Everyone is hoping that the COVID-19 situation will come to an end as soon as possible. Most of us may imagine, or are already planning for, activities after the pandemic, and traveling is likely at the top of the list for many.
However, post-COVID, travel planning might need some extra attention. Here are five things you can do starting now.
Learn the Language
Learning the basics of local language is the first step to understanding the culture and its habits. Not to mention, your life abroad will be way easier when you know the language. Learn how to order food and how to let your servers know what you’re allergic to as well as being able to avoid miscommunications like whether your seats on a train are random or not.
The most important thing you should be able to communicate with the locals are emergency situations. For example, if the country you’re visiting still has a curfew, the locals can let you know what time is best to take public transportation to avoid the crowds.
Find Emergency Contact Information Beforehand
In the post-COVID-19 world, people will be more concerned about safety. Having emergency contact information on-hand can make you feel more comfortable traveling overseas. The primary contacts you should look for are police, medical centers, tourism information centers, and most importantly, the ministry of foreign affairs.
Insurance For The Unpredictables
As we witnessed the unexpected situations during COVID-19, consider purchasing travel insurance. Unpredicted things like flight cancellations, illness, and physical damage could cost you large expenses.
Researching insurance policies, conditions, and exclusions are also necessary. Make sure you don’t miss which documents are required for a claim.
24-Hour Hotel Cancellation
To handle an “anything can happen” situation, opt for hotels and flights with a 24-hour cancellation period. Flexible hotel bookings cost a little more, but it reduces the risk of losing your whole budget in the event of a last minute travel change or emergency.
As with insurance, research is necessary. Some hotels, such as Marriott International, have ended their 24-hour cancellation policy recently.
Trip Planning for Ease and Flexibility
A flexible travel plan is better for coping with unpredictable situations. Imagine you are about to visit a museum but they’re closed and it’s too early to go back to your hotel.
Normally you’d have to instantly find a new activity or place to visit. With this rush-researching process, you may be data-bombarded and miss something greater to visit just because you have to fill in the blank as soon as possible.
SNEAK is the perfect choice when it comes to this kind of situation as the platform was created for ease and flexibility. With us, you can plan and adjust your whole travel plan in three simple steps; select travel photos, instantly get a trip summary, then just navigate to each location you selected right away. Simple, right? For more information, you can check out how easily SNEAK works here.
Research can’t be skipped for any trip under any circumstance, and when you travel after COVID-19, you have to pay even more attention to the research process. Local languages, emergency contacts, travel insurance, and flexible cancellation policies are all necessary.
Plus, don’t forget to make your travel plan adaptable in order to deal with any situation. Have a safe and wonderful journey ahead and we’ll see you on the next blog!
Meet SNEAK Team:
Praew, a recent grad, is on a journey to explore photography, drawing, and learning new things. She daydreams of cafe hopping- on an unlimited budget!- yet is trying to limit herself to just one latte per day.
Originally published at https://blog.getsneak.com on June 10, 2020.
