Our Post-Pandemic Wish List: What We Want Travel to Look Like in the Next Few Years

When we first heard of the coronavirus, we thought we were in for a couple of slow weeks indoors — a good time to catch up with family, learn new recipes, grow a plant or two, practise yoga, or start watching K-dramas. But a couple of weeks turned into a couple of years, and we are now heading towards the post-pandemic era, a label we will likely acknowledge for the rest of our lives. 

Across industries, the pandemic narratives are comparable. We often say, “Post-pandemic, (this industry) will never be the same again” — perhaps rightly so. Travel will never be the same again. Until the end of our lifetimes, we will remember a world so easily shut down: flights cancelled, cafes and restaurants closed, tours and group activities banned.

Snuggled in our memory bank, this vulnerability will keep reminding us that we can never take travel for granted again. And so, when we envision our post-pandemic trips, we can’t look back on how travel was like before; rather, we lunge forward, because travel will never be the same again. And maybe that’s for the better.

What we want post-pandemic travel to look like

Sustainable travels

After encountering a world where every step poses a health threat, we now have a clearer picture of how climate change affects tourism. Extreme changes in weather will not only interfere with our outdoor plans or seasonal activities but will also heighten our mortality risk. We wouldn’t like to linger on beaches when the sun could give us a heatstroke; neither would we enjoy chasing waterfalls when flooding becomes unpredictable.

Global warming has been causing fires and floods, erasing countless travel destinations. Now that we know how delicate the tourism industry can be, we want to safeguard it by travelling responsibly.

We want to appreciate slow tourism. Walking, biking, and running tours have always been available, but now more than ever, we want to experience seeing the world at a slower pace.

We want to support local craftsmanship and communities, not only promoting the economic growth of our favourite destinations, but also celebrating the creativity of diverse cultures.

We’re here for green tourism. We want to take part in preserving the planet as it is.

Also read: 12 Habits We Can Quit For More Eco-Friendly Travels

Humanistic itineraries

What is it like to be human? We reflected on this question endless times while we were in isolation, faced with nothing but walls and screens. The matter continues to intrigue us, but we’re glad to now have more freedom to explore it. Travel has always been a means to understand humanity. As we voyage through cultures, we confront the questions: What makes us different? What makes us alike?

Our society is heading towards globalisation, but this doesn’t mean we have to overlook the intimate details of humanity. Beyond taking photos backdropped against tourist traps, we desire to revel in quaint indie stores, unorthodox festivals, and vibrant night markets. We look forward to interactions with locals, even when we don’t share the same language. 

 Proceeding our years of social distancing, we now want to curate humanistic itineraries — ridding ourselves of biases and stereotypes to enjoy the shared experiences of humankind. After all, it shouldn’t take another pandemic to remember we’re all in this together.

Redefined budget travels

We’ve always been advocates of making travel accessible; hence, our dedication to creating affordable itineraries to allow more travellers to experience the other side of the world. However, we’ve noticed that most budget travels compromise on luxury and comfort, verging on exposing the tourist to health and security risks.  

While we’re still recovering from the aftermath of the pandemic, we see the need to refine and redefine budget travels. We believe that privacy and security don’t need to come at a cost, so we admire up-and-coming service providers that help us plan our travels.

It takes more than wishing

We’re grateful to see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. The planet is recovering and reopening, and most of us have started #TravellingAgain. Sooner or later, we will find even fewer restrictions; we look forward to the day we can finally book international flights spontaneously, attend foreign concerts and scream at the top of our lungs, and mingle with strangers without a care in the world. But now that we know better, we want to be wiser stewards of tourism as well. 

It takes more than wishing. As we imagine a strengthened future for the tourism industry, we want to be accountable tourists of today. So let’s start our journey together in this new normal. Let’s start #TravellingAgain — this time, for the better.

---

Featured image credit: Fly View Productions via Canva Pro