Hello Travelers! I know that we are already dying to get out of confinement and explore our beautiful planet again.
Undoubtedly, these months have been of much reflection, I hope that we all leave this stage as different people, but above all better. This time has united us as Humanity, this virus did not discriminate or have preferences and that is actually how all the inhabitants of this World should be, we realized how small we are and it pushed us to be a little more humble. Well, after this reflection that I wanted to share with you haha, now I want to talk to you about being Travelers after COVID19, at the beginning of the pandemic I remember that in the groups of travelers I got to see a lot of derogatory comments towards other travelers who still They encouraged people to go on a trip even with the high risk of getting sick or making others sick, comments where they branded people as irresponsible without a conscience and many other things.
Now that we are gradually getting out of the situation, many people will probably still continue with the same idea of staying without traveling, what is a reality is that this disease is here to stay, sadly, until we have no cure or vaccine to protect us. against it, even so, restrictions on confinement are being relaxed and one of the reasons is to achieve the reactivation of the economy.
I have read many articles about the changes that there will be in the topic of tourism within hotels and transportation (airlines or bus lines) I even see it in the Hotel where I work, but nobody has told us how to be better travelers and have a conscience. I believe that as soon as the worst of the pandemic passes, we will be able to encourage ourselves again to know new destinations, yes, always being better people, better travelers and this means: being responsible travelers. The world of tourism will change a lot after this contingency so I share with you a list of 10 points on how to do your part when taking a trip after COVID19 and what your role as a Traveler will be like.
1. SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES
We all know the enormous number of businesses that had a bad time in this contingency, which is why we must do our bit to support the reactivation of the economy, but above all of those who are from our Community (within your Country) and even more so, supporting those we know had a worse time. That is, one of the things that will happen once tourism is reactivated, will be that people will think more about a risk when planning our trip, travelers will probably choose more to travel to destinations that are close to us, such as Magical Towns or other states where we know that perhaps the contingency did not have so much presence, and this will translate into a greater number of trips within our own country, which is positive in the matter of economic reactivation, how?: -Eating at local restaurants or diners instead of international food chains -Buy handicrafts made by local artisans instead of shopping at malls -Pay lodging and transportation directly to your service provider, avoid using intermediaries such as international agencies.
2. DO NOT DEMAND FOR A SERVICE LIKE THE ONE WE HAD BEFORE
As you know, many things within the Hotels and the Airlines or means of transport services will change, for example, something that will change in many Hotels is the BUFFET service since now the plate breakfast will be served instead of having a full buffet, others Hotels will provide food only as room service, to follow somewhat the modality of social isolation. The distance between the service provider (Hotel or lodging staff) and the guest will be Greater, many hotels are choosing to place acrylics in the reception area for greater protection. Decoration elements could be removed from many hotels. The capacity of hotels or restaurants is likely to be reduced initially. Speaking of the Airlines, they will choose to remove magazines or any paper items that we are used to seeing in the front of our seats. The temperature of all passengers will be taken prior to boarding, which means that the boarding takes longer to take place and therefore you are asked to be in the boarding rooms with more time in advance.
Most likely, the preparation and consumption of hot food during a flight will also be reduced to avoid handling food as much as possible. What I am going with all this is that when making a trip we have a little more patience and awareness, we will probably not find a place in a restaurant because its reduction in capacity makes their tables fill up faster.
Let's not arrive demanding a buffet in a hotel "the hotel has always worked with the full buffet, it always offered a buffet and I want to have breakfast like that", let's not get upset when boarding a flight because "I'm in a hurry and I want to be at my destination already". Do not criticize the lodging or hotel for looking more "cold" in appearance since they have removed decorative elements.
Let us bear in mind that all those service providers in the tourism area are also eager to welcome all those guests and clients again and will be in the process of adapting to the new normal, which are also working hard to be able to offer a service with the greatest protection. possible for both customers and themselves, so let's be understanding and thankful for the service.
3. CONTINUE TO COMPLY WITH CARE MEASURES
By this I mean to continue traveling with your antibacterial gel in the bag and use it as much as possible, wash your hands at least 10 times a day or every time you come into contact with risk factors, continue to respect social distancing, remain careful Of the others when you sneeze and use a mask, I know that this mask is uncomfortable for many or that you do not want to appear in the photos with it covering your face haha, however, it is necessary to continue with the measures to take care of ourselves and the other.
4. CHECK YOUR ITINERARY AND PLACES TO VISIT
Since the restrictions are being lightened in stages and in a different way in each region, it is necessary that before you make your trip you make sure that the museums, parks, attractions, theaters, etc., are opening, this so that you do not stay with a feeling of disappointment during the trip to find yourself with the surprise that they have not yet reopened. I also advise you to investigate beforehand the care measures that these places are taking for reopening, for example, a museum is probably that it shortens its hours, or that it makes tours more adjusted to a schedule and only to small groups, then it would be more convenient to buy tickets in advance or make an appointment in advance. This information could be investigated on the internet pages of the destinations, the place or by dialing directly to their phones.
5. CLEANING YOUR PLACE OF LODGING
We will have to be a little more aware about the cleanliness of our room or place of lodging, with this I do not mean that before we were dirty when traveling hahaha what I mean is that we think about our place of lodging, as we thought when we are in home during the quarantine, that is, when you arrive in the room, change your clothes immediately (you could put your nightwear immediately after entering after a day of walking) or take a bath immediately when you arrive in the room.
Many hotels have also opted for options such as sanitizing mats, as well as many of us decide to have them in our home for added protection.
Also change the shoes with which you went for a walk through the slippers provided by the Hotel. Try not to bring wrappers, bags or food waste to the hotel. Try to wash your hands regularly.
6. FOLLOW THE CARE MEASURES OF YOUR AIRLINE OR TRANSPORTATION SERVICES
By this I mean if in the boarding room they ask you to take care of your space between person and person DO IT, if they ask you to wear a face mask during the entire trip DO IT, if they ask you to put antibacterial gel before boarding DO IT, if they ask your current situation Health RESPONDS, if they have to take your temperature, LET THEM DO IT. Take care of all the measures that they request, this point also applies to Hotels, take care of your service providers and with this we are also taking care of each one. This point is also very relevant if you are traveling with children.
7. YOU HAVE TO BE 100% SURE YOU WANT TO MAKE THAT TRIP
I think that in all this time in which we have been locked up, it has happened to us that we suggest ourselves, don't you think? There were days for example when I woke up with a slight burning in my throat and thought "I think I'm sick" But in reality it only hurt because we had fallen asleep with the window open.
That is why, if they are already easing restrictions, you already have your tickets and you have already investigated that the places of interest you want to visit are already providing service, make sure you can make your trip without suggestions and worries so that you can enjoy it 100%.
8. SUPPORT THE ECONOMY OF YOUR COUNTRY
I already mentioned this to you haha but I emphasize it again so that you understand the importance of this, let's try to travel within our Country at first, let's help our Country recover economically, apart from the fact that it is easier to investigate the situation of each city or region within our Country, that is, where non-essential activities are already being reactivated, where hotels are already opening, where they are reactivating flights or bus routes, where they have not yet lifted the quarantine day, all This is easier to know within our country, and partly I am totally sure that we all have a little corner of our country that is beautiful and that we did not even know existed.
9. MAKE SURE YOU EAT IN RESTAURANTS AND STAY IN PLACES THAT ARE ACCORDING TO MEASURES
On this point I want to mention that many hotels and restaurants will enter a certification stage to be COVIDFREE, this is obviously new and will probably make it mandatory in many regions to authorize a hotel to open again, however in some regions it may be This type of certification is not mandatory, however it will be very important that we take into account what measures the establishment where we stay or where we eat is taking to protect its customers. We must do this for our own good, if this point does not matter so much to us and we enter a restaurant or bar that does not take the measures into account and that is full of people every night we could put ourselves at risk. Try to visit places where there are no more than 50 people in a single space. This information can be consulted on the pages of each establishment or by asking directly.
10. EAT HEALTHY AND TAKE CARE OF OUR HEALTH BEFORE AND DURING THE TRIP
This we should do every day actually hahaha but since we are focusing on a trip, my advice would be to make sure that we have high defenses to be able to enjoy our trip to 100% and know that our body is in a strong state to cope with any risky situation, this is also important to do during the trip, not stay up late, not miss out on meal times, eat healthy and exercise. Hand in hand with this point, I would also tell you not to take the risk of traveling if we feel sick. What would probably look like a simple cold some days could be something stronger in a week.
And with this we finish the 10 points to be a traveler after COVID19, I know that it will probably be something overwhelming at first, but as its name says for now it will be our “new normal”, let's be aware of our health and also take care of those who is by our side.
I am sure that when we least expect we will be making our trips as we did before this whole situation.
Take good care of yourselves and I wish you excellent future trips.