How to Plan a Trip during COVID-19
COVID shut down the world in a way we have never seen before. Rules are changing frequently and rapidly and that makes it difficult to make any concrete plans in regards to traveling or planning a trip. Is it safe to book a ticket to a place that isn’t allowing Americans at the time you booked? What are the quarantine guidelines at your destination?
While there are quite a few unknowns right now, here are some things we can do to safely plan a trip for the future.
Lots of places are open to Americans
Once the vaccines rolled out, the world started opening back up again. However, with the rise of the variants, we are having to close back down a bit more.
Most places require you to have proof of vaccination and/or a negative COVID test taken within 48-96 hours of departure depending on your destination. Read up on the requirements and guidelines in the current state, knowing it could become laxer or stricter before your trip comes around.
Don’t make tomorrow’s plans on today’s circumstances
A LOT can change in the next 6-12 months! Between January and July 2021, we saw a huge dip in COVID cases and saw many traveling to Europe again! One thing we have seen though is that today’s safe spots are tomorrow’s hot spots.
Please please please keep in mind that when you are traveling, you are a guest in someone’s home so please keep yourself and the locals safe when traveling… America is incredibly lucky to have vaccines easily accessible by the majority of the population and that is not the case for everyone. So please be mindful of keeping the local communities safe when traveling.
There are still many travel bans in place right now, but they are temporary, not permanent. Though we don’t know when they’ll be lifted exactly, we do know they will eventually open back up.
“While it’s uncertain precisely when most international travel will be allowed to resume—it’s largely a question of when and how well we contain the virus spread—that’s why it’s advisable to book flights further out and remember that for many flights, you can change dates without penalty,” says Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights.
Free changes do not equal free cancellations
Remember that, by law, you are entitled to a refund if an airline cancels or significantly changes your flight (like a 2+ hour schedule change). But you won’t get a refund if you just decide not to go, even if the reason you don’t want to go is due to a mandatory quarantine.
However, don’t assume you can get a refund just because you decide to not take the flight. Most airlines are allowing free changes, which may work out best in your favor!
Book in pencil, not pen
Since we don’t know when travel will become “normal” again, being able to change your plan is key! This is difficult for people like me (i.e. anal planners), but this is so important right now.
Fortunately, airlines are working with their customers and allowing free changes for the most part. Always check the fine print of your ticket before you book.
Expect flights to be cheap for the foreseeable future
We’ve been seeing an influx of cheap flights and this is a great time to book! Everything is cheap right now because communities are missing tourism money!
I booked a $202 flight to Japan for my boyfriend and a $600 flight to Egypt for myself. Neither of us is able to go on our trips, but we have vouchers now to use towards future flights (wahoo!)
Last-minute flights are also much cheaper than they usually are due to the decline in business travel.
Planning a trip can bring more joy than being on the trip
When researchers studied how people enjoy travel, they made a startling discovery: on average, we get more joy before a trip than during one.
Having something fun and exciting to look forward to is important even in precedented times. During the worst of times, it is even more important. Even it is planning for a trip in the distant future, don’t forget how much joy anticipation and planning can bring :)