Travel Predictions During the Age of Covid

A lot of people ask us for our projections of what we see as the future of travel in light of Covid, and various restrictions and changes taking place globally. While none of us has a crystal ball, there are certain trends that we see happening domestically and internationally.

The biggest trend is that vaccines are becoming a kind of pay-to-play situation. More and more, regardless of your Covid testing status, vaccinations are going to be required to participate in a number of activities, ranging anywhere from dining at a restaurant, to taking a flight, to even entering a country in the first place. For instance, New York City just announced a first-in-the-nation vaccine mandate for private companies. Elsewhere, countries like Peru are admitting vaccinated travelers from certain countries without requiring proof of a negative Covid test.

That being said, we are certainly seeing breakthrough cases where vaccinated people are still getting Covid. The severity of those testing positive, however, is greatly diminished.

A prediction that I will make is that we will see more countries around the world requiring a traveler be doubly vaccinated over 14 days of arrival and a Covid test upon arrival. This is already required in Rwanda, and it makes a lot of sense. The chances of testing negative before departure and then testing positive on arrival are very slim. The testing on arrival policies are in place to prevent test document fraud. That is a beneficial policy for the host country as well as travelers that are playing by the rules and have tested by legitimate channels.

The world is adapting to an ever-changing pandemic, and we should all be prepared to expect the unexpected and adopt a “go-with-the-flow” attitude.