While we await the times when traveling will get back on track to sip our cuppas, reminiscing the good old travel days, there are things that have been unfolding at a snail speed that could have greater implications. Yes, with everything else, the travel industry has a set of ‘New Normal’ fundamentals which will be inevitable and yet worth a shot. Let’s see what the list of these new normals look like.
Choosing our destinations: The New Perspective. And while we cried out loud to be Vocal for Local during the unprecedented lockdown times, it is now actually the time to embrace the local parts of our country, which till date, are on the bucket list of only a handful of people. Places tucked away amidst the mountains such as Dharamshala, Chakrata, Dhanaulti, between the Western Ghats like Kashid, Alibag, and Kamshet in the different nooks and corners of the country – where minimal positive cases are – they are the ones that people might want to explore. Also, to avoid the risk of traveling to destinations with major red zones, these places are ideal as they offer the raw and unaligned natural serenity and calm.
Sanitation: The Necessary Version of Vanity. Vanity will not only be defined by the brands that you don in terms of accessories and clothes but also by the brand of your sanitiser and safety sprays that you carry. Yes, an important or rather an unavoidable part of our travel accessories and travel kits. When not carrying one even when out for a stroll or a walk on the beach, you might be despised, distanced or even reprimanded. You never know. So yes, start making it a habit carrying sanitiser sprays.
Selecting your temporary abode. It is but mandatory to select your place of stay carefully; deciding on a multitude of factors including the hygiene standards is a must, but not overlooking the number of staff working, the ratio of occupancy and the measures that the hotel or the resort takes when it comes to ensuring the safety and hygiene of its guests. Travelers, if sensible enough, wouldn’t mind shelling out an extra buck when it comes to ensuring their safety.
Digitisation defining departures. With the online methods replacing almost every process, now boosted more than ever during the lockdown periods, digitisation will be one of the defining parameters in travels – mandatory web check-ins, card, and online payments. You name it. For those of us that are tech savvy from the very beginning, it might not be a big deal, but for those who preferred the traditional modes for payments will find these trivial because getting the hang of going digital might seem a tiresome transition.
Let’s take the road. People might just ditch the conventional modes of travel to hit the road and take more bike rides and car travels rather than going for the flights, trains or buses. Be it traveling with family, friends or going solo, people are more likely to trust their own conveyance mode rather than rely on the public transport. Rather than just the adventurous people on bikes, more families and even the elderly might be coming out in their cars and on their heavy rides to explore the untrodden roads.
While these are just some of the few among the list that might affect the world of travel, this is how the new normal will be.
