One could say travel is not just a marker of our success in history; it also shapes it.

The way we travel continually changes from land-travel to sea, and now to airplanes and more. Today, travel is at the doorstep of change and evolution, thanks to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several top travel destinations took a break this year as air travel was banned all over the globe. Luckily, humans know how to adapt and respond to these challenges.

If you want to learn more about how the current health crisis has been changing the way we travel recently, read on to find out:

1. Implementation of stricter health guidelines

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Our health will define the way we travel. Not in the future, but today in the contemporary world.

For instance, visas and passports wouldn’t be enough when traveling by air as people will have to prove that they are fit to travel through documents such as medical certificates. Vulnerable sectors in society, such as the elderly, may also be prohibited from traveling to protect their welfare. If people aged 60 can travel alone before, today they might be banned from going even if a chaperon accompanies them.

Finally, travelers might have to go to meticulous health check measures at the airport before they leave their point of departure, and when they arrive in their destination. Your luggage would go through heightened health and security checks, so it’s best to keep only the essential things when traveling.

2. Personal protective gear will be part of your OOTD.

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Face masks and other protective gears are now part of your perfect travel outfit in the new normal. It’s important that you invest in a stack of these as you need to replace your disposable facemasks every eight hours.

Travelers could be required to bring several face masks when traveling to make sure that these are still effective to protect the people who wear them. Expect technology and even the fashion industry to develop facemasks that will better suit your everyday needs.

3. Traveling solo will become even more popular

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You need to overcome your fear of traveling alone since this could be the new normal in traveling. Thanks to social distancing which has become one of the health standards in today’s pandemic-stricken world, people will no longer travel in large groups like before.

Social distancing implemented in air travel will make airplanes' seating limited as passengers will have to sit one seat apart from another. Your travel group may be forced to travel in different planes once capacity is reached, which may prove difficult as the influx of bookings immediately takes up the available seats of a single plane.

Still, you might find it surprising that traveling alone is just the thing you need, especially when you’re yearning for more therapeutic and contemplative activities that you could enjoy. There are several tips online to prepare for your first solo journey so you don’t have to worry about not knowing what to do.

4. Travel fares will be cheaper but remain unattractive to tourists

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Financial constraints kept a lot of people from traveling to their dream destinations before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some people save their salaries for months just to be able to afford that two-week visit in Japan they’ve been dreaming of.

However, since the demand for travel has been low to nonexistent recently due to the health crisis, travel fares such as cruise ships have become more affordable than ever.

This doesn’t mean, however, sales could attract people. As mentioned earlier, health will define the way people travel. As a responsible millennial traveler, you will have to be more careful.

Remember that unforeseeable problems may suddenly arise even if anxiety towards the coronavirus crisis has waned down.

5. Hotels are in, Vacation Rentals are out

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Cleanliness and sanitation become the primary considerations tourists will look into when finding a place to stay in for vacations.

Hotels with strict cleanliness protocols such as Alta Vista De Boracay will prove to be a more viable option as they can enforce these rules with the help of health experts and agencies that they can contact to maintain the safety of their vicinity.

Airbnbs and other such options, though cheap and convenient, may not be the best for you since it will leave you unsure if quality health standards are kept in check.

6. Travel insurance will be your best friend

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Travel insurance refers to insurance that seeks to protect and cover you from possible losses in your trip such as cancellations, baggage losses, health afflictions, and even severe accidents.

Many travelers, particularly millennials, opt not to avail of this as it entails added charges. Those driven by the You Only Live Once (YOLO) mindset are also the ones who think that nothing will most likely happen to them in their adventure.

Yet one must remember that accidents do happen, and given that the world is in a precarious situation right now, people need to figure out ways to protect themselves as much as possible. So if you’re planning to travel, consider getting yourself travel insurance you’ll never know what to expect in your trips.

7. Travelling will be uncertain

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One exciting aspect of traveling is the uncertainty that awaits you in your destination. You can spend all day planning an itinerary and listing top activities you have to do, but things don’t quite unfold exactly how you imagined it. Most of the time you are thrown to adventures you never expected. Yet these become the most memorable thing you did on your trip.

In the post-lockdown world, however. Uncertainties spell more bad than good. So you have to protect yourself from predicaments that might come your way. Given that the coronavirus spreads easily, you have to be on guard and prepare yourself for worst-case scenarios constantly.

Nevertheless, uncertainties must not refrain and scare you to travel, especially when traveling is ingrained at the core of what makes us human. The coronavirus will certainly affect the way we travel. But one thing is sure: it will never stop us from pursuing our wanderlust.

7 Ways the Pandemic Will Change How We Travel