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Hello beautiful travel junkies! How are you doing? Have you started booking flights now that the UK has been given the all clear from the 17th May. Whilst I reading up on the green list countries I was inspired to write about 5 things to think about post covid travel. Because as much as there are 12 countries currently that we can travel to, without notice these countries can move to the red list. Hopefully these tips will help minimise some of the stress the new way of travel will cause.
5 Things to Think About Post Covid Travel
Travel Insurance
If you’re one of those people, like me, who didn’t really book travel insurance every single time you boarded a flight. Now is the time to look into annual travel insurance or, check if your bank account offers travel insurance. If it’s one thing the pandemic has shown is that, travel insurance is very important to have.
Apply for a Global Health Insurance Card
If you’re a UK resident you may be eligible to apply for a free UK GHIC. The card allows you to receive necessary health care when you’re visiting a European country. You could get emergency treatments, oxygen, kidney dialysis and more. Most people can apply for the card online but some may need to apply by post. Check out the NHS website for more information and ways on how to apply.
Flexible and Free Cancellations
My next suggestion would be book flights with flexible terms and conditions just in case there’s a last minute change. Some airlines are offering extra protection. Easyjet has updated their policy to include freedom to change where you can transfer your flight up to 2 hours before departure. Oh and if a destination ends up on the red list suddenly you will be protected. For *hotels, I generally use booking.com who have always offered hotels with free cancellations which was a lifesaver in 2020.
Download the NHS app
Moving forward, having a digital vaccine passport is going to be the norm. Once you have received both shots of the vaccine, it will be recorded on the app and you can use it to show officials in various countries. There are some countries who have said they will accept fully vaccinated travellers, at some point. So it will be useful to have the NHS app if you have taken the vaccine. The app will be available for vaccine use from the 17th May 2021.
Check, Check and Check Again
Gone are the days where we can just book a flight, hotel and go to most countries. With a pandemic, we can no longer be that spontaneous and so my last piece of advice is to check, check and check again. We can still book flights and hotels but look at countries that a) have low cases and b) will accept us. Unfortunately, this will be like this for some time and it’s just going to be something we adjust to. Also, now that the UK has left the European Union, changes continue to be made so always ensure you have at least more than 6 months left on your passport. I say a year just to be on the safe side, that way you can avoid unnecessary delays and stress.
Those are the 5 things to think about post covid travel and I’d love to know if you plan on travelling this year. Or will you wait until next year? At the moment, I’m on the fence, she says with a couple of trips booked, but we shall see how this plays out. Either way, we will be taking to the skies at some point.
Until next time, be well!x
