Is the World Ready for People to Travel Again?

As travel demand surges and the labor shortage in the U.S. continues, travelers need to be aware of the importance of planning trips ahead and the associated risks of increasing costs and limited availability while traveling.

If you haven’t booked your Christmas vacation yet, you might be too late. Although you might still have a few options to travel, factors such as transportation and accommodation will be limited, so you will have to be more flexible than usual. In fact, we suggest you start planning any summer travel plans as soon as possible. Ever since restrictions have eased around the world, there has been an increase in domestic and international travel. After being trapped in the same place for so long, people are eager to leave their houses, towns, cities and even countries. People have started planning and booking their trips much more in advance than they did pre-pandemic and are willing to pay more in order to increase reliability. For luxury bookings at high-end hotels, the booking windows, or the time between reserving and starting travel, have nearly doubled since 2019 and are now six to nine months. 

Photo by Brady Knoll from Pexels

After the Biden administration announced that vaccinated foreign travelers would be allowed to enter the United States starting Nov. 8, Skyscanner, a travel booking site, reported an 800% spike in bookings the following day. Not only did this announcement spark travel plans to the U.S., but it also reinforced the fact that American travelers could also leave the country. 

While the increase in domestic and international travel is necessary for the economy after the travel industry suffered throughout the last year and a half, the world might not be ready for this boom. As a result, there is now a labor shortage that is continuing to worsen. Some people are delaying returning to work because they fear catching the virus, while other workers are becoming more selective of the jobs based on benefits and company culture. This labor shortage plays a significant role in the travel industry because a shortage of labor will create limited availability and an increase in price for services such as flights, housing accommodations, and restaurants. 

If you are thinking about planning your next vacation, we recommend preparing and booking early if you don’t want to compromise your plans. It is also important that you read the fine print and understand what you are committing to. For example, when you book reservations for hotels or flights, make sure you understand the terms of the reservation and any additional insurance policies. Some hotels have put measures in place such as stricter cancellation requirements and increased minimum stay commitments during the holidays. If you’re not a big planner and willing to be flexible and go with the flow, you can always risk it and wait until the last minute to book your trips.

Planning a holiday or next summer’s travel plan? Tell us about it @theedgemag!