Quarantine got you looking back at old photos of times when we could hop on a plane and jet off to another city? Yup, us too. While we can’t do much about our wanderlust at the moment, there are a few things you can do to bring your travel daydreams to action and prepare for travel after Coronavirus!
1. Start gathering inspiration
This one is easy – there are so many ways to get travel inspo! Scroll through Instagram (a couple hours will fly by real quick!), read some books or inspirational blogs, take a travel destination quiz, talk to friends…the list goes on. Figure out what you like to do most when you’re on vacation and go from there.
2. Do some research
Once you decide on your top 3-5 destinations, do a little bit of research on each and compile that into a document. Figure out what each place has to offer in terms of activities, culture, nightlife, food, etc. You can even take a look at some virtual tours now to help make your decision! Be sure you look into the best time to visit and get an estimate of how much the whole trip would cost. Once you have a list of things to do for each destination, you’ll have a better idea of which place you’re most excited about and would like to travel to first.
3. Make sure all necessary travel documents are up to date
Have you checked when your passport expires? Most airlines will not allow you to board if your passport expires within six months, so it may be a good idea to start the renewal process if yours is set to expire within the year. Also, if you’re a US citizen, you might want to consider getting a REAL ID as the deadline for domestic travel without a REAL ID is October 1, 2021. Once you do these things, you’ll be ready to travel after the Coronavirus!
4. Start a travel fund
Start setting aside some money for your next adventure. Since you’re not spending too much on eating out, drinks with friends or Ubers/Lyft right now, put that money towards future travel. Even if it’s only $10 a week, it will certainly add up after a few months of quarantine saving!
5. Buy gift card(s)
Lots of hotel chains, like Mariott, are offering discount gift cards right now. It might be worth buying one for 20% off now to use later. You can also buy gift cards for Airbnb if you know you’ll definitely be staying at one in the future. If you’re familiar with a certain city and visit often, buy a gift card for your favorite restaurant. They could definitely use some support right now too.
6. Learn a new language
Want to go to Italy? Spain? France? Use this time to learn a new language! There are so many free language learning apps and podcasts available that are actually fun and great for beginners. There’s nothing better than going to a new country and being able to understand and speak with the locals. Trust us when we say, natives always appreciate the effort of visitors speaking their language.
7. Actually book a flight
If you’ve done your due diligence in planning and research, and you’re ready to book a flight for later this year or even early next year, go for it! We’ve got a lot of hot flight deals right now so casually start searching and see what you can find. Just make sure you book with one of the many airlines allowing more flexibility and free changes should you need to reschedule. Now, you’ll have something to look forward to after quarantine!
We understand travel is difficult at the moment – if you’re not quite ready to book just yet, that’s okay. We’ll be here waiting with discount flights when you want to travel after Coronavirus. If you’d prefer to take a road trip, don’t forget we have cheap rental cars too.
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