As we come out of lockdown, and everything stabilizes, the way we all operate will change, at least in the interim. But what’s the future of travel going to look like? Whilst we don’t know for sure, here’s our view.
What is the future of travel after lockdown?
- More domestic staycation holidays
- A surge in road trip holidays
- Cheaper flights
- More apartments, fewer hotels
- Travel insurance will go up
- Bookings through third-party providers will go down
- Hygiene will be a travel selling point for everyone
Lots of people will be cautious about jumping on a plane or even a train at least in the short term before everything returns to some sort of normality. The travel industry though is one of the most buoyant industries out there. It will always bounce back because as people we are explorers. Nevertheless, this is our view of what will happen, at least initially.
More Domestic Staycation Holidays
A staycation, in case you didn’t know, is a holiday that you take when you’re in driving or commuting distance from your home.
There will be concerns of staying amongst groups of people or even in areas occupied by different people. Initially, at least, people will understandably be worried about just booking a hotel room.
As a result, people will still take breaks but will go for day trips to cities, the beach, local parks, and amusement parks. To be honest we love the thought of this. There is plenty to enjoy within the vicinity of your home, why not take advantage of it? It’s cheaper as well!
It’s not just because people will be scared to venture off into another country. Have you thought about how accepting other countries will be of tourists as well? At the start at least there’s going to be a degree of caution at least.
It’s actually a pretty good opportunity to get to know your surroundings and boost the local economy (it needs it!).
A Surge in Road Trip Holidays
We think road trips are going to be more popular, just because it makes sense. What do we mean? Well traveling on a train or a plane involves sharing a confined space with lots of people.
Obviously this is something that’s being massively discouraged at the moment, people will and should be careful, at least in the early days.
The obvious solution is a road trip. Car occupants are restricted to your friends and family, and hopefully, you’ll already know if they have a cold or the flu.
Renting a motor home/RV or a caravan may be a good option to avoid having to stay in a hotel too, so it would make sense that demand would go upon them as well.
We’re not looking forward to the congestion or traffic for sure!
Cheaper Flights
We’re going to think twice before we fly anywhere. Airlines are going to want to reassure people that flying is safe, and we’re not going to come into harm’s way by flying.
Logically, the best way they can encourage people to fly again is by offering us deals on our flights. It’s probably going to be a great opportunity to get away for less.
There will also be an emphasis on hygiene as well from all airlines. Weirdly, and it’s unlikely, but we could end up with a situation where planes restrict the number of passenger seats it wants to occupy on a plane to encourage people to fly. In that situation, the prices of seats may go up.
We’ll have to wait and see on that one.
If you are or were planning a big holiday, this may be the time to grab yourself a bargain. As we mentioned in our how people can afford to travel article, book with a credit card so you’re protected.
If you’re looking for destination inspiration, you can check out the best places to go in our where is it hot right now post too.
More Apartments, Fewer Hotels
We love staying in hotels, mainly because of the convenience of breakfast, your bed getting done and a pool to be honest, as well as the additional care that you get during your time away.
After lockdown, there may be a move to more apartment-style holidaying, with some of the perks of a hotel, but with that staycation feeling.
So, it may be that you make your own breakfast in your apartment, but have the option of having your apartment made up for you on a daily basis for instance.
We book apartments all the time when we’re staying in Europe. That’s just because the supermarkets are great anyway, and you can stay in apartments in great locations for a much more reasonable price than a hotel.
Travel Insurance will go up
The value of travel insurance is probably higher than it has ever been. People have become acutely aware that many travel insurance policies do not cover pandemics or epidemics.
Going abroad with travel insurance that’s included with your credit card, was considered more that enough to cover you in a worst case scenario, but not anymore. It’s going to be the norm, for people to opt for more comprehensive insurance.
But it’s not just about travel health. It’s also about trip protection and delay coverage to flights. People traveling during this pandemic have been hit with flight cancelations, no refund policies, and all sorts of problems.
Which Insurance Companies will Cover you for an Epidemic or Pandemic?
It’s a question that many travelers are going to ask so we thought we’d try and help out here where we can.
The following insurance companies offer cancelation and medical cover in the event of an epidemic or pandemic situation at the time of writing this post. We’ve included a select few to the insurers below so you can check them out.
- AIG (AIG)
- Bupa (CGU)
- Columbus Direct and a link to a PDF specifically specifying cover in the event of an epidemic
Here’s a link to the full list of providers offering a range of medical and cancelation options when it comes to travel. This is an Australian website, choice.com, but a lot of the providers are global.
Bookings Through Third-Party Providers will go Down
Over the years, travelers (including us) rush to Expedia or booking.com or a third-party agent in our local town to find a last-minute flight deal. These sites and places are third-party booking sites. In other words, they are the middlemen between you, the consumer, and the airline that you are booking with.
The problem with booking through these guys, if that in the event of a cancelation, not only do you have the airline’s cancellation policies to contend with but you also have the third party providers policies to deal with as well.
Many travelers booked connecting flights through different third-party providers during this pandemic. Due to unprecedented cancelations and delays, people not only spent a lot of time trying to individually re-arrange all of their flights, but many lost money as well.
One advantage of paying a premium and booking all flights directly with one provider is that your agent can re-arrange or deal with all of your queries directly. You often have a better chance of getting your money back as well.
Hygiene will be a Travel Selling Point for Everyone
Everyone in the travel industry, from transfer agents to airlines, to hotels and restaurants will be promoting their hygiene levels to attract customers.
We would not be surprised if Trip Advisor were to introduce hygiene as a driving factor of their customer satisfaction poll.
But it’s not just about how clean any given surface is. Hygiene will propel the need to go as contactless as possible wherever we can. From payments to travel documentation. We think globally there’s going to be a massive push towards this.
Has Travel Changed Forever?
To be honest, travel probably has not completely changed forever. There will be a transitional period for sure, but our inclination is that people will travel again frequently.
Travel behaviors may change a bit with people edging on the side of caution generally and prices of some services like travel insurance will go up. But generally, the industry can and will bounce back.
What About the Effect of Lockdown on Travel?
Families and friends have been spending a lot more time together over the lockdown period, either through technology or face to face. Many sources are predicting a surge in multi-generational travel as a result.
For us this would be one of the most positive bi-products of this lockdown period with people appreciating their relationships more, spending more time together.
Travel should never be about keeping up with society’s expectations, rather it should be about maximizing your time.
To Conclude…
We really hope you enjoyed reading this article, and hopefully, it’s inspired you to book your next trip too.
Travel will change following this lockdown, but it’s unlikely to stop in any way shape, or form. Hopefully, this period of lockdown has brought things into perspective for you, it certainly has done with us.
Saying that we’re looking forward to exploring again, whether that’s on our doorstep or abroad. If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out some of our other posts, and subscribe to our newsletter too, so you can be alerted of our latest posts.
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Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.