Written by Nikki Scott – Granada, Spain.
Over the past few months, we’ve been scratching that travel itch any which way we could. We’ve been watching endless travel movies, reading classic travel books and looking back through old travel photos, reminiscing about the good old days when we didn’t have to wash our hands so damn much!
Now, as lockdowns slowly start to ease up, the prospect of travel in the not-so-distant-future seems to becoming more and more realistic. Thank goodness!
And, while some of us have already had our backpacks packed for weeks ready to go at any given moment, others are understandably cautious about setting foot on a plane again.
However you feel, you’ve probably been wondering what travel will actually be like in the near future. How are things likely to change?
Let’s look at some aspects of travel that we are likely to see alter in the coming months and potentially years.
1. Compulsory Vaccines
While many of us are used to getting shots before heading off to a tropical destination, most of them are not actually compulsory, just ‘strongly recommended’ by medical professionals. (Some countries will actually ask you for proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination, which is one of the only required vaccines according to the CDC.)
Most experts agree that we are at least 12-18 months away from a COVID-19 vaccine, (if we’re lucky). So, it’s very probable that should a vaccine become available, travellers will be required to get injected before crossing international borders.
Compulsory vaccines can be controversial. Whilst some people would be queuing up to get jabbed so they can jet off on their travels as soon as possible, others would be cautious. Would you get the COVID-19 vaccine?
2. COVID-19 Tests
While we await the arrival of a vaccine, governments, airports, airlines and travel companies are investigating other ways to contain the spread of the virus and instil in people the confidence to travel again.
Some countries have stipulated that all international visitors must quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. Others have suggested installing temperature scanners at airports or giving newly-arrived passengers a COVID-19 test before they are allowed to enter the country.
In April 2020, Emirates became the first airline to administer a COVID-19 test for all passengers before they were allowed onto the flight. The test gave the results within 10 minutes, though the accuracy of these kind of tests has since been questioned.
3. Social Distancing
Is anyone else like me wincing at movies and TV series where people are standing close together and touching hands, arms, heaven forbid, faces? The social distancing message has been drilled so hard into the human race over the past few months that I wonder if we will ever feel relaxed about socialising again? (I sincerely hope we will!)
Images of beaches with ropes separating sunbathers, restaurants with screens in-between the tables and socially distanced raves have been entering the media. And, while it all looks a little bit strange at the moment, it’s good to see that people are slowly adjusting to the so-called ‘new normal’ and trying their best to enjoy themselves.
So, if tour companies want to attract visitors in the near future, they may have to look at drawing lines on the floor, installing screens at hotel receptions and separating areas in bars so that guests can enjoy themselves at a safe distance.
4. Hygiene
Expect facemasks, hand sanitizer, and plenty of hand-washing to remain habits of travellers long after virus numbers have fallen. (Not exactly a bad thing.)
In the near future, airlines, hotels and restaurants will go overboard with the hygiene measures in an attempt to draw back customers. Expect cleanliness measures to be the most important part of the sales pitch in the months to come.
5. Travel Boom
Many people working in the tourism industry are looking forward to a huge travel boom once the pandemic is over. As we’ve all spent months locked down in our homes feeling stressed and missing the great outdoors, it’s natural to think that the first thing people will want to do when all this is over is – book a holiday. But will they really be in a position to do so? There’s just one small thing getting in the way…
6. Will people be able to afford to travel?
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an economic crisis in many countries with thousands of people losing their jobs and left unable to pay their bills. While we’d all love nothing more than a holiday, sadly, this may not be possible financially for so many people.
For this reason, perhaps backpacker tourism will recover more quickly than other types of travel. Backpackers are used to eating cheap street food, paying a few dollars for a hostel and doing activities on a budget. Travelling on a shoestring may be the only option for many of us in 2020 and onward.
7. More virtual travel
During quarantine many of us discovered it was possible to explore Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat with a cup of tea in hand and without even getting up off the couch.
While virtual travel, (at the moment), just can’t compare with the thrill of the real thing, it’s surely set to become more and more realistic and impressive in the future. Will we be able to sniff India through our screens one day? Probably.
Right now, the one huge advantage that watching YouTube videos, travel movies, and binge-watching Anthony Bourdain shows have over actual travel? It’s 100% safe. (Not to mention, environmentally friendly and free).
8. Domestic tourism
While getting on a flight might be a bit too much for you right now, you may be feeling in the mood for a short journey to a beauty spot not far from your home.
For this reason, many experts believe that domestic tourism will see a boom in the coming months as people relish the opportunity to explore their own backyard.
With no need to quarantine, get tested, or get on a crowded (and potentially virus-ridden) form of transport, domestic tourism will seem a whole lot less stressful for many people, and cheaper too.
Many travel companies are, in fact, redirecting their advertising towards local and expat populations to help kick-start their businesses again. We can imagine that local tourist boards will also be encouraging people to travel within their own country to boost the local economy.
9. Fewer flights and cruises, more road trips!
As airlines go out of their way to encourage us that airborne travel is safe, it will take a long time before many of us feel comfortable in such an enclosed space again.
With reduced demand, flying could become more expensive in coming years thus convincing more and more potential travellers to consider alternative modes of transport.
In addition, cruises also look to become less popular having had so much negative press over the past few months after being at the epicentre of several virus outbreaks.
10. Eco-friendlier ways to get around
Folks in many places (cities in particular) have been enjoying the freshest air they’ve breathed in a long time. With fewer planes in the sky and fewer cars on the road, air pollution (and air pollution related illnesses and deaths) are down massively.
So, as views of mountains reappear in smog-ridden cities across the world, have we finally come to realise that damaging our planet for the sake of a quick (and carbon-heavy) form of transport just isn’t worth it? We’ll see.
With climate change knocking at our door even after COVID-19 disappears, carbon-offsetting is predicted to become a bigger trend going forward into 2020.
11. Restrictions on tourists
Some cities like Barcelona and Amsterdam have been lamenting the negative effects of tourism for years. In recent years, Southeast Asia has seen the closure of several beauty spots to allow ecosystems to recover after damage by over-tourism (namely Maya Bay in Thailand and Boracay in the Philippines).
Looking at the empty streets and deserted tourist sites over the past few months, you can’t help but think that nature has been celebrating with great relief in our absence.
We can only hope that tourist boards will realise in the months that follow that in order for such places to remain the beautiful havens that they are, there will need to be restrictions on the number of visitors. It’s that, or we may not have such beautiful places for very long!
12. Sustainable Travel Boom
We’ve smiled at Facebook videos as we’ve witness wildlife wandering the streets all over the world and have loved seeing photos of various animals captured frolicking in places that they were previously too scared to venture. But will we put our money where our mouths are when it comes to sustainable travel in late 2020, early 2021?
While we’ve heard many travellers vowing to take fewer flights, support eco-friendly companies and travel closer to home in the near future, some cynics believe that people will be so desperate to go on holiday once lockdown is over that they will forget any promises they made to be more sustainable. What do you think? Will you make more considered travel choices in the future?
Images from Pixabay & Unsplash
