Making Travel Plans for a Safer Future

With the current pandemic still an ongoing situation that is disrupting travel to many countries, travel lovers are unsure when they might be able to travel freely again. Everyone wants to be safe, but beyond taking responsibility for yourself, you also need to pay attention to the travel rules that many countries have put into place. While some nations are now starting to allow international travel again, there are some that are still restricting travel or are requiring periods of quarantine for new arrivals into the country. While you might not be able to go on a spontaneous trip right now, you can make plans for the future and even careful plans to travel now in some cases.

Here are some of the ways you could be making plans to travel for both now and when things are safer.

Staying Up to Date with the Latest News

If you’re desperate to start traveling again, keeping track of what’s changing day-to-day is a must. Things are changing all the time, and it’s important to stay up to date with the different travel restrictions and guidelines that are in place. There are plenty of places where you can get information about the places you want to travel to or even suggestions for which are the safest countries for traveling right now. Official government travel information can be the best resource much of the time. As well as looking at the information provided by your own government, check out the official government or tourist board information from the place that you want to travel to.

Keep an eye on the news in general, too. You will likely find news items about what changes certain countries are making and what rules they have in place for travelers. These things will be changing gradually over the next few months, and there is a chance that they may not always move forward. Sometimes, restrictions might need to be tightened again if the need arises, so make sure you always have the most recent information.

 

Keep Your Plans Loose

How do you plan to travel when you’re not sure where or when you might be able to go? You most likely don’t want to end up having to quarantine yourself when arriving at your destination, either, which adds another level of complication. It might be best to keep any travel plans as loose as possible for now, especially if you’re planning to travel for fun and not for anything particularly necessary. You might want to make a plan for where you want to go and what you want to do, perhaps even thinking about some rough dates. However, it might not be the right time to book anything just yet.

 

Use Tech to Be Prepared

Technology can always help you with your travels. It makes it easier to plan and book your trips and to get the information that you need both before and during your travels. There’s plenty of tech that could prove to be useful when you’re making plans for travel in the near future. Still traveling? 6 apps could be all that you need to stay organised. Traveling can always be tricky to manage, but it’s even more difficult during this time. The right apps for booking travel and accommodation can make it easier to plan any journey, whether it’s for now or later.

 

Technology can help you to make travel plans in other ways too, even if it’s only through using spreadsheets to stay organised. Spreadsheets can help you to keep track of information, as well as things like budgets and how much you can expect to pay for things where you want to travel.

 

Make Bookings Far in Advance

Do you have a dream trip in mind? Maybe you can’t wait to get out there and see the world, but you know that now isn’t the right time to do it. However, maybe you want to get your next trip locked in now, or you’ve spotted a deal that you don’t want to let pass you by. If you really want to have something to look forward to, it might be a good idea to book a trip far in advance. Booking something for at least a few months down the line will help to improve your chances of being able to go where you want to and do what you want.

 

Take the Time to Save

Waiting for things to go back to normal might have you feeling antsy. However, you can also take advantage of the time that you have available. One of the ways you could benefit from being at home instead of traveling is that you have time to save. Maybe you have a big trip that you’ve always wanted to take, but you’ve never managed to save up for it. Or perhaps you just like the idea of spending a bit more money on your next trip so that you can enjoy a little luxury. Now could be time to do some serious saving and perhaps create a savings plan to help you to reach a specific goal.

Pay Attention to How to Stay Safe

If you are planning to travel anytime soon, you should make sure you know how to stay safe during your travels. Firstly, you need to know about the regulations for your destination, and anywhere you might be passing through. Do you need to wear a face mask and, if so, when and where do you need to wear one? Will you be expected to quarantine or perhaps give the address of where you will be staying? Apart from the official rules and regulations, make yourself aware of the expert advice on how to keep yourself safe and how to help keep other people safe and healthy too.

 

Stay Close to Home

It might not be the best time to travel internationally, right now. But if you really want to get away, traveling close to home could be an option that works for you. In fact, even booking into a hotel close to where you live could be a new way to experience your home. A staycation is the ideal way to do something different and get some time to relax without having to travel too far. You can find new things to do in your own town, or you could travel to the next town or city to see what you can discover.

 

Build Flexibility Into Your Plans

You’re not sure what’s going to happen in the near future, but you still want to book some time away. How can you make plans while still being able to change them if necessary? Paying a little bit more for flexibility could be the key to getting your plans right. Usually, you can pay a higher price for a more flexible booking, whether you’re booking a hotel, flight or something else. If you do want to postpone your trip, rearrange it or even cancel out, you will be able to do so more easily and affordably. You can usually choose from the cheapest and least flexible option for a room or ticket, or a more expensive but more flexible option.

Consider Cancellations Carefully

There might be an occasion when you decide that you do need to cancel a trip that you have planned. Even if there is nothing official stopping you from traveling, you might not feel safe taking your trip because you feel that the risk of infection is too high. If you do cancel, it will be easiest if you have chosen to build some flexibility into your trip. If the things that you have booked have good cancellation terms, it may be easier to cancel and to get your money back if necessary.

Even if you can’t recover your money with a simple refund, there might be other options that allow you to get your money back. If you booked using a credit card, you might be able to get a full refund. Sometimes you might need to put some effort into chasing a refund if you really want one. Another thing to keep in mind is that it can be all about timing, too. If you leave it too late, it will be more difficult to get a refund.

 

Think About Traveling Differently When It’s Time

When everyone can travel freely again, consider how exactly you’re going to approach your travels. Many businesses and communities are being affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and many have not survived or will not survive before it’s over. For those that are left, they will need support to keep going. You might want to consider how you can give your business to local services and communities so that you can support them. You can help to rebuild the places and people that have suffered due to not having the visitor levels that they would usually rely on.

It might be a while before things are back to normal, but that doesn’t have to stop you from making travel plans.