International Travel in the Post-COVID era

Before you travel, make sure to check the rules for your country and weigh the risks! 

  

London Heathrow Terminal 5: Where have the planes gone?

It's been a while but it's great to be back on the blogosphere. Phew! It is a completely different world we live in now. Social distancing, face masks and travel restrictions have now become the norm and will most likely remain so for the near future. If you are wondering what international travel looks like these days, here's my experience of a recent trip abroad and a rough guide to some of the things to expect when travelling in this COVID era.

Before the flight

Before considering a trip abroad, check the latest travel advice for your destination and be mindful that this could change without any prior notice. My travel plans changed three times and the decision to travel to Barbados was made less than 24 hours before my flight. The airline thankfully changed my ticket as my previous travel destination had closed its borders less than 48 hours before my departure.  The moral of the story is be ready for last minute cancellations. Book flexibly!

• Check for the COVID testing requirements i.e. the type of COVID test accepted (PCR vs antigen test), the validity period (48 hours to up to 5 days depending on the country). You also need to allow enough time to get the result before your flight all, within the validity period of the test.
• Check for the quarantine policy: You really don't want to spend your 2-week holiday locked up in a hotel room! Also take into consideration any quarantine requirements when you return to your home country.
• Obtain adequate travel insurance for your trip and check that it includes cover for COVID-related issues.
• Pack plenty of face masks: Some countries/airlines specifically require surgical masks on the flight and the rough guide is to change your mask every 4 hours.

At the airport and in-flight

An almost-empty Departure Hall at Heathrow

Heathrow Terminal 5 was almost empty on a day that would usually be the busiest in the year. To put things in perspective, I was able to clear airport security in under 5 minutes! On the airside, luxury stores were closed but food shops and the big duty free stores were open as usual. 

Boarding was conducted as usual in small groups and passengers were advised to keep their facemasks on at all times.

On board the flight, hand sanitizers and cleansing wipes were provided. As the aircraft was only about half full, passengers were spaced out just before take off.

During the safety demonstration which had a member of the cabin crew read out the instructions instead of the usual pre-recorded video, there was a notable addition; in the event of an emergency, take off your mask before applying the oxygen mask! I found this quite funny.

If you love reading the in-flight magazine, don't expect to find any. They have been replaced with online-only versions.

It was interesting that passengers were, of course, allowed to take off their facemasks while having meals and these were served to all at the same time as usual!

Empty seats!

 

The most pleasant thing about the flight was that one could get an entire row of seats for use as a bed! Got long legs? No worries, thanks to the half empty flight, you could get business class leg room in economy albeit horizontally!

Finally, after those gruelling hours on the flight, there was the usual scramble to retrieve bags from the overhead luggage compartment but disembarking was a slow process as it was done in small groups.

Arrival in Barbados

On arrival we were asked to show proof of a negative PCR COVID test. Soft copies on a mobile device were accepted. One had to complete a form with contact details in Barbados as well as place of quarantine. 

At the time, the policy of Barbados was for passengers arriving in the country (even with a negative test) to quarantine in approved hotels until a repeat test which would be conducted on Day 5 following the initial test at the country of departure. This would be done for free at a government hospital but the individual would have to pay for a somewhat expensive licenced taxi to the testing centre. In addition, at the airport, we were given a paper form to record temperature readings for 7 days, even after the negative repeat PCR test. I was quite impressed by the efficiency of the system; I got my result within 24 hours following the test (on Day 3 of quarantine) and I was free to explore the island. A nurse also called on Day 7 to ask for my temperature readings! Did I mention the free bottle of hand sanitizer and "Barbados Merry Christmas" cake handed to all arriving passengers?!

At the moment, the global tourism industry is struggling with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic but with some light at the end of the tunnel, the industry should be on a slow return soon. When we are able to travel freely again, we may find an industry forever transformed, hopefully for the better.