3 Surprising Ways COVID-19 will Change the Way you Travel

You’re on an imposed travel hiatus. The coronavirus pandemic has grounded air travel around the world, there are restrictions on crossing borders and even leaving your home. Doesn’t that make you want to book a holiday even more than ever?

Travelling after COVID-19 isn’t going to be the same as it was before the pandemic. COVID-19 is going to have a lasting impact on society, the world economy and the way we travel. Change is a good thing though, right? It shakes up systems and gives you the opportunity to examine your need and desires.

Before you start planning your next holiday for when this is all over, hear us out on how COVID-19 will change the way you travel.

Flugscham is a German saying to express the guilt of flying somewhere when you know you’re contributing to climate change. In other words, flight shame.

A one-way flight from Berlin to Barcelona will cost you as little as 40 euros. You can go on a 12-hour work trip to Amsterdam and be home in time for dinner from pretty much anywhere in Europe. You can catch 12 flights in a year, without much thought.

Take a look at this 12-month travel itinerary if you don’t believe us.

January: 3-nights in Bruges.

March: 48-hour work conference in Lisbon.

May: 2 weeks island hopping in Greece.

June: 12-hour business trip to Amsterdam for annual team meet-up.

November: a 7-night trip to Tenerife for some much-needed winter sun.

December: New Year’s Eve getaway to Barcelona.

That doesn’t seem too absurd, does it? But it kind of is.

This pandemic has made us think hard about the part we play in this ecosystem we live in on Earth.

The deep desire to travel is always going to burn strong even though everyone knows that frequent air travel is unsustainable.

So, what can we do to avoid an aviation-induced climate catastrophe?

The answer is in culture changes, like…

Can you imagine taking fewer flights but spending more time on holiday?

With remote working the new norm, the 2-week holiday could look a lot different. Why limit yourself to two weeks away when you could go away for a whole month or more?

Here’s how…

• Use 10 days annual leave to go away for 4 weeks.
• Work every other weekday (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
• Take every other weekday off (Tuesday, Thursday, Monday).
• Repeat for 4 weeks.

Sure, it will be hard to convince your HR department of the benefits for them at first. An obvious one is that you won’t be off work for a long period of time so your involvement in a project can carry on and your team won’t be left to run riot. Systems and old ways of doing things are hard to change but not impossible. Give it a go!

*Good news for self-employed people at the back – you make up the rules!*

Any vacation rental worth its salt is set up for remote workers. Look out for a comfortable working space, high-speed Wi-Fi and an ocean view (for extra inspiration).

Top tip: ask for a discount for a stay of 4 weeks or longer.

There’re obvious benefits to staying in a 5-star all-inclusive resort, you don’t have to do the washing up for a start. But, COVID-19 has made us more conscious of the spread of germs and viruses in shared spaces.

In March this year, more than 1,000 guests in the H10 hotel in Tenerife were in quarantine for weeks after a previous guest tested positive for the virus. Of course, it wasn’t the hotel’s fault – it’s the nature of hotels complexes, they’re a hotbed for transmission.

Former hotel resort lovers will pick holiday rental properties for their getaways instead. The waited-on and pampered hotel complex experience will transform into:

• Daily breakfast packages delivered fresh to your doorstep.
• Indulgent massages and beauty treatments on your terrace.
• Extra house-keeping services.
• Minibars stocked with local artisan food and drinks.
• Tours and day trips, booked instantly, via in-house tablets.

You’ll save money and have more choice and flexibility compared with a hotel resort. Win, win.

This puts pressure on the vacation rental industry, good pressure. The pressure to evolve, modernise and keep up with what travellers need right now.

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If you feel inspired to plan your next holiday a little differently, check-out our accommodation in Tenerife where you can create your holiday, on your terms and true to your values.

Got anything to add to this list? Any other ways you’re going to travel differently?

Share yours in the comments below. We’d love to read them!