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

[kathy884]

Here's a link to a USA today article about this subject: https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...travel-forever-and-what-means-you/3727903001/

I didn't think initially that anything would change in my travel plans and that the pandemic would just put things off, but now that things are opening up and I am doing future travel planning/budgeting I find myself making very different travel decisions and making the decision to forgo international travel that initially I just put off completely (no longer planning to do it at all). I'm also for domestic travel forgoing some places that just have hotel options and going more for places where a nice condo would work for my budget. For me it's a variety of factors:

-- budget and how much more expensive travel is, is one of them, (I'd have to cough up more money now for international travel and certain domestic destinations too. It's less budget friendly than ever. I'm staying closer to home which is more affordable.)
-- age I think is a big factor too (DH and I are in our 60s and have already gone to our bucket list places), (Just don't want to work that hard on travel planning now -- want frivilous, fun, and easy)
-- another big factor is planning effort and comfort (I just don't want to deal with extra testing, extra risks of not being able to get back into the US, language barriers, researching insurance (medical and cancelation insurance, etc.). I want easy planning. I want closer and easier to get to. I want more space and comfort. This wasn't so much the case for me two years ago.
-- family seems to be my number one (looking more at condos vs. hotels as a nice place to gather, looking at bring more people along and helping pay for others at closer destinations vs. more popular / exotic places to a certain extent)

Here are some more specifics for me:
This year I did condo vacations at Moab, UT and Rocky Mountain Park/Estes Park, Colorado -- extended family at one and travel with DH, grown son and significant other at other.

2022 I'm doing a March Orlando trip -- condo stay with three park days and three resort / family visiting days (The big deal for me is that I am bringing my 85 year old dad to flower and garden, something we have always wanted to do together. Really catering to dad on this one) Grown kid and some other extended family will come too. // And then in the spring DH and I (grown kids invited too) are going to be exploring a lesser know national park and other areas of Colorado we've never been too (two nights hotel and five nights condo) (Montrose/Ouray, Colorado). Picking a place that looks nice and interesting, but is not as much of a go to / bucket list place for so many people -- maybe lower crowds.

My planned trips to Paris/Belfast and Purerto Vallarta, Mexico I don't think are ever going to even happen. (too expensive now, more work and effort planning that I just don't want to deal with, insurance needs add to costs/complexity). Instead of even looking at these for 2023, I'm looking at an extended family condo vacation getogether in Sedona, AZ (a place all like and where we have gotten together many times in the past -- the last time being 2018).

Just curious if anyone else thinks the pandemic has changed how you travel now and will travel in the future.

 

[Dakota731]

Nope we took three trips last year and three this year - all but two by air. Almost our entire family are healthcare workers - one works on the Covid floor of a huge hospital. So I think since our lives never stopped during this pandemic - we were used to going out and living life normally.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Just curious if anyone else thinks the pandemic has changed how you travel now and will travel in the future.

Yes but in a totally opposite way than you.

I'm in my 40's a solo traveler with no kids. I've been working continuously since March 2020 and Covid has benefitted my financial situation. My income has increased and my outgoings have decreased.

I am in Europe and my country has had some of the strictest Covid restrictions. The travel bans and forced restrictions of movement, even within my own county and country have re affirmed my love of travel and new experiences. Being told you cant do something, for me makes me want to do that thing even more. I can't wait to leave my country again and have new adventures in different countries.

I work in the tech industry, and all the advances in the use of Apps, and tech that Covid has accelerated excites me.

All the extra Covid procedures such as testing and vaccine requirements are no big deal to me.

The wearing of masks is no big deal to me, my country has mask mandates.

I'm excited for Genie + in Disney Parks.

I'm excited to use hotel and Airline Apps for check in's.

With the increase in my financial situation, now when I travel I don't have to be as budget conscious as I used to be which is extremely exciting.

 

[Jax1023]

Nope we took three trips last year and three this year - all but two by air. Almost our entire family are healthcare workers - one works on the Covid floor of a huge hospital. So I think since our lives never stopped during this pandemic - we were used to going out and living life normally.

Wow. As a healthcare worker I wasn’t allowed to travel out of state and come to work without quarantining for all of 2020 and until about March of 2021. Dont remember exactly as no ones vacation time was getting approved so it was fairly irrelevant.

 

[Marionnette]

It has most definitely changed how we will travel in the future.

Disney is becoming less attractive due to all of the changes and reduced value. Much of it is due to "lost revenue" because of COVID as an excuse.

We used to love cruising but now I regard the ships as floating petri dishes. Watching those poor people isolated in their cabins for days on end in the early days of the pandemic really changed my mind.

The way the airlines keep cancelling and rescheduling flights, the hassle of the security checks, masks from the moment you enter the airports until you exit the doors at your destination is just more than I care to deal with anymore.

Returning to Europe was always on the to do list but with aging parents, we didn't want to be overseas when we got "that call". My dad passed 6 years ago and we lost the remaining 3 within 9 months of each other during COVID. Now, we're not sure that we will ever get back there.

Yes, COVID did change how we will travel.

 

[_19disnA]

USA Today articles tend to talk in sweeping generalities and draw a lot of conclusions without much in the way of data. In the short-term, covid has certainly impacted how people travel/vacation. However, some who never saw covid as a big deal will continue doing whatever they used to do, while others will continue to be cautious and follow the recommended safety protocols. I don't think anyone can speak for what everyone else will be doing. There isn't anyone who can say how long covid will continue to be of concern. What % of the population will eventually get vaccinated and if any type of treatments/drugs can be developed to reduce its effect will all play a role.

Their comments about business travel also make a lot of generalized statements. Video conferencing was around even before covid, but the nature of some work requires you to be there in person. It is one thing to have a meeting and talk with other people in a conference room. However, if your work requires hands on time with machinery/equipment on the shop floor to trouble-shoot issues is unlikely to be something you can do via video.

We are waiting to see how things with covid progress going forward before making any 2022 vacation travel plans.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

Yeah.

My wife's covid unit was so over run at one point that taking time to travel was out of the question.

I was in no hurry to jump on a plane last year. Not as adverse to it this year.

 

[easyas123]

No.

 

[bnf0522]

We are using more mobile ordering for food as we travel (we do road trips to Disney), as well as hotel rewards program apps for mobile check-in and digital room keys.

 

[shh]

you couldn't pay me to fly or travel abroad right now. But if things calm down a bit, I'm game. A lot depends upon where you live, as to how "antsy" you are to travel. I'm in a disgustingly hot, humid year-round climate and it is very depressing to me when the only cool temps I can experience are AC indoors. So as unpleasant as flying is to me, I'm hoping to travel by air again in 2022 or 2023 to cooler climates, see the seasons change, ski, etc. It's either that or move permanently.

I could imagine others may feel similarly who live in brutally cold climates - and need a tropical escape every once in a while.

 

[Dakota731]

Wow. As a healthcare worker I wasn’t allowed to travel out of state and come to work without quarantining for all of 2020 and until about March of 2021. Dont remember exactly as no ones vacation time was getting approved so it was fairly irrelevant.

Depends what state you’re in. We did have to work around quarantines since almost entire family contacted covid from their workplace.

 

[tvguy]

Yes but in a totally opposite way than you.
I'm in my 40's a solo traveler with no kids. I've been working continuously since March 2020 and Covid has benefitted my financial situation. My income has increased and my outgoings have decreased.
All the extra Covid procedures such as testing and vaccine requirements are no big deal to me.
The wearing of masks is no big deal to me, my country has mask mandates.

I retired three months ago, but this pretty much sums up my situation the past 18 months. Financially, had to take a week long furlough but the pandemic unemployment benefits added up to more money that I would have made that week. Having most employees work from saved the company so much money that they gave us $1,000 pandemic bonuses, and $100 DoorDash gift cards.
To the OP's question, really too soon to tell. But in some vacation situations like cruises and flights, I have to wonder if testing , masks and other precautions will outlive the pandemic. A travel vlog I follow yesterday talked about Princess cruises now having quarantine sections on their ships. Areas where the fire doors are closed and the general ship population is not allowed. And all ship staff working in that section wear hazmat suits. And longer cruises will now require multiple covid tests, at no cost to the passenger.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I retired three months ago, but this pretty much sums up my situation the past 18 months.

And there a lot in the same position, people who have the financial means now who didnt before Covid and who are now not tied to physically being in the same location Monday to Friday 9 to 5.

 

[Rob Huff]

Growing up, my family traveled by train almost exclusively until I was about 10, at which point we started to fly. At a certain distance (probably about 300+ miles), flying is more efficient. Short of that, the train still wins.

Well, thanks to COVID, my wife and I took our daughters on the train...and now that's all they want to do! Amtrak sleeper cars are not fancy, but, to me, they sure are luxurious. I sit on a couch, I have a toilet and a shower and a sink in my own room, somebody comes and turns my couch into a bed, and somebody else makes me hot food (in a microwave, but still) and brings it to me. What would that cost on a plane? $10K per person? I don't know for sure, but it would be astronomical. None of this comes with fancy furnishings and the amount of exposed metal is comical. But still, it's luxurious.

 

[Esmerelda]

It’s a no here.

 

[Pooh2]

We've been doing road trips instead of flying.
We just did a 15 night road trip and have a 10 day road trip coming up this winter.
We won't return to Disney until the mask mandate is lifted and entertainment is back to normal.
Just not worth the increased price for a reduced experience to us.

 

[Darcy03231]

I have two international trips planned for next year. DH and I are both vaccinated, plan to get the boosters as soon as they are available and take the proper precautions.

I have no plans to return to WDW anytime soon. I no longer feel the value is there. My international trip are longer and include more for less money.

 

[Jonfw2]

No. Full stop.

 

[KristaZ]

My travel habits are pretty much the same. 2020 was the only year we didn't do an international trip because everything shut down right as we got into the booking stages. We picked right back up with international travel this summer and have already started some tentative planning for next year's trip. We've taken our regular Disney trips as scheduled and only missed one due to the shut down. We're fully vaccinated and have felt comfortable with all our travels and really haven't found there to be too much more effort and work into figuring out what we need to enter somewhere or return home.

 

[Dakota731]

I think it depends where you are from. We did all our normal vacations last year and this. We also did amusement parks, fall festivals, carnivals, and fairs. Our kiddos never stopped baseball, soccer and swim lessons either. Maybe as I said before because most of our whole family are health care workers we wore more comfortable being out.