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After so many draining months, aren’t we all eager for some much-needed holiday time? Being stuck at home due to COVID-19 quickly lost its appeal, and things only became more frustrating as the global situation failed to improve. Things are finally getting better, though, and the travel industry is starting to get back to business. These are exciting times.
But if you’re going to book a getaway for 2022 (or the tail-end of 2021), there are certain things you need to carefully consider. Your goal should be to take full advantage of the opportunity, of course: who knows what twists and turns down the line may once again limit travel possibilities? Thinking about the following elements will help you plan a successful trip:
Financial safeguards
Travel always presents a financial challenge, because moving around eats into your bank balance. You need to pay for flights, accommodation, food and drink, additional travel, and entertainment. Even a modest holiday can prove extremely expensive — and if you’re planning your first trip for a long while, you might want to allocate a generous budget.
Unfortunately, the prospect of cancellations looms over all our heads, and it’s going to be there for quite some time yet. The key ingredient here is going to be travel insurance. At this point, worthwhile worldwide travel insurance will cover more than just lost items and sustained injuries: it’ll also cover the possibility of your entire trip being cancelled due to a lockdown.
Couple a solid policy with an emergency fund to protect you in the event that something goes very wrong while you’re overseas, and you should be in a good position to proceed.
Regional restrictions
Researching the area you intend to visit is reliably fruitful, and it’s even more important now that the world is in the midst of a pandemic. What are the requirements there? Is there a mask mandate in effect? How is travel restricted? What places are closed for the time being? You certainly don’t want to book a trip somewhere only to discover when you arrive that most of the attractions will be unavailable until the area is almost virus-free.
Well ahead of time, start checking relevant blogs and government websites to ensure that you don’t miss any major updates. It’s also a good idea to have a backup trip in mind — ideally a staycation — so you’ll have something to enjoy if your main plan falls through.
Work scheduling
Now that remote working is an industry standard, it’s something you should take into account when considering travel. If you just want to travel during your free time, that’s totally fine, but if you can work remotely from anywhere with an internet connection then you should give it some thought. After all, you could take a much longer trip if you worked for some of it.
Could you work from your desired location? How long could you stay there? Would you need to run it past your employer first? Following so much isolation, spending a few months overseas could be exactly what you need to feel refreshed. If you haven’t imagined it before, this is the time to envision that scenario and gauge its potential value.
Physical fitness
Someone who’s incredibly hungry can eat far too quickly and become unwell. In the same way, someone who’s been prevented from travelling and being active can go overboard given the chance to get out. Before you book that three-week hiking trip, then, assess your overall physical fitness. Are you really ready for that? Are you sure?
If you’re not, then you still have time to do something about it. You can start exercising each week and scale things up so you achieve adequate fitness by the time your trip arrives. The point is that there’s a difference between your idea of a trip and the practical reality. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
