This year, anyone planning a trip has been on a major learning curve. Will there be another COVID outbreak? It doesn’t feel like countries will start close again, but what if I’m wrong? Will the airports be busy again, or are people still afraid to travel?
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Even though I am not a full-on travel agent any more, I still pay close attention to flight information, COVID travel news, and everything else that involves this new weird world of travel that we all live in. Here are a few things I’ve learned this year, and a few tips to help you get through it all!
Flights and airports are all over the place right now
Travel is certainly picking back up right now, which means thousands and thousands of people are back up in air. Yay! Right? But it is definitely not back to the normal that was pre-2020 travel. Because of COVID layoffs and furloughs, and the “Great Resignation,” so many airports are understaffed right now. So much so, that some airports are restricting the number of people that are allowed to come through each day. There are ways that airlines are currently trying to handle this, but for the time being it is up to us as travelers to be smart.
How to handle this:
- Try to fly on the less busy days. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the slowest (and also usually the cheapest!).
- Be prepared for your flight information to change. And if that change doesn’t work for your schedule, don’t hesitate to call the airline and get them to change to something that does work. They legally have to do this for you.
- Make sure to read the Department of Transportation’s information on flying. This was mind-blowing to me when I first discovered it. It is super important to know your rights when flying. Shoutout to Scott’s Cheap Flights for turning me on to this information!
- Be patient. I can’t imagine the stress the workers who are present are going through. Keep in mind that you’re speaking to a human who is just trying to do their best.
Your luggage is more likely to get lost right now
Because there are less workers to handle things like luggage, it is more likely that your luggage will get lost. Not saying that it is happening to everyone, but you don’t realize how much it sucks to lose your luggage until it actually happens to you.
- Try to only pack a carry on. If you don’t check a bag, you don’t have to worry about someone else handling it!
- If you do have to check a bag, stick an AirTag, Tile, or some other type of tracking device in it. I read this on Scott’s Cheap Flights as well, and it is a GENIUS tip! This way if your luggage does get lost, you can track it on your phone.
Be on top of your passport
We’ve been dealing with this since the first COVID lockdown, but it is super important to renew your passport earlier than you think you’ll have to. Prior to COVID, you could renew your passport in six weeks or less, but now the government is saying it is anything from 8-12 weeks. Even if you think it is way too early to have to worry about getting or updating your passport, trust me, its not.
How to handle this:
Log on to the government travel site by clicking here and follow the links. And, be on the lookout for my super detailed post on all things passports!
Real IDs
From what I can tell, the deadline to get your Real IDs in order to fly domestically is no longer changing. As of today’s writing, you must have a Real ID by May 3, 2023 in order to fly with it. This date has been pushed back multiple times because of COVID, but it seems like this date is here to stay.
How to handle this:
Head to your local DMV and get it done ASAP before you fly again, especially domestic. Here is where you can find more information about REAL IDs.
We never know what will happen with COVID
I would love to say that I am super confident in the fact that countries won’t shut down again, but, honestly, I’m not confident in anything travel related these days. If the last three years has taught me anything, it is that we literally never know what will happen in the future. We don’t know if our flights or reservations will be canceled or if a country will shut down two weeks before our trip (that happened to me). It is super important that you are your own advocate and you plan accordingly.
How to handle this:
- Book refundable fares. I’ll scream this from the rooftops. Refundable should be your favorite word!
- Okay, if you’re super frugal (like my husband) and don’t want to spend the extra money for a refundable ticket, at the very least make sure you can exchange it. Like for a flight, you can switch the dates if necessary, or with a hotel, you can get a voucher to use within a year, etc.
- Book travel insurance. This may be the hill I die on. Travel insurance has saved me more than once. I am not a licensed insurance agent, so I cannot tell you specifically what to book, but there are so many options now that include the elements we are all worried about with COVID. And even if COVID isn’t something you’re concerned about, it is so nice to know that if one of us gets sick (with something else) or something happens to a family member right before we leave, everything is covered. AND, if you can add CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) to your policy, definitely do it.
- Use a travel agent. They are the experts and are here to help you with this crazy mess. And, most of the time, they do everything at no extra cost to you. I was a travel agent, and I still use one for our big trips. Anyone at 3D Travel Company would be super helpful (not sponsored – they are just awesome!).
There is definitely more I could put in here, and I’m sure I’ll be learning even more as I go along, but those are some of the biggest things I’m noticing and a few remedies on how to handle the craziness that is travel right now. Above all, the more patient, kind, calm, and flexible you can be, the better your experience is going to turn out!
Good luck!