Coronavirus Travel
What Will the “New Normal” Look Like for Tourism
As the world begins opening some of its borders, people are rescheduling their vacations. However, it is a very confusing time for travelers. Since every country has different policies and ways of handling the coronavirus pandemic, it is very important to do your research when entering a new destination. But do you have an international trip which you booked months ago? Or maybe you would like to take advantage of the sudden slash in plane ticket prices. If you have decided to travel, for whatever reason, it is vital to keep yourself safe from the Coronavirus.
After speaking to many of our tour providers, and researching what airlines and hotels plan to do, we wanted to highlight some of the changes you can expect to see. Many tour companies, hotels, and airlines are doing their best to keep us safe while still ensuring we can have a great travel experience. So let’s see what the future of travel will actually look like in the aftermath of the Coronavirus.
How Tour Providers Are Making Changes to Keep You Safe
At The Real Deal Tours, we care about your safety and so do our providers. So, we have reached out to our providers in every city & every country to see how they plan to operate under the new guidelines and regulations to ensure you remain safe. To be quite honest, we were beyond impressed with the lengthy protocols and procedures that we have received from so many of our providers. You can believe us when we say they are taking this very seriously. Just another reason we strive to pick the best of the best. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary tour operators.
With over 500 different tour providers, we cannot share everything, but we wanted to share a sample so you get an idea. These are some of the action steps that many of our providers are implementing either by law or simply as the new normal for now until the COVID-19 risk subsides.
Separating Guests by Family Groups: When all possible, the providers are separating out guests by family groups in at least the transportation and if possible the tours as well. Which means you will get your own private tour more or less. Bonus!
Operating at 50% capacity or Less: Large spacious boats that hold up to 200 people or more typically will now go out with half the passengers they used to. We can expect that they will be separated on board by family groups with their own waiters.
Promoting Private Services for Lower Rates: For public tours that operate in small sailing vessels or sightseeing in vans, there is no way to keep families socially distant in a comfortable manner. So instead of canceling their operations altogether, they are opting to promote private services instead at adjusted rates.
Staggering Start Times & Check-in Process: Pre-Coronavirus, most tours operated on set schedules maybe 3 times per day. Now, they are choosing to stagger start times wherever possible to space out guests so there is no crowd to check into their tour offices.
Temperature Checks: Many operators are requiring a temperature check using one of the pistol-style thermometers prior to boarding a vehicle or at the time of check-in if at a meeting place.
Client Health Questionnaires & Waivers: Before you would expect to sign a waiver if you were taking an ATV tour or renting a vehicle. Well now, many operations are requiring you to fill out a health questionnaire detailing where you are traveling from, if you may have been exposed to Coronavirus, or if you have any symptoms. They will utilize this as not only a way to screen clients boarding a tour, but also as an additional contact tracing step.
Eliminating Self-Serve Buffets: Not all providers have committed to this just yet, but many are either eliminating their self-serve buffets and opting for full-service meals, or hiring servers to dish out the food instead of allowing everyone to touch the same serving utensils.
Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning: Many providers have set protocols starting with something as simple as providing everyone with hand sanitizer and wiping down all surfaces, all the way to using a fogger with a solution to disinfect the boats and vehicles between services. They have implemented employee guidelines and rules that enforce maintaining social distancing, traveling directly form home to work with no stops, temperature checks, and numerous new cleaning policies to be implemented and documented daily.
Needless to say, they are doing their best to keep you safe and keep their families safe from you as well. These are just a few of the procedures they have set in place. So if you plan to travel in the next six months, these are the types of altered experiences you can expect. Of course, you need to be responsible for your own health as well by practicing your own cleanliness and socially distancing.
How You Can Keep Yourself Virus Free When Traveling
Unfortunately, no one can tell you that traveling during the coronavirus outbreak is entirely risk-free, regardless of your age, health, or travel destination. While the COVID-19 fatality rate appears to be relatively low, and you may not experience any issues when traveling, there are some precautions we all need to take.
Wash Your Hands Frequently. This is without a doubt the most crucial thing you can do to minimize your risk. Wash your hands with soap for at least 30 seconds as many times as possible in public or when returning home. If you are traveling by plane, wash your hands after leaving the airport. If you don’t have access to soap and water, then rub a hand sanitizer gel with at least 60% alcohol content on your hands and wrists.
Do Not Touch Your Face With Unwashed Hands. If you have been in a public place, don’t touch your face unless you have thoroughly cleaned your hands. The novel coronavirus can live on surfaces for hours after it has been touched by an infected person.
Keep Your Distance. If you notice someone is coughing, sneezing, or showing symptoms similar to that of the flu or a cold, make sure to stay at least 6 feet away from them. You can become infected by their airborne respiratory droplets. Since many people do not show immediate symptoms, it is advised to keep your distance as much as possible when in public.
Clean Objects With a Disinfecting Wipe. If you will stay in a hotel, make sure you book somewhere where you know it will be clean. Even so, it doesn’t hurt to check-in with the staff to ensure your room has been properly cleaned. It doesn’t hurt to even give the room a quick wipe down yourself.
Avoid Crowds – Especially in Closed Spaces. If you are traveling to a country with a high number of coronavirus cases, it is best if you stay away from any place where there is a large number of people. This means concerts, tourist attractions, and shopping centers.
Wear a Mask and Seek Medical Help if You Develop Symptoms. If you develop COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing, wear a mask so that you don’t risk infecting other people and seek medical help immediately.
Carry a Coronavirus Travel Safety Kit: You can actually purchase a variety of travel safety kits online, but it is just as easy to make your own. Pack your kit in a ziploc bag with latex gloves, clorox wipes, extra masks, hand sanitizer and maybe even a regular thermometer so you can monitor your own temperature. It never hurts to have everything available in one place. Especially when traveling by plane.
Quarantine Yourself: As much as possible, keep yourself isolated away from crowds. Many places still have a mandatory 14-day quarantine when entering the country from abroad. If you experience any symptoms, make sure to quarantine yourself away from others for at least 14 days until you can get tested.
Do Your Research: Many countries have their rules and regulations listed for foreign travelers, make sure to check the guidelines before entering. Sites like the Center for Disease Control and World Health Organization can be great resources. Destinations like Costa Rica and Panama have specific guidelines one must follow before entering the country.
We are currently experiencing a very intense global pandemic where basically every country in the world has been affected in some way. Travel and tourism will be forever changed from this point on, but that does not mean we have to fear travel, we just have to be smarter. Tourism is so vital for many countries and it will be needed now more than ever to kick start many economies. As long as we are cautious, travel should be fully embraced again when it is safe to do so! The team at The Real Deal Tours is here waiting for you 😊