The coronavirus pandemic has changed so many aspects of our society. But some of the most immediately effects have been on the travel industry. As the world went into lockdown, countries closed their borders, trips were canceled, travelers were stranded… travel has been chaotic. As disappointing as it has been to cancel so many trips, the coronavirus pandemic has actually taught me a lot of travel lessons. I think it’s important to try to stay positive (not easy with lockdowns, quarantines, and a global pandemic!!) so I wanted to share what travel lessons I’ve learned from the ‘rona!

1) Avoid OTAs—especially when booking flights

OTAs (or Online Travel Agencies) can sometimes offer what appear to be the best deals. Unfortunately, if you book a flight or hotel through a third party you might not have the same cancelation/refund policies as if you booked direct. In general, if your flight is canceled by the airline they’ll usually have to refund you (for US travelers, this is true if any part of your flights touch US soil). However, if you book through an OTA, you might end up stuck with just a voucher to use with them, as opposed to the airline. Sometimes everything you book through an OTA is non-refundable. Whatever the situation is, it’s best to book direct—particularly when it comes to booking flights.

Adam booked flights to Kilimanjaro for April 2019 with an OTA called Travel Trolley. After his car crash in January 2019, he had to cancel the trip. It took nearly 8 months to finally get a partial refund from Travel Trolley, and that was only after paying a £325 cancelation fee!! (Thank god for travel insurance!) While he rescheduled his trip for April 2020 and it was (again) canceled, he booked direct with the airline. Thankfully, since the airline canceled part of his flight route, he was entitled to a refund—which was paid out in less than 10 days. These two situations couldn’t be more different and it’s definitely one of the travel lessons I learned from the pandemic!

2) Refundable bookings can be very worthwhile

It is much easier to cancel a refundable booking, and get your money back (or maybe you haven’t paid anything yet!), than it is to dig into company policy to try to get a refund. Even if you’re owed a refund, some companies just won’t want to pay out (or be able to pay out). But if your booking is refundable? WAY easier. Yes, sometimes refundable bookings can cost more than non-refundable bookings. But while usually I’m the first to book non-refundable to save some money, I’m now much more comfortable paying a bit more with a guaranteed refund if I cancel.

Many places on Booking.com or Hostelworld can be canceled free of charge up to 48 hours beforehand. When we rented a car in Northern Ireland, it was an extra £5 to pay on the day, and be able to cancel up to 24 hours beforehand and pay nothing. Booking non-refundable can be a tough travel lesson to learn. The uncertainty around travel after the pandemic has definitely taught me the value of refundable bookings.

3) Don’t be an asshole to travel agents/employees

While yes, you might be frustrated and get angry that someone is telling you something you don’t want to hear—don’t be an asshole to people in the travel industry. They are doing their absolute best in an unexpected and chaotic time. Shouting at them, being rude—none of it will change their company policy. A customer from my job told me he hoped that our company goes out of business and we all lose our jobs. It was so callous, so unfair, so unkind, and just so unnecessary. And ironically, this happened just a few hours before I got furloughed!! So don’t be a dick. People working for airlines, hotels, travel companies—they are all just doing their best. Being a shit person won’t fix your problems.

4) Travel insurance is important

I always have travel insurance on every trip. Whether I’d need to cancel my trip, or needed treatment for covid-19 abroad, travel insurance is vital. It’s also important to read your policy carefully—many people found out the hard way that their travel insurance doesn’t cover pandemics/global shutdowns. My current annual policy is through my UK bank account, Nationwide, and thankfully they will cover cancelation for trips due to the coronavirus pandemic as long as they were booked before March 2020. Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when you travel. World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

5) Hygiene is very important when traveling

Traveling often brought us in close quarters with other people, airports are full of germs, and yeah Ryanair planes don’t necessarily get cleaned enough in-between flights which can be pretty gross. Traveling might bring you into contact with lots of germs, and appropriate hygiene has never been more important! Many of us have the mantra of wash your hands as often as possible drilled into us. I have never been more conscious or aware of everything I would touch as I go through an airport as I am now! While masks will likely be with us for a while now, simple things like regular hand washing, hand sanitizer, and even carrying a small set of wipes are still important! This is one of the key travel lessons and takeaways for me.

6) It’s a good time to catch up on travel inspiration

The pandemic brought on lockdowns and for a lot of us, we ended up with much more time at home than usual. It’s been great to use that time to get inspired for future trips! I’ve read a lot of books, watched a lot of movies, documentaries, and shows over the past few months. I’ve also spent a lot of time in the kitchen, trying new recipes and cooking new dishes. It’s expanded my bucket list and given me so many new ideas!

7) Don’t take your local area for granted—local adventures/trips are still fun even if they’re not far away!

I don’t think I truly appreciated where I lived until the country went into lockdown. Only being able to leave the house for one daily exercise walk forced me to discover so many new places and new walks from my doorstep in York! And I’m so grateful for it! There are a lot of great walks in and around York, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to explore close to home. Now that we can drive for exercise/go somewhere for the day, I’m loving all my adventures around Yorkshire. Just because they’re close by, or you’re not staying overnight—local adventures are still adventures!

8) I have never been more grateful and appreciative of where I live

York is a wonderful city and while there are things I don’t like about living here, there are so many more aspects that make me love living here. York has history and charm that you can discover just by being there. In addition, York’s location is fantastic. It’s about a 1-hour drive to the North York Moors or the Yorkshire Dales, two incredible national parks. I can get to the coast for some beachy sunshine in an hour, or I can be out in terrific scenery—in moors and woodlands. I don’t think I have ever loved Yorkshire more.

9) Now, more than ever, we need to support local independent small businesses

One of the things I love most about York is how many local independent businesses there are. Pubs, restaurants, cafes, shops, museums—there is so much to see in York that is unique to this city, and that make it a better place. These places have been devastated by the lockdowns and lack of revenue. McDonalds and Nandos will still exist after coronavirus—it’s the independent places that have hurt the most. I’d encourage everyone to make a concerted effort to spend their money locally, at locally owned and locally operated businesses. Small independents make York what it is, and as they start to open again I will make sure to spend my money with them as much as I can! This is true for travel in general as well—as tourism begins again, I think it’s even more important to spend your money locally on the ground.

10) Even the best planned plans can still go wrong

I am absolutely 100% a planner. I like plans. Planning is something I enjoy. Not having plans throws me off, not being able to plan is weird to me. I had planned out 2020 on paper perfectly—so many amazing trips and experiences for the year! Unfortunately, even though I counted every single day of holiday/time off I had from work, even though I booked cheap flights, even though I did everything “right” the way I usually do, my plans have all fallen apart. That’s life. Even though I said 2020 would be the best year of travel yet (after a very well-planned 2019!), the universe had other ideas. It is what it is.

11) Inconveniences suck, but there’s still a lot to be grateful for

As inconvenient and depressing as it has been to cancel my trips, to deal with stress at work, to struggle with my mental health, to spend weeks and weeks on end without seeing friends—it’s important to remember the big picture. We all have a lot to be grateful for. We’re alive. Not everyone is. So many people have died. Trips can be rebooked, visits can be rescheduled, new jobs can be found, but we can’t bring people back. It is completely understandable and okay to feel down, to feel sad and angry and upset. It’s okay to not be okay! But at the end of the day, I’m still alive. My family is alive. My friends are alive. Those are the most important things in the long run.

I think it’s safe to say we have all struggled in some way through the coronavirus pandemic. Life and emotions have felt like a huge rollercoaster at times. But I’ve learned a lot. Coronavirus has taught me loads, particularly about travel and what travel means to me. It’s important for me to try to stay positive, so I hope these travel lessons from the pandemic show a faint silver lining to such a chaotic time!

What lessons (travel or otherwise) have you learned from the pandemic? Can you find any positives to be grateful for?

You might like my other posts:

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

3 Situations And Examples Of How I Used Travel Insurance

13 Little Ways Travel Changed My Life

30 Days Annual Leave, 1 Year: How Exactly I Traveled So Much In 2019 With A Full-Time Job

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