The Open Road Travel

For many people, travelling is their way to relax and is one of the most popular recreational activities in the world. Unfortunately, with everything that has gone on in the world since early 2020, it is now a pastime that can be much more stressful than it once was.

From global pandemics and financial crises to wars and various other political disputes, booking a trip now can be more difficult than ever, especially in you are travelling abroad. Fear not though, as in our tips for travelling in 2022 guide, we aim to help you make life a little easier.

From checks to make before you book a vacation to tips on the best ways to save money, we hope to put the fun back in travel and remove all the stress. So, if you plan to go away any time in the near future, this is an article you simply can’t afford not to read.

When the world reopened in early 2021, covid restrictions became a part of our daily lives that we had to be aware of everywhere from our place of work to local stores, restaurants, and public transport.

Thankfully, these restrictions have largely subsided for most people, however they do still need to be considered when travelling. While this is especially true when travelling abroad, even individual states have different rules from each other that you need to be aware of.

For starters, if you are travelling to a foreign country, check what the entry requirements are before you book.

You need to make sure that purchase and take the correct tests and that your current vaccination status matches what is required or, if not, that you have time to rectify this situation before you travel.

Then there are the restrictions that are in place either at your destination or on your mode of transport.

Do you need to wear a mask on the plane or in your hotel? If you do need one, does it have to be a specific type? Will you need documents to prove your vaccination status at any events or establishments you plan to attend or visit?

Making sure you know all of these things before you travel will ensure you aren’t disappointed when you arrive or, even worse, lose money or have your trip cancelled.

While the time of year used to only dictate the sort of clothing you would need to pack, now it comes with the added concerns brought on by covid.

As covid tends to spike in the winter, this makes that a time when countries are more likely to face lockdowns or restrictions being imposed. This can lead to your trip being cancelled at the last minute.

If you aren’t married to a date for a specific reason, perhaps consider travelling in a season like Spring or Summer, when your trip is less likely to derailed by the lasting effects of the pandemic.

You should then also factor in if the time you are travelling is a peak time for your destination, such as a beach resort in summer, a city hosting a major event, or a holiday like Christmas, Halloween, or Thanksgiving.

While these times have always been more expensive, people are feeling the effects more than ever with the current cost of living crisis the world is facing.

Again, if you don’t have to be there at a specific time, try looking up a few different dates and you may save yourself a fortune.

While flexible bookings were once seen as a luxury, they are now virtually an essential part of your travel planning if you don’t want to be left out of pocket.

Airline staff shortages around the globe mean flights are frequently being cancelled or rescheduled.

If you don’t have the ability to alter things like your rental car and hotel bookings, you could easily find yourself having to pay for additional nights or even lose the booking altogether and not even get a refund.

Then there’s the risk of you getting covid before you travel. Even if you don’t feel ill, destinations that require you to take a test before you travel could flag you at the last minute and cancel your trip, causing you to lose out on a significant sum of money.

Luckily, due to these kinds of issues, many travel companies are now offering the ability to amend your bookings for much less than it used to cost, and many are even advertising free cancellations.

This means it simply isn’t worth the risk of not getting a flexible policy to save you a little when you could end up losing a lot.

Another issue caused by both airport and airline shortages, as well as countless labour disputes currently going on around the world, is strikes. From baggage handlers to security personnel, staff at airports are downing tools on mass and causing chaos at airports.

This has been causing a range of problems for travellers, from flights being severely delayed or even cancelled to people having their luggage lost for days, weeks, or even permanently.

While strikes can often affect an entire country or region, this isn’t always the case. If you find out if there are any strikes happening before you book, you can take preventative measures and look to fly in or out of another airport.

This may cost you a little extra or mean you have to travel a little further but, for many, this will be more than worth it for the peace of mind that you will actually arrive at your intended destination, on time and with all of your luggage.

Much like we touched on above, things can change quicker than ever before at the moment, so you need to be prepared for every eventuality. However, you also need to be prepared for the event that you are stricken with covid while you are away and all of the complications that can cause.

While many travel insurance policies now have covid clauses in them, this isn’t the case for them all. When selecting a travel insurance policy, make sure you check not just that your policy covers you for covid but also exactly what the cover entails.

Will you receive medical care for covid while away and, if so, to what value? Are you covered if you have to cancel bookings because of covid? If you are, is that only if you are hospitalised or even if you simply test positive and aren’t allowed to travel?

Making sure you know exactly what your policy includes means you won’t be blindsided by any nasty surprises if something goes wrong.

While you may have to spend a little more for a policy that gives you the level of cover you desire, it is a small price to pay when compared to how much you could potentially lose if you aren’t properly insured.

While the travel industry in general was severely impacted by global lockdowns, one service that was affected more than most others is the rental car industry.

What many people don’t realise is that most rental companies don’t own the cars themselves. Rather, they rent or lease them from other companies or individuals. When the demand disappeared as a result of the pandemic, many companies let these leases lapse.

As a result, when the travel industry began to reopen, not only did rental car companies have to make up for lost revenue but they also had to source new cars to do so in the process.

As a result, prices have skyrocketed, with many car rental companies charging more than 200% of their pre pandemic rates. This means it is more important than ever to shop around for a deal.

Rather than just grabbing a car from the airport, try looking at car rental services in the city. Look at companies that offer deals for their members, such as Costco or American Express. You can even check the prices on a daily basis to snag the best deal as the rates fluctuate constantly.

With rental cars charging per day, making sure you get the best deal can save you a small fortune, especially if you are going on a longer trip.

While all of the travel markets can fluctuate on a daily basis, this is perhaps truer with currency than anything else.

While this has always been the case, things like the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and even Brexit in the United Kingdom have made different currencies rise and fall more frequently than ever before.

It is therefore a good idea to get an understanding of the currency in your chosen destination and where it stands in relation to the one where you are from.

If the currency you are looking to obtain currently gives you the greatest return it has offered for a while, or close to it, it is a good idea to buy it now. This is also true if the amount you will get is dropping by the day and you are due to travel fairly soon.

On the other hand, if the currency at your destination is offering extremely low returns and you have a while to go, it is a good idea to hold off.

If it falls somewhere in the middle, you can still keep an eye in the hopes that you can get a better deal, while being ready to buy if things start to go against you.

It may seem like a small consideration, but it can end up making a massive difference to how much spending money you have to take away with you. The more you are planning to convert, the greater the potential benefits will be.

Once upon a time, when you booked a flight it came with a suitcase, a piece of hand luggage, and a seat number. You normally even got an in-flight meal and some complimentary headphones.

While some elements of this have been changing for years, such as certain seats costing more or budget airlines offering a basic service, the whole experience of flying has changed since covid.

Now when you book a flight, more often than not you are simply reserving a space for you somewhere on the plane, with nothing else included besides perhaps a handbag or laptop case allowance.

Every single seat on the plane, your hand luggage, your suitcase, your meal; it will all cost extra.

Now, while this is annoying, the real problem is that many flights won’t advertise this up front. They will instead wait till right at the end of the booking process to try and sell you these add ons, as they know people usually won’t want to go through the entire process again.

The problem with this is there may have been better options available in your searches that just looked worse because they were more upfront about what was included.

When searching for flights, make sure you know just what you need and be aware of exactly what is on offer. This will stop you from wasting your time and help you find what is truly the best value deal.

Travelling isn’t as easy as it once was but, if you are smart about things, it doesn’t have to be as problematic as the media can make it seem.

Our top tips for travelling in 2022 will hopefully have helped you to see this and given you the confidence to get out and start seeing the world again.

Whether you are looking to plan a U.S. road trip, a luxury trip to a sunny destination, or even just a short break in your own country or state, it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.

All you need to do now then is pick a destination and start to get things booked, so you can test our tips for travelling in 2022 out for yourself.