2020 will go down in history as a time of unprecedented death and destruction - the year that saw an international shutdown of apocalyptic proportions, brought rich and mighty cities crumbling down to their knees, crashed the global stock market, inspired border closures all around the planet and left more than a million dead worldwide.
The damages inflicted by this coronavirus pandemic are immeasurable, and its effects will echo for years to come. Slowly but surely, however, we as a human race are picking up the pieces and making sense of the new, post-Covid19 era that looms on the horizon. Grounded planes are slowly taking to the skies again, and stationary trains and buses are shaking off the dust to get back on the move.
The face of travel, however, will not be without a few lasting scars after this big blow. Here are the top 5 changes that you can expect to see in the coming post-pandemic years.
Spontaneity is out, planning in advance is in
Social distancing comes with a big price - everything from attractions and restaurants to transportation hubs and hotels are trying to limit the number of people allowed in one space at any point of time. As such, get used to having to pre-book and reserve a slot for whatever you want to do in advance. Gone (at least for a while) are the days where you can spontaneously hop on a last-minute flight to Bali and figure things out from there, or even go out to dinner with your party without a reservation. Boring as it may be, proper scheduling will be the name of the game for some time to come.
On the plus side, this may help keep your life more organised.
Your car will be your best friend
As cautious travellers start avoiding exposure on mass public transportation like flights, trains and buses, road trips will greatly increase in popularity. There is, afterall, a much lower risk of virus exposure when you’re confined with your own party in a vehicle. Although you can’t cover as much ground as on a plane, there's still a lot you can see and do that's within driving distance of Singapore. Start forming road-trip clubs with kakis who can drive and have similar interests, and get your car cleaned, serviced, and prepped.
If you don’t have a car, now’s the time to think about making friends with those who do!
The masks are here to stay
Yes, they’re annoying and they make it harder to breathe normally, but there’s no getting around it: having everyone in masks is the best way to contain the viral spread. Wearing a mask wouldn’t be so much a recommendation as an obligation - expect to be rejected from entering indoor spaces and given dirty looks by other travellers if you walk around common areas bare-faced.
Start stocking up on tropical-print masks or warm woolly ones depending on where you intend to vacation, because they’d likely be in all your holiday photos for the next few years. Now’s probably a good time to learn how to smile with your eyes, as well.
Touch-less everything
Since everybody else and their cooties are now your biggest enemies, technology is racing to help make touching anything and anyone as unnecessary as possible. QR code menus, contactless thermometers and motion-sensored hand sanitiser dispensaries are just a few of the new tools that have already been put in place in major cities all around the world. In the near future, expect a fully touch-less check-in process, electronic room keys that would be downloaded into your own mobile device, and apps that can do everything from store your travel documents to complain on your behalf so you don’t have to do it to someone’s face.
Get used to mandatory health checks everywhere
Be it having thermometers pointed at your forehead like a gun, making endless declarations of how you feel (both verbally and in writing) and/or filling in long health forms, health screenings are here to stay. Certificates of PCR tests showing a negative Covid-19 status will be your gold ticket to board flights, check into hotels and enter attraction sites, so guard your health like the gold mine that it is.
