As a heavy traveler himself from Gainesville, FL, Cory Carnley has seen a good amount of the world already early in life. Doing so has given him the chance to see different cultures and ways of living, but it’s also opened his eyes even more to how much of an impact governments had on people’s lives with pandemic responses. Travel, as it turned out, was one of the most restricted activities during COVID and still remains to some extent limited even now.
For many in the U.S., getting out and traveling again after COVID almost feels like learning how to ride a bike again. You know what to do, and the steps and methods are in your brain, but everything feels a bit awkward and lacks the smoothness that comes with 100 percent confidence. It’s not a surprise; lots of people are sharing the same sensation, venturing out to travel again and realizing the world really did change quite a bit in a few years.
After being locked up for almost two years with social distancing as well as being worried about getting stuck in customs with the wrong paperwork, people are now finding travel is returning to normal again, mostly. Unfortunately, not every country has completely dropped their regulations for COVID prevention, especially those with a higher threshold of criteria to enter their borders. And that can translate into a serious mess up of a vacation if one is not prepared for the eventuality.
The fact is, much of the world doesn’t necessarily follow the rules that the U.S. has for international travelers coming into the country. Western Europe might be the closest, but even countries like England and similar have far more strict rules and powers of government when it comes to public health than stateside. So, if you’re planning a big trip, it’s worth an hour or two to research ahead of time what a given country requires in terms of health status, especially if a visiting visa is required to enter the destination. Otherwise, you might find yourself being turned around at the airport or, worse, being stuck in a designated quarantine hotel for up to two weeks. That was the case in Australia for many months, for example.
The other factor to keep in mind, Cory Carnley points out, is that traveling post-pandemic now means using travel services that aren’t necessarily operating at full tilt the way they used to. Everything from public transit to hotels and their accommodations, as well as tour services, has changed. Many are operating with only part of the resources they used to have and are slow to recover. Other areas have been wiped out of their wide selections, and only a few operators are left. Still, others simply don’t offer the amenities or services they used to, running scaled-down operations to save money and recover faster from the COVID period losses. Carnley advises that having a bit of flexibility and willingness to work with what’s available will make a trip far easier than one with specific expectations.
People are on the move again, and travel is practically being a human being at its most fundamental level; we love to explore and see new things, at least up to a certain age. Cory Carnley isn’t about to stop anytime soon, but today’s world isn’t the same one travelers remembered before COVID.