As most of us sit at home, learning to enjoy the simple things in life, we can’t help but have antsy moments where we ask ourselves: when will we be able to travel again? At Epperly, we’re optimistic that that time will come sooner rather than later, and still continuing to help clients with their travel plans, but we understand that the shifting landscape of our world makes it difficult to plan. Obviously, a vaccine could change the timeline on all of this, but I do think we can keep an eye out for certain signs that will point toward positive progress in travel:
Domestic Travel
Chances are, we’ll see domestic travel spring back as the first indicator. For domestic travel, since the current responses to the outbreak are being declared on a state by state basis, the best signs to watch for will be the success that we have with flattening the curve, which should lead to a loosening of stay-at-home and shelter-in-place style mandates. This positive sign should result in hotels that have temporarily closed to reopen their operations knowing that, at the very least, they can welcome visitors from a domestic market, whether that’s on a driving distance basis or through the ramping back up of domestic air schedules – one may not necessarily come before the other.
International Travel
For international travel, we need to look at both sides of the spectrum: the policies in place from both our government’s perspective of safety and quarantine policies, as well as other countries perspective on US travelers or transit travelers under the same two concerns. A reduction of the travel alert from the State Department will be a huge indicator. Never have we seen a time that lists every country as a level 4, and I’d anticipate that the reduction of this will be in correlation certain developments. How each country monitors, reports, and controls their own outbreaks is also important. Just as key to watch: are other countries lowering their restrictions or quarantine mandates on US travelers or transit travelers? They will do this in response as to how they perceive we have controlled our own outbreak.
Business vs. Leisure Travel
The thing to keep in mind here is that travelers for both business and leisure are by no means setting aside desires or plans to explore the world, especially after what will inevitably weeks of quarantining. On a corporate side, business travelers will need to get out in order to repair certain business operations that have been affected by this. On a leisure side, we anticipate that you guys will be ready for a vacation more than ever – and we at Epperly are ready to serve you when that time comes!
How Will This Crisis Affect Travelers Decisions?
First and foremost, like we mentioned in our article about Choosing Gratitude Over Fear, we at Epperly are hopeful that our moments of confinement will lead to a renewed sense of appreciation for the ability to travel. With that I mean: gone are the days where people are flippant about their vacation planning and trusting questionable sources to help. We are grateful to our clients to have realized the value of a great travel advisor and the service we dedicate ourselves to, and I anticipate that we will see even more individuals turning to travel experts in the wake of this crisis. One look at the reviews on Costco, Expedia and the now out of business Bookit.com is proof enough that travelers are realizing now more than ever why it’s important to have a professional travel advisor on their side.
So, What’s Next?
While it’s impossible to predict when it will be safe to travel again, that doesn’t mean you have to stop planning – just be careful on how you plan. Don’t book anything nonrefundable at this point or that has strict cancel or change penalties. The Epperly team’s approach for all new trips we are planning is a heightened diligence in exploring the best flexible rates for your dollar as possible. Since our company crystal ball is broken right now (bad timing!), empowering you as travelers with your options and rights, as well as acting as a trusted resource to you during this uncertain time, is our clear-cut mission. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you might have during this time, we are happy to be there for you!
Sincerely,
Lindsey & Team Epp
