Has COVID-19 changed the way you travel (maybe even forever)?

[halfpintpeggy]

Yes & no. I have always been the type to clean hotel rooms or condos upon check in & will continue to do so. I’ve actually gotten some pretty snarky remarks in the past about it here on these boards lol.

We have worked including weekly out-of-state travel & gone out throughout the entire situation, so life has remained pretty much normal for us.

That being said, I have no desire for international travel or traveling anywhere with hefty restrictions. Nope! Not doing it.

 

[Feberin]

Definitely changed for us during the pandemic. We kept delaying our April 2020 Disney trip and used airbnbs in uncrowded places instead. We're still waiting for our kids to get vaccinated to do any big trips but hopefully it'll be soon. Disney is rescheduled for May 2022. I'm definitely more willing to spend money on that trip because who knows when we'll get back again. Which is good because Disney has also decided that I need to spend more money.

 

[shawthorne44]

I suspect Disney will get an unpleasant shock when trips stop happening that have 2 years worth of vacation money available.

 

[Happy_2_B]

Yes and no. From the time it started until this spring we stayed home except to get groceries, go for hikes and bike rides- and stuff like that. We had to cancel 5 international trips that were slated during that time. Since this spring we have done a couple of domestic trips with flights, and done a few road trips close to home. In 2 weeks are are doing a Panama canal cruise followed by a couple of weeks doing the Orlando/Tampa theme parks and staying on the beach for a few days. In 2022, we have 4 other cruises planned- as well as visits to some major European cities either before or after the cruises. Right now you have to jump through a lot of hoops to travel internationally, but I think we have the hang of it now as far as what is required because most countries require an electronic affidavit- and all our info is on the required/suggested travel apps so we can present this info upon arrival. We just got our boosters yesterday- so feeling like we can get back out there as long as we don't stop mask wearing in crowded spaces. Will see how this 3+ week trip goes, then add in even more domestic travel in 2002 to 'make up' for what we were unable to do.

 

[DCLMP]

I have not changed my lifestyle one bit.

You must not have traveled much outside the country pre-covid. I have neighbors who camp every weekend in their RV. Their life hasn't changed at all.

 

[DCLMP]

I suspect Disney will get an unpleasant shock when trips stop happening that have 2 years worth of vacation money available.

Explain pleaz.

 

[Sun_soakin]

Definitely. We’re still waiting for our youngest to be able to vax. We’ve been cautious + I don’t like spending $$$ for reduced services/quality, plus the stress of adjusting plans around covid. We’ve done fewer vacations but have really enjoyed more time at home w/ our kids before they start heading off to college

 

[BadPinkTink]

I'm just back from my first Covid international trip, travel from Ireland to England to see my sister.

I worked from home and isolated for the 2 weeks before my trip and I will do the same after the trip.

Outward journey from Ireland to England

• Booked a taxi to the airport and requested a car with a protective screen
• Wore a mask in the taxi
• Used the airline App to check in and had boarding pass on my phone
• Wore a double mask in the airport, medical and 2 layer Disney Store mask
• Very aware of touching surfaces and using hand sanitizer after touching surfaces
• Very aware of people bunching up when not needed and being more observant of open spaces and taking my time walking and allowing space between me and others.
• Very aware of the time spent in crowded areas like shops and food places, get what I need and move along to a less crowded area.
• Not eating or drinking in crowded food areas, took my coffee to a less crowded area and kept mask on between sips.
• Using anti bac wipes on my hands before and after eating and drinking.
• Using restrooms in low crowd areas
• Wore a double mask, medical and 2 layer Disney Store mask during the flight and not eating or drinking during the flight , it was only 45 minutes flying time.
• I didn't use the tray table during the flight and used hand sanitizer as soon as I fixed my seat belt and didnt touch arm rests.

During my trip

• Wore a mask in all indoor areas such as buses, trains, shops etc even though not required by UK law.
• No indoor dining , outdoor seating areas provided by city council and almost all restaurants and cafes.
• Did not go to the cinema or theatre

On the return to Ireland

• Had to fill out a Passenger Locator Form online for The Irish Government Covid Track and Trace
• Had to show my Covid Vaccine Cert and Passenger Locator form at the airline check in
• Got food before security and ate outside the airport at the seating area for the bus stop, anti bac wipe before and after eating
• As above when in the airport and on the flight, wore a double mask, used anti bac wipes and hand sanitizer, aware of people bunching up when not needed, staying in less crowded areas, no eating or drinking on the flight

 

[shawthorne44]

Explain pleaz.

You'll see a lot of posts here and people I know IRL who say something like, "We are going on our postponed Disney trip. It is a lot more expensive than it was originally, but we have two years of vacation money to spend." So, some of the demand and price-tolerance right now won't be sustained. Those people will go on their postponed trip and not come back.

 

[Disneefun]

Too soon to say. We love to RV and just before Covid hit, we sold our old RV with plans to buy a new one. Had it all picked out and ready to order, then boom, world goes sideways. Of course now the wait lists for RV's are year's long and even if we had an RV, the campgrounds and parks are so full there's nowhere to go. So for the time being, we're staying put. If things in the RV world settle back down, then we're good. (I expect this is what will happen, as people will discover they don't love it and would really rather do hotels or cruise once things are more normal. Plus as gas prices are rising, RV'ing gets a lot less attractive for many people.)

But if it stays messed up, then who knows. Neither of us really cares to fly, cruising is a once in blue moon kind of thing for us, and while hotels are fine, we really prefer the RV lifestyle. So we may just be homebody's for a long while. Which is fine, too. We're in the camp that travel is nice, but not a necessity for a happy life.

 

[DCLMP]

You'll see a lot of posts here and people I know IRL who say something like, "We are going on our postponed Disney trip. It is a lot more expensive than it was originally, but we have two years of vacation money to spend." So, some of the demand and price-tolerance right now won't be sustained. Those people will go on their postponed trip and not come back.

I went three times during Covid when they offered 35-40% off the deluxe resorts. No way would I pay rack rate no matter how much money I had saved. For that reason, it might be a while before we go back. Right now I'm seeing the best discounts on cruises that's where I'll spend my money.

 

[kicker30]

No change here, but if my wife and myself had jobs where we could have worked remotely instead of continuing to go in everyday like normal the whole time, it would have because we would travel more as long as the remote work continued.

 

[crisi]

We just returned from Peru. If you can do international travel right now - if you are in good health and fully vaccinated and therefore low risk of requiring hospitalization in a different country - its a great time to travel. We went Delta One First Class for what airfare would have cost in Economy in 2019 (when we started planning this trip) Machu Picchu was at 30% capacity - I have morning pictures with few tourists in sight, and Maras was completely devoid of tourists (it was first thing in the morning). We walked into internationally ranked restaurants in Lima without reservations. Bought baby alpaca sweaters for what sweaters cost at Target - and the sales clerks, tour guides, and waiters practically hugged us - I think one woman and the alpaca coop was nearly in tears with the $200 we spent on shawls and sweaters. We regularly got upgraded in every hotel we booked. And I suspect that our Pisco Sours were made extra stiff (although that could have been the altitude).

We had a similar experience with a 2009 Adventures by Disney trip which we booked for half the price of ABD trips pre market crash. And bought our DVC in 2002 shortly after 9/11.

 

[DCLMP]

We just returned from Peru. If you can do international travel right now - if you are in good health and fully vaccinated and therefore low risk of requiring hospitalization in a different country - its a great time to travel. We went Delta One First Class for what airfare would have cost in Economy in 2019 (when we started planning this trip) Machu Picchu was at 30% capacity - I have morning pictures with few tourists in sight, and Maras was completely devoid of tourists (it was first thing in the morning). We walked into internationally ranked restaurants in Lima without reservations. Bought baby alpaca sweaters for what sweaters cost at Target - and the sales clerks, tour guides, and waiters practically hugged us - I think one woman and the alpaca coop was nearly in tears with the $200 we spent on shawls and sweaters. We regularly got upgraded in every hotel we booked. And I suspect that our Pisco Sours were made extra stiff (although that could have been the altitude).

We had a similar experience with a 2009 Adventures by Disney trip which we booked for half the price of ABD trips pre market crash. And bought our DVC in 2002 shortly after 9/11.

The thing that bothers me about international travel is the Covid test to get back into the country. I have an 11 night Baltic cruise booked on DCl next Summer and I'm hoping it's a go. Peru and Costa Rica are on my shortlist of alternative plans. You are lucky you got a deal. Airfare, hotel prices, and car rentals are currently skyrocketing along with essential goods. What we're experiencing now is nothing like the deflation of 2009. I'm also going to predict air travel is going to be a hot mess in the coming months.

 

[crisi]

The Covid test was easy - the tour provided it. And if we didn't pass the Covid test, a hotel in Lima until we could pass was also included.

Frankly, I wouldn't trust Disney to provide the same - their contracts don't tend to take responsibility for anything. This was a small tour operator.

Peru is seeing their currency deflate, which was helping fight any inflation - if you are coming from a place with a more stable currency. And we booked this right after we got our first shots in March.

Air travel will be a mess. Staffing issues are going to continue to plague them. They spent two decades continually getting concessions from flight attendants and pilots, and those people don't have anything more to give. I can fly to Orlando for the same ticket price as when my college age kids were babies - that implies their costs haven't gone up significantly - that implies their labor costs haven't increased significantly. And the "yahoos that fly" contingent has increased. At that point, you quit.

 

[kathy884]

The thing that bothers me about international travel is the Covid test to get back into the country. I have an 11 night Baltic cruise booked on DCl next Summer and I'm hoping it's a go. Peru and Costa Rica are on my shortlist of alternative plans. You are lucky you got a deal. Airfare, hotel prices, and car rentals are currently skyrocketing along with essential goods. What we're experiencing now is nothing like the deflation of 2009. I'm also going to predict air travel is going to be a hot mess in the coming months.

I'm with you on this one. Being able to get back to the USA is a big one to me. This on top of cost is why we are currently forgoing any international travel for now (includes trip canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19). One of my co-workers who is fully vaccinated went on vacation to Nepal to visit his mom and is still there. He was supposed to be back in the office a week and a half ago. He tested positive for COVID-19, and hasn't been able to get back to the US yet. He has a mild break thru case. At least he's feeling pretty good and can stay with family till he returns. Risk is probably pretty low that this would happen to you, so I can understand that many are making the choice to go abroad. And if it were to see family, that would be a really good reason that I might make a different decision too. Just saying the risk is there, and it's keeping me in the US for right now.

 

[crisi]

I'm with you on this one. Being able to get back to the USA is a big one to me. This on top of cost is why we are currently forgoing any international travel for now (includes trip canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19). One of my co-workers who is fully vaccinated went on vacation to Nepal to visit his mom and is still there. He was supposed to be back in the office a week and a half ago. He tested positive for COVID-19, and hasn't been able to get back to the US yet. He has a mild break thru case. At least he's feeling pretty good and can stay with family till he returns. Risk is probably pretty low that this would happen to you, so I can understand that many are making the choice to go abroad. And if it were to see family, that would be a really good reason that I might make a different decision too. Just saying the risk is there, and it's keeping me in the US for right now.

A version of that risk has always been there with travel....that you'll get stuck where you are for longer than you expect. We've faced tsunamis, blizzards, labor strikes, our own health - all risking the return date of our vacation. And of course air travel delays - nothing like getting stuck because your flight was cancelled and it will take an extra two days to get home. On 9/11 my boss was stuck outside of the country. A friend was stuck in Thailand during one of their frequent coups. A coworker of my husbands was on Easter Island when the pandemic hit - it took a few weeks to get home. A coworker of mine had a flight cancelled - and the fastest way home was 48 hours of air travel and rental cars. This is just another risk.

I understand not wanting the risk...but its always been there.

 

[Kestryl]

The thing that bothers me about international travel is the Covid test to get back into the country. I have an 11 night Baltic cruise booked on DCl next Summer and I'm hoping it's a go. Peru and Costa Rica are on my shortlist of alternative plans. You are lucky you got a deal. Airfare, hotel prices, and car rentals are currently skyrocketing along with essential goods. What we're experiencing now is nothing like the deflation of 2009. I'm also going to predict air travel is going to be a hot mess in the coming months.

Yeah… I mean, I totally get the test requirement, but it’s killing my ability to do international travel. It’s unlikely I or my husband would test positive… but holy crap, what are we supposed to do if we do? (Or even just one of us.) Up to 14 day quarantine, changed flights, extra food costs… I do t think I could stomach the cost of a “second” vacation where we can’t actually do anything.

 

[DCLMP]

A version of that risk has always been there with travel....that you'll get stuck where you are for longer than you expect. We've faced tsunamis, blizzards, labor strikes, our own health - all risking the return date of our vacation. And of course air travel delays - nothing like getting stuck because your flight was cancelled and it will take an extra two days to get home. On 9/11 my boss was stuck outside of the country. A friend was stuck in Thailand during one of their frequent coups. A coworker of my husbands was on Easter Island when the pandemic hit - it took a few weeks to get home. A coworker of mine had a flight cancelled - and the fastest way home was 48 hours of air travel and rental cars. This is just another risk.

I understand not wanting the risk...but its always been there.

An extra day or two to get home would be fine. We've all experienced weather-related travel delays. Quarantining for two weeks is a whole other matter.

 

[crisi]

An extra day or two to get home would be fine. We've all experienced weather-related travel delays. Quarantining for two weeks is a whole other matter.

For me, the risk of a positive covid test taking two weeks to clear is slim - well actually, you'll likely test positive for months after having Covid, so you aren't waiting for a negative test. You are waiting for an affidavit from a doctor to get you on a plane - you don't have to wait for the test to be negative - you just have to have a doctor look at you and say you aren't likely to be contagious - no fever, no cough. For the fully vaccinated, that is likely to be less than two weeks. A friend had a pretty bad break through infection, five days of being "I don't want to move" sick.

Plus, for me, the consequences of spending two weeks quarantined while ill are low. My 23 year old son lives at home and takes care of the pets and the house. If I'm sick, I'm not working. If I'm not sick - just Covid positive - an internet connection lets me do my job from a hotel room. My laptop travels with me because I run a small business and therefore am the only person who can take care of things like payroll. My husbands boss spends six weeks working from Germany every year pre-Covid - and has stated my husband can work from anywhere in the world if he wants (as long as he retains U.S. residence for tax purposes).

So a risk analysis says my risks have not significantly increased for international travel for Covid post vaccine (and without additional variants) than they were pre-Covid. YMMV