At Hi-EduCations, we’re thinking ahead to better days when we can travel internationally again. Here are 6 changes that we are expecting in the post Covid-19 world.
1. The queue at immigration will be longer than ever before…Even when lockdowns in Europe are over and we start to travel again, countries will test at the border. If you thought immigration control was torturous before, now consider what it’ll be like as you line up, take a swab test and wait for the results.
2. You’ll need more than a passport…Some countries will not even take the chance of testing at the border. Entrance will be refused unless you have a certificate of immunity due to the fact that you’ve recovered from an infection or because you’ve been vaccinated (once there are vaccines available).
3. Travel will have different (expensive) seasons…A very influential paper from Imperial College London speculates that governments will need to turn lockdown measures on and off in order to keep demands on healthcare systems at manageable levels. This means there will be windows of opportunity to travel that last only weeks or even days. Even with airlines desperate to get airborne again, seats will be limited, and we could see dramatic price increases during those windows.
4. Recovery will be uneven…Strictness and timing of lockdown measures, robustness of healthcare systems, the weather, luck and other factors are all at work, meaning some countries and regions will recover first. We will see corridors of recovery open up one by one.
5. You’ll pack differently…Along with hand sanitizer travel packs, it’s an easy prediction to make that a lot more people will travel with mask. We will most likely see “desirable” travel masks worn by Instagram influencers.
6. You’ll tick that little box every time…We’re all very used to airplane bookings coming with tens of add-ons once we’ve chosen our flight. One box that we won’t be skipping past as much is the one asking us if we want to insure the flight. Be careful though: Often, this “insurance” doesn’t cover you for many things, including the outbreak of a pandemic. Either the airlines or insurance companies are going to have to change to accommodate our new reality.
References and Notes:
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the-airlines-making-refunds- more-difficult-11585747737 - https://thehill.com/policy/
international/490451- democratic-senators-call-on- domestic-airlines-to-issue- cash-refunds-for - https://www.reuters.com/
article/us-health-coronavirus- usa-airlines/senators-urge-us- airlines-to-issue-ticket- refunds-after-bailout- idUSKBN21I2UU - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/
01/how-to-change-cancel-or- even-book-upcoming-travel- amid-coronavirus.html - https://thepointsguy.com/news/
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com/travel/tips/how-cancel- change-or-make-new-travel- plans-olympics/ - https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/
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03/13/three-travel-startups- tell-us-how-theyre-responding- to-the-coronavirus-crisis/ - https://www.cleveland19.com/
2020/03/30/consumer-advocate- groups-say-theyre-seeing- significant-increase- complaints-about-airline- refund-policies-during- coronavirus-pandemic/ - https://www.euronews.com/2020/
03/30/easyjet-grounds-entire- fleet-due-to-coronavirus- pandemic - https://money.com/coronavius-
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13/if-you-cancel-a-trip-over- coronavirus-travel-insurance- may-not-help.html - https://thepointsguy.com/news/
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