There’s no doubt that if you enjoy wandering the globe, you are just itching to get back to your journeys. I totally get it! I’m in the same boat, but what will travel after quarantine look like? Great question!
Although no one can predict for sure, I have been a part of a few Zoom meetups with freelancers, editors, and experts, and I’ve heard a few consistent trends that I’d love to share with you. So, sit back and get ready to start planning – even if it’s just mentally!
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Travel After Quarantine – What Will it Be Like?
Domestic travel will pick up first.
We all feel a bit safer close to home, and getting away while staying relatively near home base has its perks. You can avoid flights if you choose a place a few hours away. Plus, rules within a country will most likely be the same, so we will all probably be allowed to travel within our own locale.
As various places go through the pandemic at different times, the rules of where and when you can travel will all be different. It’s best to stay within your own borders. So, you may want to save that long trip or the European vacay until the very end of the year or even 2021 to be safe.
Think about traveling to nearby countries next.
After exploring your own country, maybe head to Canada and the Caribbean, but – oddly enough – probably not Central or South America right away. I’m not sure of the reasoning, but it could be the language difference making those countries feel further away. As US citizens, we share North America with Canada, so it seems natural to head north.
As far as the Caribbean, that is where folks from the United States tend to go on getaways. The proximity and easy access allow for that, so the blue water and soft sand may not be as far away timewise as you think.
Be aware of higher cleaning & prep standards.
Airbnb announced that they require 24 hours in between bookings, so when one guest leaves, another one can not return that same night. Hotels are upping their sanitation game across their brands.
The same goes for cruise lines, airlines, trains, busses, and any mode of sleeping arrangement or transportation you can imagine, which leads to my next point.
Prepare for higher rates & date competition.
Imagine what will happen if accommodations decide to leave rooms open for 24 hours in between guests. There has even been talk about cruise lines leaving rooms or sections open in case people need to quarantine during the journey. Planes may be leaving specific seats open on flights to lessen interactions between people.
All of this leads to fewer seats and rooms, and hotels and transportation services still need to make money. Less inventory could mean that you need to book even earlier to secure dates. Rate increases may be imposed to make up for funds lost due to empty beds or seats.
Families will want full rentals.
In order to keep close to the ones you love and have a bit of social distancing, families and close friends will seek out full rentals. Think huge beachfront homes, mountain cabins, and lakeside retreats.
A large rental may seem like a luxury – and it can be – but splitting the cost of a large home can be more economical than multiple hotel rooms.
Road trips will continue to be a favorite.
Your car – or rental – is a secure environment to control, so more people will take road trips to wander their way around. Plus, they are just fun trips for exploring at your pace.
Taking a road trip dovetails nicely with domestic travel as folks try to explore the areas that are a bit closer to home or within their own country.
Taking RV trips will pick up post-quarantine.
Renting an RV goes hand in hand with road trips, but campers and recreational vehicles are also a way that you can keep tabs on the cleanliness and sanitation of your mobile hotel room.
Whether you choose to drive around the country in your RV or treat it like an Airbnb that you park near a lake, having your own space that you can feel good about and keep germ-free is ideal.
Wide-open spaces are going to beckon.
We are all tired of being cooped up, so people will crave the great outdoors. Trips to National Parks, mountains, and other natural areas will give folks the space they need.
These areas also provide activities such as hiking, sightseeing, swimming, and climbing. Eco-friendly, sustainable, and zero waste travel will also continue to soar.
Masks will be the new norm.
I purchased a set of masks as a part of a buy/donate type of initiative. I bought them because it was a good cause, but I will also not be traveling on public transportation – planes especially – without a mask. What used to seem overprotective or an oddity will now become a standard for travel after quarantine.
Here are a few places donating masks if you purchase some yourself.
- Johnny Was – Their lovely patterns are $25 for 5, and they will donate a pack for each pack purchased.
- United by Blue – Made from salvaged fabric, these are 3 for $20, and they donate one mask to Philadelphia’s homeless for each pack purchased.
- For Days – Their buy 5/donate 5 program helps their local frontline workers in LA. The 5 pack is $25 and is made from recycled materials.
We will need to travel.
Just like small businesses, such as boutiques and restaurants, will need our help, so will the travel industry. So will the artists and musicians and hairdressers and – the list goes on. A plethora of businesses and their employees will be hurting, and that applies to destinations, hotels, and sites, too.
Post-quarantine travel is essential.
I know that we are all suffering right now, and we may not be in the financial position to help out. That is precisely where domestic travel can come in handy. It tends to be less expensive than traveling abroad, so if we are all traveling close to home, that can help us get away while infusing funds into places that have been closed for so long.
How soon will you travel?
That is definitely a tough question to answer, isn’t it? A lot depends on the restrictions of your state and how comfortable you feel getting out of your own town. If the idea of a road trip or heading a few towns or states over, explore your area with these tips on how to be a hometown traveler.
Be safe and stay well!
Comments
15 responses to “Travel After Quarantine – What Will it Be Like?”
All those points make sense. For sure, people can’t wait for this quarantine period to be over and spend some time outdoors. Including myself! But yeap, most likely I will start within my own country first. 🙂
Travel will definitely take a whole new definition by defining the new safety standards. It is also vital to promote the small sectors true like helping boutiques, homestay, BnBs. It is true that one has to shell out a lot of money on stays and perhaps air tickets too. The whole new normal is definitely going to affect the travel industry.
Don’t know about the neighbor country but I guess backyard travel is going to be my way out immediately once the quarantine is over. I would also like to go on road trips but preferably in my own car because hiring an RV might not be safe as well. Yes, travel or the hotels are going to get expensive as there would be less availability henceforth. But we will have to wait for days to see actually what happens.
It’s interesting to read your predictions about the future of travel about the quarantine. Truth is that none of us know what to expect next, but most likely we are going to see higher prices and higher standards for cleanliness. Also, it’s very probable that road trips (in our own cars) will be the next ones to pick up.
I am itching to travel and it’s so sad that our planned holidays in this month and June had to be called off. I too don’t see the prospect of international travel before mid of next year. And I quite agree that hotels and flights perhaps would be much costlier than what it used to be before the pandemic started. Things are so uncertain and we can keep praying that we are able to travel again soon. Nice to know your perspective on this. Every thought is assuring.
This is a very insightful post! I was just talking to a friend the other day, about what traveling is going to be like and your points are so valid, I am going to share this with him. Already, in Romania, people are talking about what vacations to take inside the country. And I believe that, like the Americans, the Europeans will also stick to countries closer to home. I have a vacation planned for December, in Australia, so, fingers crossed that the prices won’t be too different than what I have already planned!
After COVID Lockdown, definitely, travel needs a new definition looking to the safety standards. I agree one should focus more on domestic travel than risky international travel. The major effect will be on airlines which may fly at 30% capacity looking to maintaining social distance and this may hike the airfare so much. Travel post-COVID will be an expensive affair as I can see and people need to wait for a few more months for normal travel.
This is spot on! I am also curious about how travel will be after quarantine. I totally agree with you that domestic travel will pick up first. Here in the Philippines, that international travel may be impossible for the rest of the year.
Yes I too intend to do domestic travels more. Agree that personal vehicles and RV trips will be comparatively safer. Air travel may be safer than other public transport modes. My heart goes out to the small businesses, hope they tide over this situation.
I didn’t travel much before the pandemic, because I’ve never had the money for it, but I know I’ve been itching for even small road trips and such since all this happened. It’ll be nice to get back out again, even if just to Charlottesville or DC – or to visit our in-laws in Florida. But it’ll be different for a time, that’s for sure!
I cannot wait to travel again! so good to read this post on how travel will look as we open back up and will definitely be doing road trips first!
This is such a good post. We’ve got plans to fly in October (just to another state) but we’ll probably still wear masks, unless the threat really is gone. But we’d rather be safe than sorry! And I can’t wait to go on another road trip!
I’ll probably travel as soon as they say I’m able to! If they say there’s a 2nd wave coming, I’d rather do it before we’re locked in the house even longer than last time. I’ll probably hold off on going to Europe or Asia until winter for sure. It’s definitely a bonus that more sanitation will be happening in hotels and planes. It should have been that way before all of this IMO!
It was perfect the first time. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
I’m so interested to see what it’s like to travel!