After nearly two years of being grounded by a global health pandemic that left businesses and people trapped at homes and the culture of yearly vacation in ruins, the world is reopening for the highly coveted holiday season. Be it for a vacation or catching up with loved ones, many habitual travellers are genuinely itching to experience the thrill of vacationing again.
Thanks to the phenomenal COVID-19 vaccine, many countries have reopened their borders upon achieving a comfortable vaccination rate and are readmitting travelers, tourists, and visitors alike to their shores. As a result, travel rates have steadily increased, and people have begun taking advantage of the post-pandemic vacation season.
Although travel restrictions due to the pandemic have ceded, an economic barrier still inhibits the full functionality of the global travel industry. For instance, recent studies have shown that over 40% of potential travellers would prefer a staycation to a vacation, considering the rising cost of energy, and other inflationary pressures.
However, despite this, many travellers worldwide have reignited their love for exploration, and we love to see it.
With summer in full swing in many travelers’ favourite destinations, many wonder how the post-pandemic travel experience will evolve. Will immigration protocols be open-minded but paranoid? Will there be a sudden burst of restrictions like we saw when new variants emerged? Is it still safe and happy-go-lucky to travel with family, especially with the numerous Covid-19 variants that have recently morphed?
While it will be difficult to answer these questions accurately at the moment, this article shares a few tips on preparing for and enjoying the new realities of post-pandemic travelling.
Don’t take the new travel season for granted
It has taken nearly two years for the international travel industry to reopen and fully regain its functionalities, so if you are looking to go vacationing anytime soon, you should not take this travel season for granted.
More than anything, you should ensure that you enjoy your travel to the fullest by leveraging all the available travel packages at your disposal. You can do this by researching extensively about countries with attractive tourism deals, new, fun-filled locations, and tourist attractions in your destination.
If possible, you can also join different groups of tourists around various locations at your travel destination to elevate the richness of your travel experience. Whatever your travel plans are, ensure that ultimately, the goal is to have lots and lots of fun, because why not? After all, it took a long time to get here.
Read also: Travellers’ summer fares double on airlines’ trapped funds
Get that booster shot!
One of the most palpable vestiges of the COVID-19 pandemic is that now, more than ever, people have come to terms with health safety protocols and vaccination requirements.
Although some people refuse to be vaccinated for many reasons, the reality is that vaccination requirements have become a critical part of travel access to numerous countries across the world. So, if you genuinely wish for a seamless and hindrance-free travel experience in the post-pandemic travel industry, you need the vaccine.
Unfortunately, only getting the single or double-dose vaccine shot might not be enough to fully protect you due to the prevailing and evolving COVID-19 virus variants. So, it is very advisable to get the booster shot because it offers an extra layer of protection from the viral disease. Interestingly, depending on your travel destination, the booster shot is a health requirement in many countries, especially in a situation where you received the initial vaccine dose more than three months before your arrival.
Whatever the case, whether the booster shot is a requirement at your travel destination or not, it is always a good idea to have the extra protection that it offers.
Remain Vigilant
Even after taking the complete COVID-19 vaccine and the booster shot, the post-pandemic traveler must remember to maintain some precautionary health measures. This step is necessitated by several factors, the most important of which is your safety and protection in the face of an unknown variant outbreak.
As a result, it goes without saying that while travelling, you should maintain a psychologically ingrained social distancing principle, sanitize your hands, wear a facemask, read country-specific safety literature, adhere to them, and always maintain healthy hygiene.
With the recent Monkey Pox disease outbreak creating a global health scare, it is not debatable that we are not entirely out of the woods yet. While it is difficult to predict what this disease portends in the near future and its impact on the travel industry, the need for protecting oneself by adhering to safety precautions cannot be overemphasized.
Learn more about how to plan for a vacation.
Make sure a capable partner has got your back.
Many things could go wrong while traveling, from airport luggage losses to emergency medical situations and other unforeseen events such as burglary, amongst others. The reality is that when traveling, you are exposed to numerous risk factors that could lead to sudden and unfortunate experiences.
As such, to be a smart traveler, it is crucial to have your back covered in the event of an unfortunate eventuality that can leave one in a traumatized state.
At this point, you are probably wondering how best to protect yourself and your loved ones where necessary, with a plan that mitigates all the possible uncertainties and risks you may face as you embark on your journey. The answer is simple: leverage insurance because it is viable risk mitigation and loss management tool that can guarantee adequate protection during your trip.
Also, we dare say there is no better way to protect yourself through insurance than with the Leadway Assurance Travel Insurance Policy. This is because it offers superior and comprehensive protection for all policyholders from unprecedented vagaries that could occur during their travel period.
Leadway Assurance, Nigeria’s topmost financial service provider, is the insurer of the first choice, and its Travel Insurance Policy, with its global medical emergency coverage, luggage protection, and COVID-19 specific detailing, stands out as an all-encompassing policy for you to rest assured that indeed, your back is adequately covered. The all-inclusive Covid-19-specific coverage of the Leadway Travel Insurance policy is particularly well thought out because it ensures that you are catered for, in the unprecedented case of a Covid-19 emergency.
So, as a traveler looking to navigate the post-pandemic travel world, the Leadway Travel Insurance Policy is ideally suited to meet all your needs.
For more information on the array of services, please visit www.leadway.com or scan the QR Code at the top right or call the Leadway Assurance Financial Management Experts on 01-2800-70 or email Lcs@leadway.com for professional advice. You can also request a call back by visiting www.leadway.com/call-me.
We are also within your reach on WhatsApp via our virtual assistant support on 08129997044 or any of our social media outlets – @leadwayassurance on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also send a DM, and we will revert with all the information you require.
