The coronavirus pandemic has erupted the economies worldwide and changed our lives as we know it. What was standard a few months ago seems like a dream now, the world is not the same anymore. There is a ‘new normal’ that people have unwillingly or willingly begun adopting. Once you figure out the ways to manage life in the new normal, things will get easier. And gain a balance between efficiency and personal contact; this will surely stick around for a while. Another new normal is a travel pattern. After months of being in quarantine in our homes, it does not sound surprising when you feel like taking a break. Undoubtedly, the traveling habits and patterns are going to face a major overhaul. Just as people have started to accept the new normal in their daily lives, they are also gearing up to travel the world safely.

Air travel back then

Before we foresee the future, let’s hit the past, what was it like air traveling a few months ago? Do you ever remember going on an airplane with a mask or gloves? How perfect the time seemed when you were traveling with several friends. Now you have to sit with empty seats on both sides, making the trip a bore for you.

The concept of social distancing and having empty seats did not exist. The only fear that a person would have sitting in an airplane was flight phobia (i.e., if you had that phobia). Surprisingly, this fear has gone up a notch by instilling a fear of people carrying the coronavirus.
Let us take a look at future travel possibilities and what significant changes we will face.
Sanitizing is the new security protocol.

Sanitized and clean hotels are a top priority these days. Supposedly, anything good this pandemic has brought upon the people is the awareness of their surroundings and prevailing hygiene standards. This year onwards, travelers would prioritize those establishments and services, which would ensure all the hygiene and safety precautions.

Contact tracing of guests would become inescapable. If this sounds overwhelming, think about when you never had to walk through security scanners to enter a hotel. And now you are so used to having to do that, including handing over your purses and wallets for checking. Believe it or not, you have no other choice but to live with these precautionary measures.

Domestic travel will be encouraged.

How does a road trip to a national park in the neighboring state sound to you? Having a week-long stay in a private rental seems very feasible. It is what a typical family vacation in the U.S would look like during the pandemic. You never know when you can travel by air, this could be as soon as a month or later spring or even beyond that.

To avoid the risk of air travel, people usually prefer traveling in their car to a nearby destination. Staying closer to your home would seem like a safe and smart idea. A study from Longwoods International states that about 82 percent of travelers have changed their travel plans for the next six months.
Elizabeth Monahan, a spokesperson of Trip Advisor, said that the recovery in the tourism sector would prevail locally. She also said travelers now tend to venture out nearby, eat out in a local eatery, and prefer domestic getaway destinations.

The managing director for Guesty stated, ‘people claim that they don’t know about the flight’s situation due to the uncertainty of schedules. However, they know that traveling by car is possible and worry-free; they don’t want to end up someplace for days.’ On a lighter note, if you want to have a worry-free vacation, try having one closer to your home. It will not be that bad.

Learn to travel light

A skill of packing the right and light stuff for travel is a skill not everyone possesses. Since the new travel rule of a limited baggage allowance prevails, you have no other choice but to travel light. How can a suitcase catch a virus? It is very similar to when in the olden days you sat next to a stranger. In the plane cargo, your bag shares space with someone else’s suitcase, thus having a risk of catching the germs the suitcase carried. If you wish to ensure minimum contact, bare minimum luggage would be the best way to protect yourself and others.
You will find many domestic airlines taking precautionary measures like printable baggage tags and imperative web-check-in to lower luggage handling.

Expensive international travels

It always felt like you were paying extra for everything from choosing your preferred seat to bag check-in. However, this is not the case. The good news for you here is that deregulations in air travel have lowered the cost per mile. Thus, traveling abroad has become much cheaper.
Nonetheless, the experts fear that since very few travelers prefer to travel, the ticket costs will tend to rise soon.
The price surge is not only for air travel but also for restaurants and hotels. Since they would increase their prices to make up for the loss, they had been bearing due to lockdowns.

Travel will now be dependent on technology even more.

You heard it right; you will need technology even more. The idea of printable luggage tags, web check-ins, and online bookings to avoid human contact is part of the new normal. That only implies that you should be more tech-savvy and stay updated with all the recent apps and technology.

Conclusion

The new normal may seem somewhat overwhelming and hard to adjust. However, you will get the hang of it in no time. We have no choice but to steer away from our natural habitat and adopt new methods of living. Remember, all this is to ensure your safety and make you feel like living a healthy life. Traveling will still be fun if you follow precautionary measures and avoid crowded places.