Getting anxious to travel again, but unsure how to go about it in these days? Traveling during Covid is quite a bit trickier, but it’s not impossible! Do note that this is not a post about whether you should be traveling during Covid or not. I think that everyone should be making this decision for themselves. This post is meant to help out those who are thinking about traveling soon or have already made the decision to do so.
When the world started to go in lock down we were in Brazil. Most people who were abroad at that time decided to rush back to their home countries. We decided to find a place to volunteer and hide out for a while, however. This way we could see what was going to happen in the world first. We spend about 7 months volunteering across a few different hosts and have been able to travel within Brazil for 4 months after that. In this post I will share some tips and tricks with you that I’ve picked up during this time.
1. Travel domestic and overland if possible
You know how people tend to explore far away before exploring their own country/state? Well, this is the time to travel local, or at least domestic. This way you’re avoiding problems with closed borders and entry requirements. If you still want to travel abroad, look for countries close enough to travel to overland. The problem with flights is that they’re normally booked quite far in advance. With rules and requirements changing all the time, this is quite risky at the moment. This applies for domestic flights as well, but international flights are a little more complicated of course.
2. International travel - Picking a country
Not too keen on domestic travel, but don’t know where you do want to go yet? Or have a country in mind, but not sure what the restrictions are there at the moment? There are some very informative pages out there which will tell you more about the current rules and restrictions in the world.
I’ve been checking Kayak and Skyscanner for example. Their maps show a handy first overview. When you click the country, you can check all details and you can sign up for alerts. Another useful page is IATA. Skyscanner is particularly useful as they show results based on where you’re flying from. Kayak is the most optimistic one, their map shows the most countries as Open. The information is all the same however, it’s just what they decide is open/restricted and how restricted. These pages are a great first source of information, but do also check the government website once chosen a country.
If you want to know more about how the current situation is in a country, Facebook groups are great! A country might be open, but it’s good to get some local input as to how many tourists there are (if you’re looking to meet people) and if sights are open and tours going.
3. Book flexible
Whatever bookings you make for your trip, check if there is the possibility to book flexible. From flights, to accommodation, to tours. If you can’t make it in the end, at least you’ll have to possibility to change dates and/or cancel. Note that a lot of companies require some time to pay back in case of cancellations at the moment. They’ve had a though time since the start of the pandemic, so do keep this in mind.
4. Don’t plan too tight
Keep a few days to spare when planning on taking a tour, whether it is a day trip or a multiple day tour. Less tourists mean that tours might not go every day. So try to keep a few days free in case of rescheduling or if you need to wait a day or two before your tour of choice is scheduled. Speak to agencies beforehand as well to double check if they’re currently operating. A lot of agencies are only operating online at the moment, so you might find yourself in front of a closed door if you want to speak to them face to face.
If you need to be somewhere by a specific date, it might be a good idea to plan to come back a few days, in case of delays on the way back. Do also keep in mind that some countries are tightening their entry rules and if you’re unlucky they put a quarantine in place between you booking and arriving which will use up quite some time of your trip.
5. Try volunteering
If you want to get to know somewhere new, meet new people and learn new skills, but you prefer not to travel a lot at the moment, have a look at volunteering. The most famous pages are Worldpackers Workaway, HelpX and WWOOF. Enter your preferred country/region and look for something that interests you. The main differences are:
WWOOF is the most restrictive of the four as it generally offers farmwork only (it stands for Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and plans are for a specific country/region.
Worldpackers offers more specific positions than Workaway and HelpX, which normally just enter a list of tasks they generally need help with. A hostel on Worldpackers might for example list 2 positions: bar staff and morning receptionist and you can apply to whichever you prefer. Workaway and HelpX are likely to put that they need people to help with reception and preparing drinks.
From what I’ve seen HelpX and Workaway are pretty similar. I’ve chosen Workaway over HelpX as I found their platform easier to navigate and they have more listings as they are bigger. This also means they have more volunteers on their platform as well.
You can navigate all pages without buying a subscription (the contact details will just not be visible for you) so you can have a look and see which page you prefer.
6. Get a good travel insurance
Do some research for a travel insurance that covers pandemics as well, as not all of them do. Look for an insurance that not only covers health, but also extra days needed to be spend in a country if you end up being stuck for a while for example.
7. Have a backup plan
Traveling during Covid is a little more adventurous, as things can change in a day. So budget for a few days more in case your flight gets canceled/postponed. Know where to get a Covid-test even if a country does not currently require one. And if you need to get back to work and can work remotely, take your laptop with you if you can. Consider volunteering as well if you do end up getting stuck for longer, it surely has saved us when we got ‘stuck’ in Brazil!
8. Keep up to date with immigration rules of your country of choice
If you’re on Facebook, travel groups of your country/region of choice are a great source of up-to-date information. A lot of people will have the same questions as you do. If not nobody has asked your question yet, or you need updated information there are a whole lot of people out there that are happy to help you out. Here you’ll also be able to get information of people who are currently there about what it’s like in the country at the moment.
Besides Facebook, it is also good to check internet pages with up to date information and of course the government page(s) of the countries you’re looking at/have decided upon.