Travel Bits: July 2020

Travel........ The New Normal

Recently, if we have been following the news, the phrase "the new normal" has been used to describe many things in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. And this includes travel.

So what exactly is "the new normal"? I take it to mean things will not be the same again. However, as in all things, interpretations of "the new normal" vary widely.

From my personal interpretations of "the new normal" with regards to travelling, I foresee the following changes:

•  The Way We Fly: The days of air-hubs may soon be over. The requirements to limit physical contacts between people to prevent the spread of viruses may mean that point-to-point flights are now in vogue. Transiting means disembarking from one flight, moving across the transit airport and embarking on the connecting flight. All these entail lots of human-to-human interactions especially when we have hordes of travellers intermingling at busy international air hubs.

• In-flight Experiences: Pre-pandemic in-flight experiences for travellers in First and Business Classes are exemplary. From the moment the passenger boarded the flight, he/she will be pampered until the destination is reached. Champagne, caviar and elaborate in-flight meals are the norms. Compare this with the current situation when everybody from flight crew to passengers are required to wear a mask throughout the flight and it is not difficult to envisage that in-flight services for premium passengers will no longer be the same again.

• Leisure Travel Destinations: Similar to what I had mentioned in the preceding point, the requirement for  flight crew and passengers to wear a mask for the duration of the flight is going to be a strong deterrent to long distance travel. For me, I wouldn't not want to experience being masked up for a 14-hour flight. While I understand the need to ensure safety for one and all, being masked up for more than 10 hours on a long haul flight is going to be terribly uncomfortable. Thus, I will avoid all flights that last more than 7 hours. This effectively means that my future leisure travel destinations (if and when leisure travel is allowed again) will be regional.

• Business Travel: While online meetings are not as effective as face-to-face interactions between people, these online interactions will be the new norm for business meetings. Work-related travel will thus be mostly a thing of the past. Not only do businesses save cost, workers will be happier as business travel in the current pandemic situation comes with the unnecessary risks of falling sick.

• Types of Leisure Travel: Probably gone too are the days when we see hordes of tourists crowding around world famous icons such as the Eiffel Tower and the Great Wall of China, all aiming for that perfect selfie photograph. What we are likely to see will be tourists visiting less crowded places in the countryside, secluded beaches or staycation getaways. Solitude is in, crowd is out.

• Cruise Holidays: The horror stories of cruise ships' passengers being stuck for days or even weeks onboard the ships while shore authorities debated on how to handle an onboard virus outbreak effectively means that cruise travel will not be popular for a long time. I had never been on a cruise holiday before and had originally planned to go on one of these in September this year, Regretfully, that will stay on my unfulfilled list of travel bucket list items for a long time to come.

• Frequency of Leisure Travel: Even with the eventually lifting of restrictions on leisure travel, I foresee that the frequencies of overseas holidays for many people will be a lot lesser post-pandemic. For one, the additional hassle of travel in a post-pandemic world will not be as simple as going online and clicking on the button to purchase flight tickets or book a hotel stay. We need to check whether the destinations allow travellers easy access or even any access at all, do we need a medical certificate stating that we have been tested and are healthy prior to travel, does our travel insurance provide the appropriate medical covers and many more. Add the dynamic changing of travel permissions and restrictions and we can see potential travellers thinking twice and maybe trice before deciding to plan an overseas holiday.

Travel will never be the same again. For sure, we will all travel again. But we must be prepared for "the new normal" in travelling when we do.

As I sat in my study writing this blog post, I must admit that I really missed travelling and long to travel again. Alas, my wait continues and I am not even sure I will rush to book a trip even if leisure travel restrictions are eventually lifted. For now, the "good old days" of carefree leisure travel are but just a memory. This is captured in the montage of photographs below which contained images of my pre-pandemic travel days. Ah..... those happy days of travelling the world.

Montage of Travel Photographs from the happy days of travelling the world.