11 May A Post-COVID world: When will it be safe to travel again?

Like many of us, you’re probably wondering: “when will it be safe to travel again?”

Maybe you’ll still be able to go on your cross-country road trip this Summer. Or your trip to Italy this Fall. Maybe it won’t be until 2021 that we’ll be able to fly again. 

No matter how you slice it and the experts you inquire, it is still unknown. Don’t feel discouraged. We gathered insights from experts in public health and various industries for their best predictions during this Coronavirus pandemic.

Air Travel

As you can imagine, most people are hesitant to start flying again. In the CNBC article, When will we start traveling again?, experts say “it would take around 18 to 24 months before there’s a significant spike in demand and the industry begins to return to regular levels.”

For air travel to start up again, significant changes would need to be made in security, health, and accuracy. Some ideas include: temperature checks at airports, testing, “immunity passports”, and new health protocols. All in all, the steps to reopening air travel remains speculative.

Road Trips / Staycations

While the restart of air travel is still up in the air (no pun intended), domestic and internal travel is fair game. Not only is domestic travel, like camping and road trips, more affordable, it reduces the amount of risk. “Americans concerned about the virus are likely to avoid hotels and movie theaters in favor of escaping to the great outdoors after being cooped up inside for weeks, according to Eylon and other researchers,” from this CNN article.

Families and couples are starting to think about where they can go for a long weekend nearby. Destination Marketing Organizations like VisitCalifornia and VisitScotland are also working on local campaigns to drive staycations. This and other growing trends indicate road trip getaways will be on the rise this summer.

Cruises

According to the Washington Post article, Carnival announces plans to start cruising days after CDC’s no-sail order is set to lift, we can expect cruise lines to start operating again as of August 1, 2020. It’s unknown what specific changes will take place, but Carnival has stated there will be “enhanced operational protocols and social gathering guidelines”.

Amusement Parks

Much like sporting venues and concert calls, amusement parks have been significantly impacted. Disneyland, for example, closed all their parks around the world in early March. According to an article in Travel + Leisure, Shanghai Disneyland is set to reopen on May 11 with limited attendance but it is still unknown when the other Disney theme parks, including Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida will open back up.

We at Give a Day Global are hopeful for the future of travel. While things are still unknown, we look forward to the day when international travel is back and passionate travelers can contribute to communities they visit during their vacation. When that time comes, consider one day volunteer opportunities. 

For those planning ahead, New York Times recently outlined the top 10 travel destinations and their plans for re-opening in this recent article.

As updates on COVID change every day, please be sure to look up the most up to date information before you hit the road.