Thoughts About The Future of Travel

MUSINGS:  THE FUTURE OF TRAVEL

A very wise and thoughtful colleague, Kathleen Sullivan of Anthology Travel, recently published this article. It's so well done that I'm sharing almost verbatim (with permission, of course!) I hope that you'll find this helpful.

A few thoughts on travel for the summer/fall of 2020:

I know we all just want to get the heck out of Dodge, but there are some things to keep in mind.

• In general, domestic travel is going to be easier than international.
• Some international locations, notably the Caribbean, have announced opening dates - take those with a large grain of salt, as those dates have been shifting a lot lately.
• Countries are imposing varying restrictions on entry - some require a specific type of negative COVID-19 test within 48 prior to entry, for instance. And it's not just enough for a government to declare the borders are open. In order for tourism to begin again, the hotels will need a little bit of time to do things like re-hire staff and ensure their supply chains are well-functioning. We'll also need the airlines to start running routes to those destinations.
• Speaking of the airlines, the flight schedules currently posted aren't terribly accurate, so you could be looking at schedule changes, long layovers, multiple layovers, etc...not ideal conditions, especially when traveling with kids or anyone who is differently-abled. Driving trips will be much easier than flying.
• Don't forget that we're still under a Level 4 State Department travel warning globally, which means all non-essential travel should be very carefully considered.
• Domestically, hotels on farms, ranches, etc. are going to be your best bet for social distancing. Lots of people are considering a visit to National and State Parks, but they can get crowded very quickly, so you'll want to have some alternate activities in your back pocket. For instance, when I was in Zion last spring, the traditionally-visited portion of the park was packed, but the northern part of the park, where we went hiking, was deserted...I think we saw maybe ten other people over six hours.
• If you're considering a visit to smaller, rural communities - make sure that you're not going to be stressing their resources and that they want tourism right now. Good ways to figure that out are to read local news sources and check out the local destination marketing organizations (tourism boards).
• I'm not really looking at international travel until 2021. Personally, I don't think a lot of borders will be open to citizens and residents of the US until we have our situation better controlled. I'd love to be wrong on that, and maybe I will be. It's definitely something I spend a lot of time reviewing with European travel companies. I will continue to share with you what I'm learning.
• Everyone in tourism is super stressed right now - we were the first industry affected by COVID and arguably one of the hardest-hit. So I know you're all lovely humans - just be extra-specially flexible and friendly and for the love of God, TIP HEAVILY, please.
• There is less availability for 2021 than you might think; many trips scheduled for this year have moved to next year, and those travelers will have first priority for available inventory, which may have fewer scheduled offerings. If you're contemplating something for next year, I'd consider at a minimum making refundable hotel reservations while we wait to see how the year plays out.
• Please, for the love of all that's good and holy, if you're not going to book through me or another travel advisor, book directly with the hotel. Online Travel Agencies (e.g., Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz) take a huge cut from hotels for booking. These companies don't need your dollars as much as the hotels themselves do (and one of the dirty secrets of the hotel business is that travelers who book through OTAs are assigned to less desirable rooms.) If you are brand-loyal to a large hotel chain, consider staying at smaller properties. One of the reasons I love and support and push boutique hotels is because you're supporting small business owners, actual humans, rather than large corporations.

In sum, domestic now; international maybe in the fall but probably next year; be kind to yourself and to others. 

My very best,

Joan