As lockdown begins to ease in England from 4 July and travel is back on the cards there’s a danger we just rush back into how we were before. Humans are very adaptable but we have short memories.
People in England can enjoy staycations with the reopening of hotels and other accommodation sites from July 4, although not every business will be able to re-open immediately.
And while for some it will feel like their own, personal Independence Day, many of us won’t have the luxury of travel for a while yet, for health or money reasons, and spontaneity is out of the window for everyone.
We all need to plan for increased health checks, new ways of interacting and social distancing wherever we go.
• Releasing the pause button (very very slowly)
But there are more than just the practicalities to consider – it’s time to ask ourselves these 6 important questions before we travel again.
Do we need to travel at all?
Travel is a privilege and one we’ve been used to exercising happily for decades. But now is the time to stop and think before making plans. We were lucky our trip to Antigua came just before the world changed and we already had no plans for a second trip abroad this summer.
We were hoping for a short UK break but are currently contenting ourselves with days out. Maybe we’ll feel differently by the time the weather closes in but for now we’re happy to enjoy what lies near at hand.
How can I get there?
If you do want to go further afield the way we travel needs careful consideration. Using your own transport or a rental car is the best option for now, but journeys need to planned with as few stops as possible and a light impact on any areas you pass through.
Flying may be an option and airlines are doing their best to give passengers the confidence to travel again. But it’s going to feel a little strange, with longer queues, more social distancing during boarding, a limited food and drink service and of course face masks.
Only you can decide if that’s the way you want to travel.
Whose land am I on?
This is a question most usually raised when travelling further afield, to different countries and cultures whose infrastructure may be different to your home country.
Am I travelling respectfully? Will my tourist spending reach the right people or is it being creamed off by the uber-powerful? Am I damaging the very thing I’ve come to see, just be being here?
But now we need to ask those same questions even when travelling close to home. People who live in popular tourist areas all year round are having to deal with a sudden influx of day trippers, holiday-makers and second-home owners seeking solitude and safety. The additional floating population puts pressure on the local health and economic infrastructure. The corner shop might welcome the extra trade but not if it means locals who rely on them can’t get their essential supplies.
UK destinations like Devon, Cornwall, The Lakes and Norfolk want and need the tourist trade but not if our visits put unnecessary strain on the area’s infrastructure. So we need to ask ‘Is it right for me to be there, now?’ And if I do go, how do I behave and move around in a respectful and sensitive way.
It’s something all travellers should aspire to, but in the desire to escape our own, personal restrictions it’s easy to forget.
Where am I staying?
Self catering and self-contained is the watchword this summer but spare a thought for the small, independent hotels and B&Bs who may be struggling financially.
Many are gearing themselves up with increased cleaning regimes and new ways of serving breakfasts safely so don’t count them out of your plans automatically.
What is special about this destination?
This again is something we should ask every time we travel.
Venice is the most famous case in point – all those visitors, those huge cruise ships have placed an unbearable strain on its fragile support system, both physically as it sinks into the lagoon and socially as locals move out of the city centre to make way for waves of tourists.
So the key question is how will my visit ensure the destination’s uniqueness and attractions won’t be destroyed because of my passing?
What will I leave behind?
One of the delights of lockdown has been finding new routes to walk. We’ve explored more parks, green fields and unexpected hedgerows in the last three months than we’ve discovered in the previous 3 years.
The wealth of wildlife and flowers has been astounding. But sadly, so too has the amount of human waste and rubbish left strewn about.
Even in the earliest days of lockdown when few of us were venturing outside for very short periods there were cans, wrappers and bottles stuffed in hedges and left lying out in the grass.
As Pork Belly remarked ‘If they can be bothered to carry it here when it’s full and heavy, why can’t they just take it back home when it’s empty and light?’
Why indeed?
Pandemic or no pandemic we should be asking the right questions before we go adventuring, and learn to tread lightly on our travels this summer.
What questions are you asking yourself before you travel?
And what will you be doing differently in 2020?
Where to next?
• Orlando – theme parks and wildlife
• Airboat ride, Florida
• Afternoon tea – a visitors’ guide