The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has quickly spread around the world, effectively hitting the “pause” button on the entire travel sector. However, we can already see some glimmers of hope in containing the pandemic and returning to a more normal life. Once the borders reopen, we can expect to see the number of travellers start increasing again.
Previously, we talked about the novel coronavirus and how to protect yourself against it. In today’s guide, we are looking at the best practices of travelling in times of COVID-19.
Avoid non-essential travel
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic. Shortly after, many governments implemented travel restrictions, limiting who can enter or leave their countries.
For now, the health officials advise everyone to stay at home and avoid any travelling. We know you just can’t wait to take a break from the quarantine and fly off to some magnificent island, but we ask you to stay patient for just a little bit longer. Of course, no one is stopping you from chatting with the Eddy Travels AI assistant and searching for the cheapest flights to Bali for later in the year. ✈️
Check travel restrictions
Some countries have already announced plans to ease the travel restrictions at the end of April or May. However, the situation is still unpredictable. Before you leave, check the government websites to find the most up-to-date information about any restrictions, both for the home and destination countries.
If you plan to stay abroad for a longer period of time, some new unexpected restrictions might also come into place. Be sure to sign up for travel alerts to stay informed and save the contact details of your embassy or consulate abroad, just in case.
Sondre Rasch, Co-Founder & CEO at SafetyWing, says:
“If you have to travel I would wear protective gear and be as vigilant as you can. I would also check the measures on flattenthecurve.global to see if there are any travel restrictions in the country you are traveling to or from, so you know in advance whether there are any restrictions, and to avoid ending in a quarantine you weren't planning for.”
Manage your travel bookings and cancellations
Due to COVID-19, many airlines have grounded the majority or even all of their planes. The renewal of flights will depend on how successful countries are at containing the spread of the coronavirus and how quickly the travel restrictions are lifted. We might see international flights gradually opening up at the end of May, June or even later.
Still, it’s likely we will continue to see unexpected cancellations for the next few months. In case your flight gets canceled, contact the airline or travel company directly. With some airlines, you will be able to receive a full refund for the cancellations. Other companies will offer free booking changes, suggesting you travel on a different date or choose a different route. Otherwise, they will offer travel vouchers for the same amount of money (and sometimes an additional percentage) that you could use for any future bookings.
Check your travel insurance
Most countries forbid people from doing any non-essential traveling until the coronavirus is contained. If you do not follow the official government’s advice and catch the coronavirus while traveling, then your insurance will not cover the associated costs.
Regardless of the coronavirus, travel medical insurance can still be very valuable. It will help you in case you get into an accident or catch other illnesses unrelated to COVID-19. Before booking and leaving for a trip, check if the pandemic warning is still issued in the destination country and contact your insurance provider for more details about coverage.
As an alternative, some insurance companies such as SafetyWing started offering extended health insurance options that would even cover the coronavirus cases if contracted abroad.
“Make sure you have health insurance. The risk of getting ill has gone up. And the risk of getting poor treatment because of crowding has gone up. We have just made Remote Health, a global health insurance available for individuals in that situation starting today” - Sondre Rasch.
How to protect yourself while traveling
First, carry an alcohol-based sanitizer with you at all times. Wash your hands frequently and cover yourself when you sneeze or cough. Most importantly, avoid touching your face at all times, unless you just cleaned your hands.
Whenever possible, maintain a distance from others of at least 2 meters. For extra ease of mind, wear a protective mask. According to WHO, it might not prevent you from catching the coronavirus. However, you may be carrying the virus without already knowing it. Thus, you wearing a mask can prevent others from catching the coronavirus too.
“This is absolutely a time to be more mindful of your own health. That includes things like getting enough sleep, exercise and also perhaps to eat very healthily or supplement to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need. For the benefit of others, wear protective gear when outside, like a cloth face mask. That reduces the chance that you get people around you sick if you are ill, but don't have any symptoms,” says Sondre Rasch.
Remember that protecting yourself doesn’t stop with leaving the airport. Take the same prevention measures when taking public transportation and staying at the hotel.
What to expect at the airport
If you have booked any trips for May or June, expect the airports to be deserted. That may or may not include airport parking, as many airports have closed parking lots that require an airport shuttle. So be sure to check sites, like parkingaccess.com before you drive to the airport and if you need a last-minute ride, shuttlefare.com for pre-arranged Lyft and Uber gives you recommendations on the safest transportation providers.
However, once the airlines start reopening their flights, the situation can change dramatically. The additional health security measures can result in a lot of congestion, especially at the biggest international airports.
Before you board a plane, the staff may check your body’s temperature. If you have a fever, you will be taken to a medical point for further evaluation. If you display symptoms of COVID-19, such as a high fever and coughing, you might be forbidden from continuing your travel.
As of April, many airports have also closed many of their business lounges. If you visit them frequently, check the status by going to the airport’s website beforehand.
What to expect on the plane
As an added security measure, the stewardess will be wearing protective masks and gloves. Whenever possible, the airlines will alter the seat allocation so that there is more space between you and other passengers.
With many people aboard, you might be afraid of the virus spreading by air. However, the planes have advanced filtering systems that clean the air every 15-30 minutes, lowering the risk of contagion.
The bigger danger is touching surfaces that are already contaminated. Although the airplanes will be cleaned between every flight, especially after long-haul flights, you can also take extra measures. If you have a disinfectant, use it to clean any stools, screens or armrests before you touch them.
Finally, some airlines have reduced or stopped serving food and drinks during flights. However, you are allowed to bring your own food onboard.
Michael Cunningham, VP of Business Development at Datalex, says:
“For the foreseeable future airlines and airports will have a huge emphasis on preventing the spread of COVID-19 among their staff and guests. Expect airline crews to wear protective masks, gloves, etc. and the widespread use of alcohol wipes and sanitisers for the foreseeable future. I also expect some changes to the catering services provided by airlines - especially full-service airlines who may need to look at their menu options with respect to cold foods, meats, etc. I also expect more rigorous cleaning and disinfection standards being implemented which will have a potentially huge impact on turnaround times, especially for low-cost carriers.”
What to expect upon arrival
Airports are getting better at managing the flow of passengers, but you should still expect some congestion issues.
After landing, you might have to go through some additional screening. Someone will likely measure your temperature, provide leaflets with health information, and ask you to fill in a questionnaire with your contact details.
Even if you don’t show any signs of the coronavirus, you can still be asked to self-isolate, especially if you are returning from a high-risk country.
Dainius R., a digital marketing professional, shares his experience of going through the arrivals:
“Our flight was the last of the day so everything went relatively smoothly. Every 10-15 minutes the crew allowed fifteen people to leave the airplane and go through the arrivals. There, we were met by a medical professional wearing full protective clothing - a suit, a respirator, and protective glasses. He measured our temperature and asked us to fill out some documents and provide our contact details. We were required to stay at home in self-quarantine for two weeks.”
Self-isolate after returning from travel
Talking of self-isolation, consider staying at home for some time after returning from an international trip. Without even knowing it, you might be infected with COVID-19 and not display any symptoms for as many as fourteen days.
Thus, try to minimize contact with other people during this time. Monitor yourself closely and see if you develop any of the coronavirus symptoms such as high fever, coughing or shortness of breath. If you do, seek medical attention by calling the emergency services number.
What if you get stuck abroad?
Some unexpected changes could happen while you are already abroad. In those cases, contact your airline or travel agency and try to reschedule your flights for an earlier day. If the flights are entirely canceled, contact your embassy or consulate for advice.
“In February, we left for a month-long trip to Bali. It was before any of the travel restrictions started. In the middle of our stay, the global pandemic was announced and countries started shutting down their borders. That’s when we received a notification that our flights were canceled too. To make it worse, our Indonesian visa was ending soon but we couldn’t extend it or do a visa run. We were stuck. The day before our planned departure we checked the airline’s website just in case and were shocked to see that our flight was scheduled to fly after all, although we didn’t receive any notice from the airline. So we managed to fly to Amsterdam and then take a charter flight organized by the Lithuanian government to return to Vilnius,” says Dainius.
When will travel return to normal?
Naturally, it will depend on how well the coronavirus is contained around the world. If there are no major new outbreaks, we can see some airlines reopen their flights as soon as June.
According to one study by Skyscanner conducted on April 3-5, 2020, as much as 84% of Britons expect foreign travel to resume by October. Across Europe, 75% of people expected the same.
Fred Roeder, Managing Director of the Consumer Choice Center, says:
“This will (hopefully) not last forever as the global economy will slowly recover. If you feel confident enough, you should look into travel deals starting from September this year. Many countries might be open for business and if not you can get refunded by your airline or get a voucher for future bookings (that often come with an additional monetary value).”
It is also possible that more people will choose to travel closer to their homes. According to Michael Cunningham:
“For leisure travel, I think demand will be weak for the remainder of 2020 and staycations, trips that don't necessitate plane journeys or long train journeys, will become more prevalent. I think in the medium term, people will cut back on the number of flights they take and we may see weak demand for city breaks during the year, with people limiting themselves more to their main summer vacations.”
Should you buy travel deals now?
There are still risks involved in travelling in the next few weeks or months. However, many airlines and hotels are offering some amazing deals for later in the year.
In October, for example, you can fly from New Delhi to Dubai for as little as 15,000 INR, from London to New York for 215 GBP, and from San Francisco to Bali for just 550 USD. Even if something changes, you can take advantage of the generous travel change policies that are now being offered.
Fred Roeder agrees:
“You can get some fantastic deals in the next 6-12 months and see places that are usually very expensive such as Iceland or Hawaii. I started traveling extensively after the Lehman crash in 2008 as business travel contracted and there it got much cheaper for leisure travelers. I remember paying 300 Euros for a roundtrip flight from Munich to Boston. Some of these deals are back. An oil price around 25 dollars, airlines and hotels struggling, and companies freezing business travel can be great for consumers on a limited budget.”
Summary
If there’s something we learned from previous global crises, it is that the travel industry is extremely resilient. Driven by a sense of wonder and discovery, people will resume travelling sooner or later.
Does it mean that the travel experience will be exactly the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic? Maybe, maybe not. But we should all do our part to make travelling as safe as possible for ourselves and others.
And if you are planning to take a trip, explore the best flight offers with the Eddy Travels AI assistant.
Eddy Travels is an AI travel assistant with the best travel deals just a message away. Over 4 million users worldwide chat with the AI assistant to get the cheapest and most convenient flight, hotel, and apartment offers in seconds. Cutting-edge technology for natural language understanding (NLU) and personalization is powering the Eddy Travels artificial intelligence chatbot.
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