As we are all moving into a new version of our world after the outbreak of COVID-19, I think more and more we’re realizing that as travelers, the way we travel will look very different after this. Personally, I shared my thoughts on this but I also think that it’s important to hear different perspectives right now and for different communities to come together to help us through what might be a very long few months ahead. So in the spirit of community, I reached out to some of my favorite people in the travel blogging community and asked them to share their perspective on what’s happening right now, how they think travel might change after this and where they’ll be heading as soon as it’s safe to get on a plane. This series will continue in multiple parts over the next couple weeks and hopefully we allow this time in history to unite us in our dream to travel again!
Sara from Of Golden Roses
How do you think this experience going through COVID-19 as a world will affect travel going forward? What are some things that you hope will change in the travel industry after this?
It was two in the morning in Spain when I heard of the first travel restrictions being placed on Europe. I had arrived in Madrid some twelve hours before, and now I was being forced to turn around and retreat home (to Texas) without truly experiencing a country I had always dreamed of visiting. I knew it was bad looking around at the faces of other Americans trying to flee Europe in the middle of the night. It was there, sitting in Madrid’s terminal 4S, that I realized that I may not be back in Europe for some time. Travel as we knew it was changing before my eyes.
COVID-19 is not the first pandemic the world has experienced. Repeating that statement over and over again gives me hope for a future with travel. As a history teacher, I find that the best way to learn about the world is to actually experience it. Travel is an important part of understanding cultures other than our own. It is because of that I will continue to stay home for as long as possible. By staying home we are giving hope to a world with travel just as before. But even as I type that I know there needs to be change.
The travel industry as a whole with be severely impacted. I have seen the effect COVID-19 has had on small tour companies and big airlines alike. Steps will need to be taken to ensure that customers are not herded through lines in large packs like before. I hope that this will be a time where the travel industry will realize that customers appreciate quality, not quantity. Yes, it may be inconvenient. There may not be as many tickets to a destination or as many spaces in a museum, but the travel industry needs to focus on the long term, and not just the now.
Where is the first place you’d like to go when this is all over and why?
My dream trip to Spain had been cut far too short. The first thing I plan on doing when it is safe enough to travel is go back to that beautiful country. There are so many things I still want to see and do. I feel lucky enough to have gone to Spain, even if it was just for twelve hours. The unique experience I had there will always hold a place in my heart. It is because of that I am determined now more than ever to return.
Courtney from Adelante
Laura from Little Island Takara
How do you think this experience going through COVID-19 as a world will affect travel going forward? What are some things that you hope will change in the travel industry after this?
Cynthia from Adventurings
How do you think this experience going through COVID-19 as a world will affect travel going forward? What are some things that you hope will change in the travel industry after this?
I predict the travel industry will be affected by COVID-19 for at least the next year. Although one reaction to living through these times is “oh man, we’re going to travel so much when this is all over” but on the other hand, I think there will be some reluctance and certain destinations unfortunately may be stigmatized for the next few years. There’s also the issue of border closures. Where I live in the Czech Republic, they say that the borders may remain closed for up to two years. It will be interesting to see the uptick in domestic travel, especially in Europe, and how that ends up playing out. It’s all just a guessing game right now.
I’m not very optimistic that this health crisis is going to change anything about the travel industry itself, really. But the good news for travel professionals is that even with the financial uncertainty that is sure to come of all this, our collective wanderlust will be stronger than ever, so perhaps the sharing economy will expand and also become stronger than ever, and I believe we’ll be relying more on our social connections to help facilitate our trips. My husband is adamant that COVID is going to change everything. I’m not so sure – I think we are more resilient than that.
Where is the first place you’d like to go when this is all over and why?
After this whole thing blows over and we are allowed to leave the Czech Republic, I’m heading to the sea! Whether somewhere warm, like the beaches of Italy to the icy shores of Iceland (depending on time of year), I’m craving a place where I can be on the coast again, but in a culture or area completely different to here. And humanity! I want to be in a big city, buzzing with the pulse of happy people enjoying life, getting lost down streets I don’t know… ideally with family I haven’t been able to see in a long time.