Preparing to travel in a post Corona Virus world - eNidhi India Travel Blog

Preparing to travel in a post Corona Virus world

At this moment world is gripped with Corona Virus scare. A few countries are under lock down, many countries have banned travel of various nationalities, few cities and states have declared emergency and world is oping for a quick way out from this Corona Virus scare.

I strongly believe and hope the virus scare should subside in 3-4 months time frame. China has started reporting dip in cases, with whole world now fully aware of the danger and numerous measures in place, we should be somewhere near the peak hopefully and things should get better from now, with less and less number of new cases each day, recovery of affected people etc.

This post may seem too optimistic, but assuming things get better in another 3-4 or max 6 months, how can you prepare to make the most of it, particularly if you are travel enthusiast? Here're my thoughts.

1. Start saving: Keep aside some money each month to fund your travel ambitions.

2. Work on your fitness and immunity
It has been proven that sick and elderly people are more susceptible to virus while normal adults with better immunity are a lot safer. Why not use this time to get back to shape, develop some healthy eating habits, quit smoking etc. End of 4-6 months you will be more fit, more confident to travel the world.

3. Start tracking air fares: Countries and destinations you have in mind, start tracking current air ticket prices. Once the situation improves airlines will offer massive discounts to lure the traveling public back. At that time, your reference of current fares will help to decide if new offer fares are good or not. It is hard to predict how low airfares can go, but typically, if you can get a fare for half the price of normal fare, then it is good deal. Some low cost airlines often sell tickets for even one third of their normal fare, which is a loot. Some examples below:

Below is my prediction of expected lowest fares post Corona Virus scare settles down. Just a guess- depending on how bad the situation gets, target fares may be even lower.
#
Destination
Normal Fare
(Return, INR)
Typical Lowest fare during sales (INR)
Target fare (INR)
(Post corona)*
1
India-Australia
35000-50000 
20000-22000 
13000-18000
2
India-USA
60000-80000
48000-56000 
40000-45000
3
India-Europe
40000-50000 
30000-40000 
28000-35000
4
India-Middle East
15000-25000 
10000-14000
9000-12000
5
India-South East Asia
15000-20000 
8000-11000
4000-7000
6




* Not necessarily from everywhere to everywhere but if you are flexible these fares are possible. For example, check this INR 5500 one way ticket from Vizag to Melbourne.

You need to be smarter because airlines may not give all the discount at once. If they just reduce 10% and launch a sale, you will know that is not cheap enough and you should wait for a better deal. Doing some research beforehand helps. Stay tuned to http://www.airlineblog.in/

4. Shortlist destinations least affected by Corona Virus
While almost every major country in the world is affected by corona virus, some are heavily affected while few are least affected. Once the scare settles down, where would you like to go first?

My guess is hot spot countries like China, Italy, South Korea etc will take more time to open up. While less impacted countries who depend a lot on tourism will open up sooner. So one can focus on visiting these lesser affected countries first.

You can't go all over the world at once, so shortlist 3-4 destinations to travel after Corona Virus scare goes away.

So identify relatively safer countries to visit, start drafting your plan, prepare documents required for Visa etc so that you can plan a trip as soon as things are declared safe.

5. Keep a close eye on aviation world
Some airlines may go bankrupt, some may take longer to resume suspended flights and so on. For the countries you are planning to visit, identify at least 2-3 airlines that can get you there. Keep an eye on these airlines, their financial health, cancelled flights, refund policy etc. You don't want to face a situation where you book a trip for entire family 3-4 months from now and airline goes belly up a week before travel date.  If you don't trust an airline, don't book till you clarity and confidence. Airlinebog will keep you praised of the latest news.

6. Be aware that Corona Virus can return any time.
Despite best of the cleansing, awareness and declaration by officials that everything is safe (whenever that happens), there is still a small risk that virus may resurface later. So one should continue to practice vigilance and precautionary measures.

Authorities will have a pressure to declare everything is safe so that economic activities can resume. You should use your own caution and intuition to assess the situation and take a decision if it is really safe to travel.

If you already have a plan but it is affected by Corona Virus scare, here're tips to reduce your loss. If you are still keen to travel, read this post, assess your risk.

Your thoughts? Where are you hoping to visit once Corona Virus goes away?

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