With the reveal of a 90% effective vaccination shot by a pharmaceutical company, it appears that is the beginning of the end for COVID times. The pandemic has hit almost all industries, but it is hard to think of one being hit harder than traveling and tourism. People are anxious about having a test of freedom and open space for the first time in a year, and countries, especially those who rely on tourism as their primary GDP indicator of growth. But with the vaccine around, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the virus will instantly disappear; availability and immunization dynamics will take some time to develop.
Therefore, experts recommend avoiding traveling long distances in 2020. A couple of months ago gave a series of crucial recommendations for when to travel. It is best to do it when your nation’s governments withdraw their warnings and emergency laws, when the pandemic ends or when a vaccine is found. This third scenario is finally becoming a reality, and people wonder when it will be safe to travel and when will the travel restrictions finally go back to normal.
The consensus of an airplane traveling in covid times is nothing like before, with airlines implementing “zero-touch” experience, robust hygiene, and isolation systems. If they were already able to provide these services to business people and athletes in 2020, the general public could only expect a more refined, cheap and reliable experience in 2021.
How safe will it be on the ground?
The flying in itself might be safe, but flying by itself is only a minor part of traveling; the most significant portion of it implies being in society, interacting with others, and moving from one place to another with ease. One conclusive expert’s recommendation is to do most of your inside-the-country transportation in a car rather than on foot. Now is neither a good idea to hire a cab or do it on a tourist bus, since there is no way of ensuring everyone’s safety procedures. Therefore, it is best to limit your contact with groups of people and rent a car. To do this, you will need an international driver’s license. You cannot forget to process it and bring it with you while traveling, considering the country’s laws and requirements you’ll be visiting. You also ought to have learned the different traffic laws and legislation of your receiving country ¡Don’t find yourself driving on the wrong side of the road, my friend!
Security and time, when to take the leap?
Experts have concluded that the ideal to restart traveling as a massive practice would be the fall of 2021. If you want to be cautious, you must use the months of the wait to prepare. Make a route from your home to the airport using the least crowded roads; bring all the implements necessary to ensure biosecurity: gloves, mask, shield, sanitizer, and thermometer. Get in touch with the airline beforehand to have information about the unique boarding process and in-flight dynamics. Once you have arrived at your destination, have an itinerary, know what you’re going to do it, who you are going to do it with, and how many people will potentially be there at the same time as you. Even with a vaccine, since not all the world’s population will get it, it is best to lead with the example. If you’re not vaccinated or have other reasons not to take the shot, it’s crucial to decontaminate yourself every time you go back to your room and ask cleaning services to do their work every day in the place.
Where do we go from a stale 2020?
Traveling has always been an activity with calculated risk even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but with significant and transparent processes, the odds of a plane malfunctioning, weather being unpredictable, and other causes of incidents have become far less likely. The same characteristics can also be attributed to post-pandemic traveling; if everyone plans ahead and follows in line to the international health recommendations making sure to have masks, getting an international driver license, and waiting until the recommended season, traveling can be as safe or even safer than it was before.
