Apart from bringing travel to a standstill and causing massive job and revenue losses, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted our travel plans altogether. Though vaccinations are being made available for everyone, we still have many pandemic-related travel problems. The changing travel restrictions and guidelines can constantly affect our travel plans. From travel restrictions to losses due to cancelations, there are thousands upon thousands of hurdles that we will have to overcome. If you are reading this, you probably might be dealing with one right now as well.
Don’t worry. There are always solutions. Here are some of the most common travel problems and how you can easily overcome them.
Getting visa extensions
If the number of Covid cases increases drastically, countries can immediately call for a lockdown. No flights will be coming in or going out and if you are visiting the place, you will probably end up staying there longer than planned. During the time of the second wave, I was visiting Dubai and there was a sudden lockdown. Unfortunately, my visa was about to expire and the uncertainty about how long I will have to stay there kept me worrying a lot. Luckily, Arabiers UAE, a highly rated tour operator in UAE was there to help me extend my visa in a day, with minimum documents. If you end up in such a condition, it is always best to go for a visa extension in advance.
Refunds for a canceled trips
Getting your trips canceled is one of the biggest travel-related problems of the pandemic. It is really hard to get refunds from travel companies. Most airlines are offering credits instead of refunds for flights they have canceled and many travelers are still waiting for their refunds. The best way to overcome this is to ask for a refund. Gentle and polite pressure usually does the trick. If it is taking more than six to eight weeks, then you can consider a credit card dispute.
Rescheduling
When you are traveling, any change in the plan means you will be losing money. With the pandemic, many uncertainties can affect your travel plans. So, make sure you talk to your travel company about these unexpected changes and find out how flexible your travel package is. Recently, many travel operators are allowing some form of free rescheduling and this can help you prevent losing more money.
Unexpected restrictions
With the pandemic around, you will never know what is going to happen next. So, the ideal thing to do is to plan for all possible scenarios. Do extra research and understand the current condition of your destination. Learn about the existing restrictions and guidelines. Keep an eye out for government alerts and notifications. It is always best to have multiple backup plans.
Protecting yourself
Keeping yourself safe from the Covid19 virus is perhaps the most important problem you will face on your travel. It may sound like an easy task. But, when you are moving from one place to another, it can get much more complicated. Always keep your mask up and practice social distancing. Look out for yourself. Do not hesitate to ask people kindly to give you your six feet.
Remember, never travel without travel insurance! And never overpay for travel insurance!
I use HeyMondo. You get INSTANT quotes. Super cheap, they actually pay out, AND they cover almost everywhere, where most insurance companies don't (even places like Central African Republic etc!). You can sign-up here. PS You even get 5% off if you use MY LINK! You can even sign up if you're already overseas and traveling, pretty cool.
Also, if you want to start a blog...I CAN HELP YOU!
Also, if you want to start a blog, and start to change your life, I'd love to help you! Email me on johnny@onestep4ward.com. In the meantime, check out my super easy blog post on how to start a travel blog in under 30 minutes, here! And if you just want to get cracking, use BlueHost at a discount, through me.
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Do you work remotely? Are you a digital nomad/blogger etc? You need to be insured too.
I use SafetyWing for my digital nomad insurance. It covers me while I live overseas. It's just $10 a week, and it's amazing! No upfront fees, you just pay week by week, and you can sign up just for a week if you want, then switch it off and on whenever. You can read my review here, and you can sign-up here!
As you know, blogging changed my life. I left Ireland broke, with no plan, with just a one-way ticket to Thailand and no money. Since then, I started a blog, then a digital media company, I’ve made more than $1,500,000 USD, bought 4 properties and visited (almost) every country in the world. And I did it all from my laptop as I travel the world and live my dream.
