10 Ways Coronavirus Could Affect Your Travel Plans

Contrary to our expectations at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, our summer vacation will definitely be affected by this outbreak and things will be different this year.

Before this pandemic, packing our travel luggage was always fun, because we were excited to create amazing scenarios about our trip and we had to make sure that we brought the essentials with us, such as a camera to capture the most beautiful moments for Instagram, amazing beach outfits, and of course, sunscreen, but with the onset of the coronavirus crisis, we will have to add some disinfectant and surgical face masks as well.

Unfortunately, not only will our trip change per se, but even the way we fly will be different this time. For instance, the health-related entry rules will differ from country to country and you must submit to their checks or travel policy.

Nevertheless, you should stay informed and document yourself before planning a vacation. Read on for more tips on how the coronavirus outbreak will change your next vacation and how to protect yourself!

Visitors will be quarantined in some states for a few days

As you probably know, many countries in the world have imposed certain travel restrictions. While some have banned entry or exit from the country, others impose you to stay in quarantine for 14 days – this is the incubation period of the virus. Hawaii and Florida both announced that visitors will have to self-quarantine for forty days. But in Florida, this rule only applies to those who fly to the state from New York or New Jersey.

Moreover, residents have to quarantine themselves at home and tourists and visitors have to quarantine themselves at their accommodation or hotel. Also, you should take into consideration that these restrictions do not apply to people entering in Florida by car.

“Hopefully that will be a deterrent for people if you’re just trying to escape here to avoid the restrictions that have been put in place in your own state,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

You should travel only if it is necessary

Even though there are some states, such as Washington, California, New York or Florida, that have declared a state of emergency and have implemented certain restrictive policies, it does not mean that travel will be affected, because flights are not canceled. “That flexibility that the government then gains might allow the government to lay out certain policies and those policies, in turn, could easily affect what an individual can do or not do,” said Jessica Justman, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Nonetheless, it should be your responsibility to travel these days only if it is absolutely necessary or you do not have to interact with older people.

“What puts people more at risk while traveling is that they come in contact with lots of other people, and also there’s prolonged exposure to other people and shared surfaces in a confined space. [If you do need to travel] this would be a time where you might drive your car instead of taking mass transport,” said Dr. Stephen Luby, a professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford University.

The number of higher-risk travel employees will be limited

According to coronavirus studies, the elderly are more prone to contracting the virus and developing complications, and young people heal faster. In this regard, there is speculation that employees over the age of 50 who work in the travel industry and have to interact with dozens of people every day will get another job that does not involve interaction. This rule will probably be applied to employees who have to travel for work as well.

“My first thought when considering how to protect people who are traveling is, how old is this traveler? Can we send someone from the company who’s younger, especially if the person is over 50? People who were between the ages of 60 and 70 in China, of those who were recognized, died at a rate of around 2%. From the perspective of risk, you’re much better off having younger people do essential business travel, rather than the middle-aged or elderly,” Dr. Luby said.

Minimizing the health risks in the plane

We have to admit that the coronavirus pandemic brings many changes, even in our hygiene rituals. The truth is that people will be more preoccupied with their personal hygiene, especially when they travel. For instance, according to health specialists, you should use the bathroom in the terminal, rather than on the plane, because terminal bathrooms are cleaned more often. This way you will minimize the risk of infection with coronavirus.

Also, you should get your ticket with a window seat, because it might be the safest seat. “Prior research has shown that people in window seats come into contact with fewer people and move around less on a plane,” said Dr. David Abramson, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s School of Global Public Health and the director of the research program PiR2. “ Both of these things are protective.”

Yet, it is very important to disinfect any surface that you touch, especially the seat tray and the seat’s arm rest. You should try to wash your hand often and do not touch your face if you are flying.

Is it safer to drive than to fly?

If you want to stay safe, you should opt for driving because you interact with fewer people and you would be less exposed to the virus. However, the whole idea of staying isolated and avoiding social interaction is to prevent the virus from spreading because the hospitals can’t take care of thousands of people at the same time.

“It’s about what you’re going to do when you get there,” said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician and vice chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Global Health Committee.

Flexibility will affect your next trip

Besides the negative things that the coronavirus outbreak has brought, it seems that there is little hope for travel lovers after this crisis and people can enjoy their next trip again soon. So, one of the most important features that will positively affect your next vacation is flexibility. According to travel experts, travel flexibility will last until the end of this year.

“Hotels and tour operators are usually willing to offer additional flexibility – either in terms of refunds or ability to apply credits to a future stay or trip,” says Vanessa Snider, founder of The Luxury Service, a Virtuoso-affiliated travel agency in Los Angeles.

Hotels will focus on ensuring a cleaner environment

When we can travel again, we do not have to worry about how clean is the hotel room or restaurants, because they will focus more on ensuring a cleaner environment. “The focus has to be on the guests’ peace of mind,” said Tim Kerin, who runs a luxury villa in Costa Rica. “Health and safety first.”

Hotels will pay attention to tourists’ safety and will opt for developing technology that will help them maintain social distancing. “I expect that more automation will be introduced into the industry,” said Wayne Smith, a professor of hospitality and tourism at the College of Charleston. “Things like self check-in or a concierge service via the app. I also think you will see more automation in food service as well with ordering via an app or tablet.”

Some airlines suspend cancellation or rescheduling fees

In general, people who do not buy a fully refundable ticket have to pay a cancellation fee or booking penalty if they cancel their flight. But the coronavirus outbreak adversely affected the airlines and there are some companies, such as Delta, United and American suspend cancellation or rescheduling fees.

“At the moment, the airlines are being very helpful,” said Jonathan Breeze, chief executive of AardvarkCompare Travel Insurance, a travel insurance company. “These are not normal circumstances and the airlines are seeing that people are not booking flights, so airlines are offering commercial flexibility.”

Hotels have to rethink the way they serve food

As you already know, many hotels have their own restaurant or a special room where they serve food for tourists, but the breakfast buffet will be modified due to the coronavirus pandemic. There are hotels that have already implemented this rule and promote social distancing by delivering food directly in your room. This way you do not have to interact with other people.

According to Stephen Fofanoff, an innkeeper at Domaine Madeleine, a bed and breakfast in Port Angeles, Washington, “we’ve eliminated our common breakfast dining experience in favor of delivered in-room dining.”

Canceling an Airbnb reservation

If you have a reservation in the United States you can cancel it and the company will fully refund you. This rule applies even to people who wanted to travel from the United States to Europe’s Schengen Area and now they have to cancel their booking. The company will fully refund you if you meet the following criteria: you can’t travel because of imposed travel restrictions, you are sick or quarantined because of coronavirus, or if your flight is canceled because of coronavirus.

Also, Airbnb announced that through June 1, if you want to cancel your reservation and your reason does not meet the criteria previously mentioned, you will get a refund of the Airbnb guest fee. This guest refund can be up to 14 percent of the total cost and is actually a coupon that can be used during your next trip.