While many of us are focused on remaining indoors, protecting loved ones and prioritizing our health, we are also beginning to dream of future travel plans. With people saving their vacation days now, we could see an unprecedented surge in vacation travel this coming fall and winter.
Recent headlines indicate that people are wondering when they can begin traveling again. And at my company, our data is showing that travelers are booking longer stays at short-term rental properties across Airbnb and other booking channels, with the average length of stay recently doubling to nine days, compared to just four before the pandemic.
But despite this potential surge — and perhaps because of it — the world of travel will be completely transformed by health concerns, altering social habits and new policies. Here are five key ways that I believe travel in a post-coronavirus world will be entirely different:
1. You Might Need A "COVID-19 Passport Stamp" To Visit Your Favorite Destinations
Countries such as Germany are planning to introduce "immunity certificates" to indicate who is ready to re-enter society with the necessary antibodies to prevent infection. Despite ethical and legal concerns over these efforts, popular vacation destinations might introduce similar restrictions on who will be allowed to visit. Some, including Hawaii, are already attempting to stem the flow of tourists by limiting hotel bookings.
2. Travel Could Be Tracked
Apple and Google are already developing an emergency coronavirus contact tracing project that could potentially provide users with instantaneous alerts when they are in close proximity to those diagnosed with COVID-19. In addition, governments in the U.S. are tracking individuals through cellphone data, and China has gone even further with mass surveillance tools such as drones and CCTV cameras to monitor quarantined residents. Israel’s Shin Bet security agency is also tracking potential coronavirus patients through cellphone information.
I predict that these steps will only intensify and travel movements will more than likely be stored in a government database.
3. Health Screenings Will Be Required For Passengers
Just as the September 11 attacks led to entirely different security measures, the health threat of COVID-19 can be expected to have a similar impact. In addition to amplified crowd control at airports to mandate social distancing, the TSA, Amtrak and privately run travel companies will introduce temperature and health screenings for passengers.
4. The Iconic American Road Trip Could Have A Renaissance
By the 1950s, road trips for leisure became popularized by car companies and made easier by President Eisenhower’s development of the Interstate Highway System. Given travelers may be fearful of flying, road trips may now have a renaissance, especially to more isolated areas such as camping sites that enforce social distancing measures. Destinations such as Zion National Park in Utah are poised to see an increase in domestic visitors given their wide-open spaces, popularity with road trip travelers and mere fact that scenery like this is the complete opposite of being in a condensed city.
5. Short-Term Rentals And Private Lodgings Will Become More Popular
With the decline of face-to-face interactions and an effort to limit crowds, travelers will likely opt for private short-term rentals (like an Instagrammable tiny house on Airbnb, for example) over traditional hotel stays. Property managers and hosts are already providing extra stock of key amenities such as toilet paper while ensuring that their properties are cleaned according to CDC guidelines. And because guests want to limit contact with hosts, I think we will see many more implement smart home technology like keyless entry systems in response.
While there is still a great degree of global uncertainty about the future, one thing is certain: travel will begin again — but it will never be the same.
