Three tips to travel safe in 2022

Earlier this year, I relocated to my hometown of New Delhi, India after spending five years studying, working and living in Melbourne, Australia. The global pandemic, triggered by the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), led to the closure of international borders and flights for a large part of the last 3 years. In March 2020, as the world started to lock down, like many skilled workers, migrants, expats and international students, I found myself in the precarious situation of living with constant uncertainty – not knowing when would the borders open or when will it be safe to travel again, not for leisure, but just so one could be reunited with their loved ones?

Thankfully, by the end of 2021 and the start of 2022, several countries began opening their international borders following close on the heels of efforts made by organizations like IATA (International Air transport Association). While this was encouraging, the stress of travelling in the midst of a renewed surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant was (still is) immense. As one who lived through this experience, I realize that travel has changed – at least for the foreseeable future.

Here are my top 3 tips for travelling safely in 2022, during the pandemic: 

1. Planning is key 

Unlike the pre-pandemic days, today travelling involves having to follow many frequently changing health and safety protocols along with all-new luggage, airport and in-flight requirements. This is why planning for your upcoming travel may require more time and effort. Many countries around the world still have travel restrictions in place. A recent article in Forbes magazine, lays out what some of these restrictions look like today. Bear in mind that these restrictions keep changing and one needs to check them regularly to stay updated with what is required for entry by your country of destination? You can generally find this information as travel advisories on the websites of the civil aviation peak bodies of a country or their high commission, i.e., consulate’s website.

In addition, one also needs to be mindful of the requirements put in place by the airlines and airports. You might have to check in with your airport of entry to know more. The airlines you have booked with is more likely to inform you of any changes in their requirements.

Needless to say, keeping up with these requirements and advisories requires planning which is the key to maintain your calm during travel. One thing I found particularly helpful was to sign up for email alerts on the websites hosting these travel advisories. This allowed me to stay updated with the requirements every time they changed. 

2. Prioritize safety first 

The next thing I learnt was to prioritize safety. In the last two years, we’ve all learnt to live with safety measures like wearing a face mask where physical distancing from people is not possible, washing our hands or using a hand sanitizer. In my experience, many airlines would not only mandate mask wearing, but they would also ask for your vaccination certificate (to check if you are fully vaccinated).

Makes sense because the pandemic is not over yet. Travelling might carry a greater risk which is why it is important to prioritize your safety first. I carried with me a few extra masks and a sanitizer during my 12-hour journey. I used the hand sanitizer frequently and wore a N95 mask throughout, except while eating meals in-flight. It is a fact that by putting your health and safety first, we can make travel less risky. 

3. Allow for flexibility 

Talking of making travel less risky brings me to my third and final tip which is to be flexible in your planning. Leave enough room for unexpected things that might happen along the way. Unlike the pre-pandemic days, when you could be certain about most if not all things during travel, today travel involves having to make peace with some things not going your way. One of these could be the availability of flights or trains. I realized this early on when trying to book a ticket because many airlines have still not opened their business to pre-pandemic levels. Therefore, it might be wise to look at multiple flight options with different arrival and departure timings.

Also, allow plenty of time to reach the airport of departure as there might be last-minute safety protocols you could be required to follow by the airlines ground staff or the airport crew. It might also be helpful to check in, in advance (generally, airlines will allow you to do so at least 72 hrs. before your flight).

At the airport of arrival, you might be required to undertake a COVID Test (depending on the rules set by the country of arrival) and it is very likely that extra checks (like thermal screening, checking of vaccination certificates and contact tracing) will be in place. Being flexible in your travel schedule, for example not booking a cab very close to your scheduled arrival time, would definitely help.

To sum up, it is not easy to travel during this pandemic. Although things are slowly returning to the way they were, the health risk from not just COVID-19 but also the new monkeypox virus exist. But, like me, if you really had to travel then following these three tips would help ensure your safety and peace of mind – both of which are important.