8 things you can expect from post-pandemic travel

Staying at home for so many months has triggered the thirst to travel like never before. We’re all dying to get out and see the world again, but the landscape has changed for post-pandemic travel, as has the mindset of avid travellers. Here’s what to expect from travel in the new normal.

[Photo Credit: travnikovstudio]

1. Mindful Health Protocols
With your vaccination credentials in hand, travel will continue to get more contactless, more paperless and more cautious when it comes to cleanliness and sanitation in hotels. We will soon get used to self-check-ins, touchless room keys, less room service, stricter buffet access and a more grab-and-go style of hospitality. You may have to sign up in advance to visit the hotel gym.

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2. Higher Prices
As you hunt for travel deals in 2022, fewer travellers mean more expensive everything for the rest of us. Travel companies have already started to raise their prices to recover lost revenue. Your holiday reservations will be more planned and booked further in advance, and your paperwork will need to be fully in order for both domestic and international travel.

3. More Privacy
Travellers will continue to want fewer people around them, even as social distancing becomes less necessary. Privacy will be the new luxury – private villas, private dining, private beaches, etc. Trends will shift to smaller hotels and more compact vacation rentals, an inclination that extends to visits to smaller cities and rural areas.

4. Continued Domestic Travel
We’ve discovered so many new things in our own backyard – and we like it! We will continue to go on road trips, short weekend jaunts, cycling tours and the like. Travellers also appreciate the savings associated with small-scale plans and aren’t likely to give that up, particularly if their finances aren’t quite back to normal yet.

5. Less Business Travel
As companies struggle to balance budgets, travel is going to stay at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Virtual meetings are simply better value. And because business travel has been the bread and butter of the airlines for decades, economy plane tickets will now rise in price to help make up the shortfall.

6. More Meaningful Travel
In the near travel future, you will fly to visit people more than just to see the sights. Speaking of which, landmarks will see smaller crowds as mass travel becomes more bespoke. And those looking for cheap winter travel will go skiing with their families or retreat to country inns to reconnect with relatives.

7. Increased Surveillance
Going forward, contact tracing will become standardized. There will be privacy concerns to work through, for sure, but your digital identity will become more exposed. The travel industry and tourism boards will want to know not just where you are, but also who you’re with.

8. Greater Flexibility
“Booking with confidence” is already a standard travel catchphrase. Airlines and hotels have become more flexible about cancelling or postponing, a trend that will continue to advance, with change fees becoming a thing of the past. Bonus!