Overcome The Covid-19 Travel Challenges This Summer

Just a few short months ago, you were probably ringing in the New Year and looking forward to the warmer months, so you could head overseas for your long-awaited annual holiday. A spot of summer sun, sand and sightseeing is what you and your brood look forward to every year. Fast forward to today, and you are probably worried that you’ll not be seeing the inside of a plane for the foreseeable future. Coronavirus has brought with it many challenges and has been massively detrimental to millions of people’s lives. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to put off your travel plans – you simply need to adapt them.

Heading overseas to scratch your wanderlust itch is not necessarily out of the question. While you might not be taking a city break to New York because of the surge in cases, you might not be venturing to the source of the outbreak, China, and you might not want to hotfoot it to Brazil at the moment, there are places you can travel. The travel corridors, that the government has created, have enabled holidaymakers to get their R&R without having to surrender their freedom. While you might have been content with a road trip within the UK, you no longer have to be forced down this route. Instead, you can take a week off to fly to Spain, you can go camping in France and you can take a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights. However, travel has changed immeasurably, so there are a few extra obstacles that you need to overcome.

Health And Safety

The laws and legislation in every country are different. As a responsible traveller, you need to be aware of these laws and adhere to them at all times. Some countries require all travellers to quarantine for a set length of time. If this is the case, you will need to make sure that the holiday is worth the hassle. Other countries require temperature checks before leaving the airport and the authorities may need to know where you are staying each evening. Other countries will require you to wear a face-covering when you are out and about, while some nations may have strict curfews in place for restaurant opening times. No matter where you go in the world, there will be restrictions. It’s up to you to decide whether the foreign travel you have planned is worth the bother or whether you are simply going to make the best of it.

If you are a laid back traveller, you will be able to cope with the upheaval. You won’t mind taking disposable face masks with you in your hand luggage and you will think nothing of having hand sanitiser in your pocket at all times. If this sounds like too much fuss, you need to rethink your holiday plans.

Some nations are welcoming holidaymakers with open arms because they are keen to kickstart their tourism sector once again. This means when you are thinking about that all-important question of how much would a trip to Greece cost, you might not have to part with as much cash as you first thought. Countries like Greece, Spain and France, are keen to get the British holidaymaker back in their nations spending their money. Greek tours range from the budget to the luxurious and will empower you to see the authentic side of a nation. Here, you will immerse yourself in a new culture, meet interesting new people, sample new cuisine and see some awe-inspiring vistas. Just remember to keep your hand sanitiser in your backpack.

Multi-Stop Tours

If you aren’t much of a package holiday kind of traveller and you prefer hot-footing it to far-flung destinations, you will need to consider getting more prepared than usual. Even though you are a spontaneous sort of traveller and think nothing of flying on a whim and sorting your accommodation when you land, this is not possible in the current climate. You need to have a skeleton itinerary of where you will be resting your weary bones each night, just in case the local authorities of a destination require this information. Head to a booking site that allows you to reserve rooms without paying anything upfront. This means you can construct an itinerary without having to commit any money. You can play around with routes, timings, and hotel rooms. This will also help you work out your budget and stick to a plan.

If you want to head to a range of countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia and South Korea, you can do. Travel is becoming more accessible again. However, you will have to bear in mind that flights will not be flying at full capacity due to social distancing, and you need to factor in the possibility of lockdowns. While you are abroad, the destination you are visiting may experience a surge in coronavirus cases. This may impact on your travel plans and your ability to return home. You must keep this in mind and monitor any Foreign Office travel alerts and notices that may be released.

Budget

Many people in these uncertain times are finding that their jobs are under threat. Millions of individuals across the country have been told that they are now on furlough. While not working they are able to claim eighty per cent of their salary from the government. This has been a welcome financial comfort to many, but now that this furlough is being phased out, job stability is becoming a real issue. This may mean that you are watching your purse strings and you don’t want to splash the cash on a five star all-inclusive trip to the Caribbean. Your luxury holiday plans may need to be a little more modest this year.

If you aren’t planning a mammothly extravagant holiday, why not consider the humble road trip? It gets a bad reputation for being boring and having to put up with the British weather, but some of the best road trips are those spontaneous jaunts to the coast or into the hills. Consider where you fancy visiting in the UK, and go for it. Perhaps you want to venture down to Cornwall and see the fishing towns, the local way of life and the glorious beaches. Or maybe, you’d rather head to the Peak District National Park to sample some Bakewell Tart and climb some of the local peaks. 

Start planning your trip by getting out an old school map. Google Maps are great for when you are out on the road, but you need a full-on ordnance survey paper thing to plan your overall route. When planning, make sure that you are able to factor in rest breaks, sightseeing stops and layovers. There’s nothing worse than heading out on a road trip to spend all day driving. Instead, keep distances between stops short. For example, you could get up and have breakfast at a campsite and drive for a couple of hours before hitting a local town or beach. Then have lunch. Drive another hour and see another local sight or vista. Then drive another hour before enjoying local delicacies and a nightcap before setting up camp for the night. Excursions are great as are organised tours to break up the self-planned pressure of a road trip.

Travel is one of life’s most wonderful luxuries. Seeing the world and experiencing the amazing spectacle that is our planet need not diminish just because of coronavirus. Yes, things have changed and you may have to get used to a new form of travel, but you can enjoy your annual summer vacation this year. Follow this guide and you will overcome the Covid-19 travel challenges this summer.