When Will We Start Traveling Again After Coronavirus?

The coronavirus pandemic closed borders around the world, grounded the majority of airplanes and quarantined millions of people in their homes.

Now, as countries and states across the U.S. slowly begin to reopen and ease social distancing guidelines, travel lovers are wondering when will it be safe to travel again after coronavirus?

While there’s no clear answer just yet, experts believe that it’ll take 18 to 24 months for travel to return to its pre-pandemic levels. Air travel in particular will be slower to bounce back, while close-to-home travel and road trips will be favored over international destinations.

Meanwhile, big changes are in store for air travel, as well as the industry as a whole. Here is what experts are saying about what we can expect from post-coronavirus travel.

When Will We Start Traveling Again?

For now, the Department of State is still upholding a “Level 4” advisory against international travel.

“The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.”

One thing experts agree on is that demand for domestic travel will return first, while international travel isn’t so clear just yet.

Travel research firm MMGY Global expects people to begin traveling more often in mid- to late-summer 2020.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Travel Association believes Americans will only begin traveling domestically in August leading into the fall. The association estimates that domestic trips will likely replace international travel for the next six to 12 months.

Many airlines have all but halted their international routes. Aviation expert Henry Harteveldt tells Travel + Leisure that airlines will slowly add flights out of their most important hubs first. They’ll begin flying again to cities where the spread of the virus has slowed considerably and where flight demand is strongest.

Less popular routes may be dropped altogether, which could greatly reduce the availability of flights to choose from.

Summer 2020: The Summer Of Road Trips

It looks like 2020 will be the year of the road trip.

Most of the world population will likely feel weary about getting on a plane and traveling internationally for quite some time, or at least until a vaccine is discovered. Road trips and close-to-home travel are expected to bounce back before any kind of air travel.

Read: 10 Places I’m Dreaming of Visiting After Coronavirus

For me, this means traveling within the state of New York by car, preferably to places like Adirondack Park and Watkins Glen State Park.

With national parks beginning to reopen across the country, RV travel and camping may become even more popular this summer, especially since people may not feel comfortable staying in Airbnb rentals or hotels just yet.

But driving across state lines could still get a bit complicated. Experts say travelers should look up coronavirus-related restrictions in each state they plan to travel to—keeping in mind that some states may not only have social distancing restrictions in place, but also mandatory quarantines for people traveling into the state from highly affected areas.

Overall, everyone should avoid traveling into coronavirus hotspots. And travelers coming from hotspots like New York City should also be mindful about spreading the virus to outside communities.

MORE INFO: CNN put together a database tracking the reopening of the U.S., broken down by state here.

What Countries Are Open For Travel Right Now?

Most borders remain closed for outside visitors worldwide.

The European Union’s ban on nonessential travel from outside countries expires on May 15—but an official tells the Washington Post that the ban is likely to be extended.

This means travel to Europe will be unlikely through the first half of the summer. And some reports say that the E.U. may remain shut to foreign visitors through September.

Several nations within Europe have extended their own travel bans: France has extended its border control measures through the end of October, while Denmark, Norway and Sweden have extended theirs until November. Travel to Italy this summer is also unlikely.

Meanwhile Greece’s prime minister is hoping the vacation hotspot will be open for tourists in July—but only if strict social distancing and testing measures are put in place.

In Asia, popular summer travel destinations like China, Vietnam and Thailand are still closed to foreigners, though they’re gearing up for domestic travel from within.

Over in New Zealand, the prime minister says borders probably won’t open for a “long time to come,” although the country is in talks with Australia about forming a “travel bubble” between the two countries. Australia’s borders also remain closed.

Despite the spread of the novel coronavirus, Sweden is one of the only countries in the world to not have imposed any mandatory stay-at-home orders or border controls during the pandemic.

MORE INFO: Here’s a full list of countries with travel restrictions at this time.

How Air Travel May Change Due To Coronavirus

Airlines have already enacted a number of changes to their regular flight procedures to help stop the spread of the virus, such as asking passengers to wear masks, blocking middle seats and limiting onboard service.

But a recent report from airline marketing firm SimpliFlying points to an overhaul of flying as we know it. The report spells out a number of potential changes to air travel, including:

 

• An “immunity passport.” Travelers may have to confirm their immunity by showing a document similar to the yellow fever card required in certain regions of the world. (I had to show mine in South America.)

 

• Protective gear. Airlines may ask passengers to wear their own masks and gloves onboard, which is already happening here in the U.S.—or they may hand them out onboard or even sell them with their tickets.

 

• Disinfection tunnels & thermal scanners. Flyers may need to walk through a “disinfection tunnel” and thermal scanner before entering the airport. Hong Kong International Airport is actually testing a full-body disinfectant machine already, and Etihad Airways is now testing self-service kiosks to check passengers’ temperatures, heart rates and respiratory rates before they’re allowed to board a flight.

 

• No more assigned seating. Seats may be assigned by check-in agents to optimize social distancing.

 

• Goodbye in-flight magazines. The report suggests that airplanes will evolve into a “touchless cabin,” meaning that seatback pockets would be empty so that there’s nothing for passengers to touch. This could mean no more in-flight magazines, food menus or seatback TVs (and sticking the safety card onto the back of the seat instead).

 

• Deep cleaning. Hopefully airplanes will be thoroughly cleaned after every flight, which will greatly increase the now 30-minute turnaround time.

 

• Earlier airport arrivals. Due to all of the extra safety and health requirements, travelers may need to arrive at the airport even earlier, perhaps four hours before every flight.

 

It’s kind of crazy to think about these changes actually being put into use, right? This is simply one agency’s predictions, but when I think about how fast the virus has spread throughout the world and how far we may be from developing a vaccine, I can’t help but imagine that some of these changes may actually be necessary.

One short-term change that we’re already seeing is the abundance of flight and hotel deals. Now the question is: Is it OK to book travel deals right now?

Is It Safe To Book Epic Coronavirus Travel Deals?

Overall, it’ll take some time for people to return to the skies. Many leisure travelers won’t feel comfortable flying domestically or internationally until the curve has been “flattened” for quite some time, or until a vaccine is available.

Meanwhile, business travelers have already seen the bulk of 2020 conferences canceled, and their companies may choose to keep most meetings virtual throughout the year.

That’s why airlines and hotels are now offering major discounts to try and lure travelers into booking a future trip.

Before booking any good deal, though, there are a few things to consider.

It’s important to look at the cancellation policy. Does the hotel or airline give refunds? Do they allow cancellations at all? Is there travel insurance available that allows cancellation for any reason?

Another factor to consider is who to book with. Booking directly with hotels and airlines makes it easier to get refunds than when booking with third-party sites.

The final factor is timing. I for one wouldn’t book any short-term flights right now. I’m waiting a couple of months to see if planned trips to California and Tulum are still possible in August. I haven’t purchased my flights yet, as it’s not clear if international or even domestic travel will be cleared by then, especially since I’m based in a major coronavirus hotspot.

MORE INFO: It may be worth it to check up on points and miles accounts, as major bargains can pop up there, too.

What Other Travel Bloggers Are Saying

This week I asked my Instagram community how they feel about travel in 2020. These are the responses I got:

Many of you said you’re looking forward to local road trips and camping adventures this summer.

I don’t have anything booked, except my friend’s bachelorette party in Oregon that will hopefully still happen as a road trip that I’ll extend. Hoping to take road trips this summer when/if possible! Would love to be able to travel internationally again in the fall but sitting, waiting, wishing for that. — Krista from Go4theGlobe

I think this will be the year of road trips!! We are still in Australia, not sure if we can return to North America!! We were planning to backpack SE Asia next, but are hoping on perhaps 6mo to a year in New Zealand instead! It’s looking like our best bet! — Lisa & Johnny from Love At First Flight

Others are holding out for travel later this year—some hope we’ll be able to fly by late-summer, but most are setting their sights on fall and the end of the year.

I haven’t booked anything. Crossing my fingers for late summer — Janna from Janna on a Jaunt

Love the colours! Hope to travel again the fall but haven’t booked anything new — Tiana from Passport of Memories

Hopefullyyy. I haven’t cancelled some plans I have for end of year yettttt — Karen from KarenPaik.com

And for some, traveling outside the U.S. in 2020 doesn’t seem very feasible. It’s time to plan for bigger and better things in 2021!

We aren’t planning on being able to leave the US until 2021 unfortunately — Merah from A Change of Place

I’m mostly setting my sights on 2021 at this point! — Caroline of Pictures & Words

Only time will tell when we can set to skies again. Until then, I’ll continue publishing informative pieces to help guide us all in our future travel decisions.

If you found this post helpful, you may also enjoy:

• 10 Places I’m Dreaming Of Visiting Post-Coronavirus
• How To Create A Cozy Home Office
• Top Coronavirus Resources For Travelers

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