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As social distancing guidelines begin to relax and hotels and destinations start
to make plans to reopen, you can be sure there will be a new normal for travel -
at least for a while.
While some of this year’s grandest travel plans may
be on pause for now, not all vacation hope is lost. As countries and
states start to ease restrictions and hotels, national parks, and other
attractions, like Disneyland, cautiously begin to announce reopening plans,
the allure of a road trip is strong.
The road trip is a classic summer pastime around the world, and, this year,
its popularity is on the rise as more and more travelers crave
post-quarantine getaways that still heed proper social-distancing
guidelines. No matter where you live, there’s likely a scenic drive
nearby, be it a forest-lined highway or a sunny, shore-hugging
route.
Personally, we are starting to make plans for weekend road trips and staycations to get out
of the house and venture out into a post-lockdown world. Over the next
few weeks, I'll be writing more about road trips in and around California,
including our favorite places to stay in Northern California, including
Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, Napa, and the Central Coast. As other counties
within California start to re-open, as well as other states and destinations
open up, according to their guidelines, I plan on writing more about these
destinations as well (Disney trips, Hawaii and more).
California Resilience Roadmap
Californians have been staying home and saving lives since the start of our
statewide stay-at-home order issued on March 19, 2020. These efforts have
allowed the state to move forward on our roadmap for modifying the statewide
order.
California has been under a stay-at-home order since March 19, 2020, which
has helped flatten the curve and slow the spread of Covid-19. These
efforts have allowed the state to move forward on a roadmap for a phased
re-opening of counties across the state.
You can read more about the California Resilience Roadmap
here and
the guidance for hotels here at Covid-19 Industry Guidance: Hotels and Lodging.
Restarting of Leisure Travel in California
California’s tourism economy will largely begin to reopen mid-June after a
three-month shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. Governor
Newsom’s public health guidance will allow counties that have met health
benchmarks to authorize hotel, campground and RV stays and reopen zoos,
family entertainment centers, museums, galleries and winery tasting rooms.
This is a positive step and the California tourism industry and our
partners look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Golden
State. I plan on sharing more in the coming weeks on hotel
re-openings and special deals, promotions, as well as strict cleaning
protocols and social distancing guidelines that hotels will have in place.
What Will Travel Look Like in a Post-Lockdown Covid-19 World?
The coronavirus pandemic is still a global health emergency, with short- and
long-term outcomes yet to be determined. As some curves flatten begin
to flatten, stay-at-home orders expire, and businesses begin to reopen, the
collective “new normal” is starting to take shape.
Many who love travel are cautiously ready to plan again, and tourism is
going play an important role in an economic recovery. Last year,
travel and tourism accounted for 330 million jobs and $8.9 trillion of the
world GDP.
The travel industry is ready: Countries are (slowly) beginning to loosen
border regulations, while rolling out plans for museums, restaurants, and
other tourist attractions to reopen; airlines are adding popular routes back
to schedules; and several hotels and resorts have recently
announced reopening dates - with strict cleaning and social distancing
guidelines in place.
We always knew travel would be back, but it’s still unclear exactly what
it’s going to look like. Are people really ready to travel – and if so,
where do they want to go? And where can they go?
Here are my Thoughts on Travel in a New Post-Pandemic World:
Personal Risk & Comfort Level with Traveling
Ultimately, whether or not people are ready to start venturing out comes
down to a personal risk and comfort level, with a variety of other
measures coming into play.
Personally, for us, when we start
venturing out we'll be taking extra precautions with our two kids, i.e.,
wearing masks when appropriate, maintaining social distancing and booking
condo style accommodations with kitchens to reduce our visits to
restaurants.
Domestic Travel will Rebound First & Faster
Close-to-home travel will emerge first and the Summer road trip will be
making a popular comeback. Since we live in Sacramento, we're
cautiously starting to plan trips to Lake Tahoe and the Central Coast this
Summer.
International Travel will be Much Slower to Rebound
To date, several countries (including Australia, New Zealand, and
Argentina) aren’t allowing some foreign citizens in yet. And on the
flip side, Greece, Portugal, Iceland, Mexico and several Caribbean
countries are set to begin reopening their borders sometime in June, with
many other destinations following closely behind. But the biggest
deterrent to international travel will be that many travelers, myself
included, just aren’t ready to hop on a long-haul flight yet, especially
with kids.
International travel will depend on a number of important factors, with
the most important being a go-to therapy or vaccine for the virus.
If people have to quarantine on arrival, get tested before a flight, or
show an immunity passport, that will dissuade them from taking the risk
because too many things could go wrong. International destinations
that are a short flight away for travelers, such as the Caribbean and
Mexico, will likely bounce back first.
Refund & Cancellation Policies Will Need to be More Flexible
Until there’s a vaccine for coronavirus, potential new Covid-19 outbreaks may dramatically alter hotel openings, tour and flight schedules, and self-quarantine requirements. Some areas of the United States have effectively reduced positive cases and other areas of the country have seen drastic spikes. That will play into the minds of people looking to plan travel and they'll want to know they have flexibility to cancel or amend their plans if needed. Cancellation policies can vary by hotel, cruise, or airline and are being updated on a regular basis. Companies that offer the most travel-friendly terms will have a strong competitive advantage going forward.
Working with a Travel Advisor Will Matter More Than Ever
Anyone planning a trip will
need to understand that travel as we knew it is going to be a lot different for
a while and it might even be a little confusing and overwhelming at first.
Hotels will have new polices in place for cancellations, new strict cleaning measures and other social distancing guidelines in place. Airlines will have their own rules, and hotels, restaurants,
and tour operators may all have different policies too, so working with an advisor means that if something goes wrong, i.e., a hotel shuts
down, a flight gets cancelled, a trip is suddenly cut short, you can trust it will be handled.
Peace of mind from knowing everything is handled and taken care of can be priceless. With some things seemingly changing on the
fly, it is good to be able to trust someone who who knows the latest
developments, rules and if there any special promotions that can help get you more value for your money, which may include free breakfast, room upgrades, hotel credits and more!
