Vikas Rattan
Admin
First things first, Travel has already begun, people have started moving, holidaying, business, official, family visit, study whatever may be the purpose. Ofcourse, not all of them and not everywhere and nowhere close like before as yet, but it has begun.
‘So when should you be possibly looking at planning your next vacation and if you actually do, how your holiday booking experience is going to be impacted and how much of a hassle due to Covid the pre booking phase is going to be shall be the perspective from which we are going about this article.‘
 
The safety aspect is an entirely different perspective that differs from individual to individual. If you consider it unsafe to travel in the near future, your only answer will be to wait till something comes along and that may take years till someone tells you that you are completely safe now to travel.
“Maldives has started welcoming tourists again to name a few..”
“Countries globally have got their protocols in place with regards to terms for entry & stay..”
So coming back to when we should travel or plan to travel next, we will contemplate this on basis a feasible scenario here. The positive news is that the travel industry as well as the people are actually now coming to terms in living with Covid upto a good enough extent. Countries globally have got their protocols in place with regards to terms for entry, short to long stays, purposes of visit, quarantines and pre Covid negative report whether needed or not, enhanced visa regulations which are now operational, embassies and visa application centres that are slowly opening back, Hotels and airlines that have gotten their teams on track and who are already getting familiar with their modified routines.
Travel Consultants, travel experts and travel agencies around the world are staying constantly updated and and are now in a position to guide people correctly so there are no untimely surprises later on and people can decide with more transparency where there would like to go with what expectations.
It may also be a good time to start anticipating a positive comeback from the dreaded late few months and to start the planning phase for your next vacation.
It may also be a good time to start anticipating a positive comeback from the dreaded late few months and to start the planning phase for your next vacation.
Airports are getting accustomed to the new procedures and travelers are settling in
What is good at the moment is that various new flexible booking options have surfaced with hotels, cruises and travel agencies alike. For example a hotel or a holiday package or a cruise booking deal which may be 100% refundable or a ‘Book Now- Pay Later’ offer or a fully insured package with coverage for any unexpected happenings or a cruise vacation with a ‘future credit shell’ offer in case of a cancellation or a travel agency offering a ‘Change Anytime Policy’. On top of that, some of these deals could very well be coming at lower than normal rates too.
So the answer to our question would still be a very personal choice and will depend upon your very own interpretation or perspective of the current situation but if you know that you would be getting out in 2021 as long as the situation doesn’t deteriorate then the answer to ‘when to start planning’ could very well be NOW because some of the ‘fool proof’ offers that are in place now may not be there after another couple of months and because of the extra time that you may need to dedicate to get all your pre essentials in place such a visa which may take longer than before.
Many in the travel fraternity are also expecting in a few months from now a peak booking season rather than a peak holiday season as demand slowly comes back, the graph shall be looking up.
Many in the travel fraternity are also expecting in a few months from now a peak booking season rather than a peak holiday season as demand slowly comes back, the graph shall be looking up.
So with a well thought out investment for a holiday with minimal chances for a loss or cancellation or a date change penalty, it might be smarter to start your planning anytime shortly for a future travel, even if it is 9 months from now.
Great writing as usual Sir.
Hello Vikas Ji, what do you recommend for a family vacation to East Europe for 2020 summer. As of now, travel is not allowed if i m right. shall we expect it to open by then, can we safely book tickets now. please advise. Please guide.
covid testing before flying is a headache. If I book a tour for my family for 5 lakhs and then 72 hours before departure somone comes positive, what to do with the bookkings. Better to book via a genuine travel consultant this time and make sure that you know all criteria before bookings.
we had booked a flight with british airways with make my trip back in december and were to fly in april and then it happened. we got our refund in september that too about 65%. why shall the passengers suffer for no fault of theirs. should have been refunded fully.
Sir, are nordic countries open for Indian tourists now. could you please advise if not by when
‘when to start planning’ is what he has focused on and the answer is now.. the clue is already there
Hi Vikas, you have mentioned a peak booking season foreseen in the near future. Can you throw some more light on that please
We had to cancel our overseas trip. Willing to do it by March 2021 but not sure if it will be allowed by then or not. Strange times.
no doubt, a very personal choice like the author mentioned but yes agree to most points in the blog as they make sense