How Travel Will Change After Coronavirus

We're all probably so tired of hearing about Covid-19 and Coronavirus. There's almost no other news happening and it can get overwhelming. It sucks. We're all stuck at home trying to stay afloat and figure out how to adjust to this new normal for the time being where we don't get to hug others and have to throw game nights via Zoom or Discord and can only see people from across the street. I hope some good things will come from this, including a lot more kindness toward people, a greater appreciation for the things we've usually taken for granted, and a safer/healthier world.

Thinking about this, I feel like when we return to travel, it's going to be different, but it's also going to be better. Not only is nature becoming a bit more wild and skies/waters are becoming clearer, but think of how exciting life is going to be when you can see a place for the first time again. Even your favorite destinations may change.

Here is some speculation on how travel itself will be different:

• You'll see more people everywhere wearing masks outside and at landmarks and attractions.
• There's going to be a lot more hand sanitizer everywhere you go.
• Cleaning practices are going to be much more stringent.
• There will be stricter limits on capacity, even at outdoor attractions, like the Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas.
• Credit card and contactless payments will be the new norm and more available in places like public transportation (all buses in the UK that we took last year had tap to pay).
• Fewer people will be allowed in restaurants, and there will be fewer tables overall, to help with social distancing.
• More virtual queues to allow for less standing around waiting at restaurants.
• More places accepting reservations to space out visitors.
• Employees everywhere wearing masks and gloves, especially in food service, where you may also receive your food covered to prevent germs getting to it before it arrives.
• More airports may employ therapy dogs/animals to lessen the stress of travel for passengers.

I can't say that I'll be sad to see any of these changes if/when they happen. It's going to make crowd management a bit more complicated, but it's also going to make it easier to navigate places in my opinion.

How will the TSA change? 

Right now, there are approximately 90% fewer travelers at airports going through security when compared to the same time last year. When the travel bans are lifted, or if you have to travel for an emergency, here's what's going to be different:

• Travelers will be allowed to bring a bottle of sanitizer up to 12oz with them on the plane. Any container over the 3.4oz limit will need to be scanned separately.
• You'll be encouraged to put anything in your pockets into your purse or carry-on through security and not use a bin/tray at all.
• Security will allow travelers to wear face masks, but may also be asked to adjust them in order to match you to your ID or passport.
• If your ID has expired, you may still be able to use it to travel. If your license or ID expired on or after March 1, 2020. TSA agents will accept expired driver's licenses or state-issued ID a year after expiration or 60 days after the duration of the emergency, whichever is longer.

Travelers will be encouraged to wash their hands before and after going through airport security. They also suggest you bring the following with you when traveling: Aside from hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and face masks. They also remind you that you can ask TSA officers to change their gloves before patting you down or handling your belongings. If you have other questions about traveling during the pandemic, check out TSA.gov/coronavirus.

What do you think of these new travel precautions? And how do you think travel will change beyond the travel bans and shelter-at-home orders?

How To Support Travel and Tourism When You Can't Travel

We're all living in a time of uncertainty right now. We don't know when we're going to travel again, just that it'll happen at some point in the future. We're hoping September sees us taking to the roads and skies again, but what are we doing in the meantime? You can definitely be planning your next trip now, but you can also support those in limbo right about now, too. 

As a travel blogger, things are really iffy right now. I'm not sure if I want to write about travel during this time, but I also want to write a bunch of things about travel, so it's still top of mind. Travel blogs and merchants are clearly not making money now, so here's what you can do to help out, and still have those people around when we come out of this.

Keep reading your favorite blogs

I hope I'm part of that list. If I am, please remember to come back and read each week. Read old posts that you may have missed and think sound cool. Leave comments. This is an important part of letting writers know you like their posts. If you don't bookmark the blogs you read, sign up for the feed or the newsletter to be notified of new posts. Share posts if you like them by pinning or reposting to your favorite social media accounts. I always appreciate this, but even more right now.

Follow + engage on social media

Help keep the conversation going by following me and others you love on social media (you can find all my links at the top of the page) and then engage with posts by leaving likes and/or commenting. When engagement is down, it's difficult to gain sponsors or review items.

Make a purchase

If I've ever helped you save money or find something cool to do at a destination, you buying something you were already going to buy could really help me out. As you might assume, being a travel blogger right now is pretty uncertain. Views are down, we're grounded, and we don't know when we can start traveling again.

I have two ebooks available on Amazon, but you can also make a purchase on any of my sidebar ads, buy items from my favorites list or use my link when you go to place an order on Amazon. If you're buying goods anyway, I'd be highly grateful for you using my affiliate link to do so. Now's a great time to buy a new travel bag or travel gear for your future trips. Save 20% off when you order from Travelon and use code SHEREENTRAVELS20%

Don't cancel your trips

Instead of cancelling, postpone. Call the hotel, airline, etc, and push out your travel dates. This lets these places know you'll still be coming in the future and allows them to use that money to keep their businesses going. You'll be helping the local tourism at your destination if you purchase tickets ahead of time or put down deposits on any part of your trip. 

While we wait for the world to settle on its new normal and we plan trips for when we can explore the world again, we'll ensure that we have as many options available as possible. It may be odd when we start traveling again, because things will have changed, but it'll be safer and we'll be able to stay healthier than before.

Where do you want to go once the travel bans are lifted?

When Can We Start Traveling Again?

So much is uncertain in the world right now, but things will slowly return to a new normal as time goes on. People are cancelling trips left and right or, even better, postponing until later, but how much later should we postpone? Right now, it's just a lot of speculation and hope, but all signs point to being able to get back on planes and taking those put off trips by September.

Disney parks are expecting for crowds to be lower when they actually do reopen, and we still don't have firm dates for that, though reservations for their properties are open for June 1 and after. Bob Iger has speculated that parks won't be reopening until there are mass testing options available, but that's also not set in stone.

Summer visits may be much smaller than usual, between folks rescheduling their spring and summer trips to fall when they can go and parents who have had their children home for months and can't take more time off for the summer or don't want to expose them to potential virus still hanging around. Tons of park-goers plan their trips close to a year ahead of time. Next summer may be cray-zy, but this summer and fall are probably going to be a lot emptier than you'd normally see, especially if you visit on weekdays. 

I'm hoping that parks reopen by this fall, even if I have to wear a mask, because I have a trip planned for late September. If not, I guess we'll be putting it off until the beginning of 2021, or maybe Christmas 2020.

Studies are showing that people may not even want to chance traveling for at least three months after travel bans are lifted, and even if that is mid-May, means a lot of people staying put until late August a the earliest. If schools welcome kids back in September, parents won't be taking them out for travels, since they didn't go for half of this school year, so the fall will be even sparser with tourists than usual. 

Half of travelers in a study said that they wouldn't feel comfortable traveling at all this year, but many who will travel also won't be traveling internationally. What does this mean for you if you want to get out and explore the world in the last quarter of this year? Really affordable airfare for one, deep discounts on accommodations to entice guests for two, and for three, much laxer rules for cancelling and rescheduling both. 

If you're seeing great deals, be it for a whole bundled vacation, or for separate portions of a trip for later in the year, and you don't want to pass it up. Don't! Save where you can in order to take advantage of an awesome trip, and if travel restrictions don't let up before then (though, I'd be surprised if they didn't), you can always get a refund or change your travel dates. Travel companies are hurting right now, and they're going to do everything they can to keep their businesses afloat. 

Worried about traveling too soon? You're definitely not the only one. That doesn't mean you can't take advantage of rock bottom prices, too. Start planning trips for a year out. You'll also be seeing great deals for then as well, because airlines and hotels need money now and are willing to put out awesome sales right now to keep capital coming in. If you wait until closer to those travel dates, you'll have to pay more, because other people will start getting ready to go on trips again, creating more demand. 

What this all means for you is that no matter where you want to go and when, if you start planning and booking now, you'll be able to snatch up some fantastic prices, where otherwise you might have to save up longer and not get to do as much or stay in as nice of a hotel. 

Where would you travel if you could get the best deal possible?