I’m the kind of person who needs to have a trip on the books at all times. Even if the trip is 8 months in the future, it gives me something to look forward to and to work towards. With the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve hard to cancel so many trips, the joy of travel has been stripped away. Despite this, I still spent time drafting up hypothetical travel itinerary and plans, dreaming of a future time when travel might be on the horizon again.
And here we are! With vaccines starting to be circulated and the potential of normalcy within reach (even if that reach is 10 months away), I booked my first trip for 2021. During a ‘normal’ year, I aim to take 3-4 ~week long international trips. Because of the pandemic, my travel plans look a bit different. I have decided to book a 2.5 week long trip to Europe (the longest trip I’ve ever taken) so I can guarantee I will use some vacation time and get the most bang for my buck with the few months left to travel by the time the vaccine is fully rolled out. The reason why I picked Europe is because I have a high amount of confidence that the countries in Europe will have good progress on the vaccine at that point, and because we can cover a good number of countries in a short amount of time. I feel like I have to make up for a year of lost travel!
What if things aren’t back to normal?
With every email I got about a cheap flight in my inbox over the past 10 months, I had to fight the urge to book a trip. There was just so many unknowns and I didn’t have to want to deal with the nightmare of cancelling another trip and fighting for refunds. The truth is we simply don’t know if and when things will be back to normal. I booked a trip for the fall because I personally felt like that was my best bet at a relatively normal trip, but even then who knows if it will work out.
Airfare:
Given that we have no idea if things will be back to normal for air travel (or even allowed), I made sure to book a changeable/refundable flight. Even though my airfare was basic economy (often the cheapest option), I picked an airline that cost slightly more because their policy included no change fees for flights, and the option of cancellation for an e-voucher without any penalty. Surprisingly, some of the traditionally ‘good’ international airlines had really garbage policies – some only allowing changes and cancellations through spring or mid summer. If you are debating booking a flight while things are still so uncertain, do a thorough review of the cancellation policies. And I mean THOROUGH. There are often exclusions for certain types of airfare or certain dates. Google Flights has a great page you can review with links to all of the major airlines policies. If you are still uncertain on the policies (I found many airline websites had contradictory information), simply call the airline. It’s a pain to do, but worth the peace of mind.
It’s also worth mentioning that I made a point to book on a large, well regarded airline because I had more confidence that they won’t declare bankruptcy or go out of business by the time I travel. We’ve seen many airlines and travel related companies go under during the pandemic, so sticking with the big ones might be worthwhile.
Accommodations and Misc Reservations:
If you do decide to book a flight like we did, I recommend waiting until a month or so before leaving to book any non-refundable reservations (train tickets, entry tickets, etc). This will allow enough time to be sure that your trip will move forward as planned. Things are changing everyday, and while pre-pandemic I wouldn’t think twice about booking non-refundable things, I’d caution against it in 2021.
Many hotels have free cancellation until a week or so before you leave, so opt to book those where possible – the extra few dollars per night for the refundable option will be worthwhile this year. I personally book my trips on www.hotels.com because they make it really easy to see which hotels have free cancellation. For Airbnb (which is what we personally use 90% of the time), when you search for a location, you can filter for locations with cancellation flexibility. Before you book, confirm the cancellation policy on the booking to be extra sure.
Overall, don’t be afraid of travel! Travel is meant to bring you joy, so don’t let the pandemic make you scared to travel again. The pandemic will end, and when that happens, I personally can’t wait to jump right back into exploring the world again. If you have any questions on booking travel during the pandemic, feel free to comment and let me know – I’ll do my best to answer your questions!
When did you complete the waiver that needs to be signed for arrival into Mexico, did the airline provide it or did Mexico Customs provide it when you arrived. I have the website where you can get the form but it does not allow you to change the date of when you arrive into Mexico. Or did you complete it via the website the day you were leaving the U.S.?
When I traveled in December (so things may have changed), I didn’t have to sign any waivers. There was a waiver I had to acknowledge when I checked in for my flight, and then when I arrived in Mexico customers provided a form that you have to have when you leave Mexico.