The world is opening up, should I travel now? If you are wrestling with this question, you are not alone. Through wave after wave of COVID, I longed to travel. It mattered not whether it was a trip across the world I was dreaming of, or a weekend getaway. There was the uncertainty, mixed with longing, and fear.
2020 was, in the travel sense, easier to handle. The disease was running rampant with few checks and even grocery shopping had to be well planned, leave alone travel. There was remote work and schooling to be adjusted to, breads to be baked, art to be created, dishes to be washed.
But the itch to travel was real. The Boston winter was persistent. Grey skies, empty trees, barren roads, breathless cold. It was early 2021 and we made a last-minute decision to rent a villa for a month in Florida. The drive down to Florida was exhilarating and the month even more so.
In spring of 2021 as adult vaccinations became commonplace, there were more decisions to be wrestled with. Now that we were vaccinated but our kids were not, what could we safely do? We realized not much in our life could change until the kids got their shots too. When we finally crossed that milestone, I was determined that nothing could stop me now. I had itineraries chalked out, hotels shortlisted and spoken to, flights figured out. And then came Omicron. Along with it despair and lockdowns and travel ban and quarantine rules.
For some of us, travel is more than relaxation and exploration. It is essential to feel whole again. Moreover, I relish everything related to travel―the research, the nitty gritty of booking, the building of the itinerary. With none of that, I felt like a limb had been cut off.
So, as we are over Omicron, and vaccination has wider coverage, should I travel now?
If you are excited, determined, and apprehensive all at the same time, join the club. Perhaps you have younger kids who are still not vaccinated or older ones who aren’t eligible for a booster. Or an elderly relative who is more vulnerable to the disease.
Maybe it isn’t catching the disease that you are worried about, like me. How do you manage the uncertainties in a still tentative world?
Here’s my framework for approaching it, and it may help you too:
- Make bookings where cancellation is possible with as little pain as possible. For instance, booking.com allows you to book now and pay later. They also let you cancel for free until a certain date for most properties. That reduces the risk of losing money to a certain extent, were another variant to play spoiler again.
- Keep optional bookings within your travel like excursions and tours to a minimum before travel (unless unavoidable). There is usually more than one way to do a safari or a whale watching excursion and likely multiple tour operators.
- Check cancellation charges for fights before booking. This may sound like a no-brainer, but I have had to teach myself to do that, as I did not pay attention to these details pre-pandemic.
- Start smaller and closer to home first. If you haven’t ventured out at all in the last two years, start with a weekend trip. If you haven’t gotten on a plane at all recently, book a short flight. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with airport procedures, time requirements, changed rules, etc.
- Exercise caution while traveling. Keep your masks on, stay away from large, unmasked crowds, and continue to wash your hands often. Travel does not equate to being reckless and it is still possible to have a good time while taking necessary steps to keep yourself safe. As an example, during a weekend getaway to Udaipur, we made sure we ate only in outdoor restaurants. When that wasn’t possible, we requested to be seated in an isolated corner.
- Monitor the trends in your chosen destination over a period of time. Even though COVID is largely on the wane right now, there could be local pockets of high transmission. This could happen not just in countries or cities but could be as micro as counties. Make your itinerary accordingly.
- Keep an open mind. In the end, despite all the planning and precaution, things could still go haywire before or during the trip. If you are a Plan B type of person, keep something local in mind just in case your plans come to naught.
I cannot wait to pack my bags and visit a new land, can you?
Happy travels!
