return to the way travel was prior to the outbreak is nice, this is just not a reality.
With airline management changing hands, airlines going bankrupt, and travel companies being hit with huge debt, there is no possible way that our airports and travel agencies will ever look the same.
There is also a great global concern for history to repeat itself – many countries might be successfully fighting against COVID-19, but what about the possibility of a mutated strain? What about the possibility of future viruses?
Travel makes it easy for one singular virus to make its way across the world double time. That is how a single infection can turn into a pandemic.
To prevent this from happening, travel companies will have to take great caution that will change the way travel looks forever. We cover how it might be different here.
Don’t put away your suitcases just yet
It has been shared that vacation favourites including Florida, mainland Spain, and the Canaries are destinations remaining in high demand for the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021.
While the situation looks bleak right now, we can already see restrictions easing globally. It might be too quick to call it, but you may be able to hold out hope for that family holiday at the end of the year after all!
