It has been roughly 2 years since the last work-related trip, which seems to be quite a common statement when you talk to people.

As the pandemic hit (roughly two years ago), Travel (except business-critical) came to a grinding halt. After wave 1, 2, 3,… we now notice some people slowly starting to travel again albeit in a different way as we are all learning to live with the restrictions.

As I wait at Amsterdam airport for my flight on Delta airlines’ new Flagship service on the A350 (look out for the review on that separately), I start thinking on how travel has evolved during the pandemic and where it is headed in the next years.

Will travel return fully?

In my opinion, definitely not at short notice.
This of course brings quite some implications for travel suppliers.
You will have noticed that flight frequencies are down, routes closed, staffing levels reduced – all of this often at very short notice. Hotels adapt service levels or close certain facilities (like lounges for instance). This is of course due to reduced demand following increased regulations, outright travel bans (governmental or company-issued), and in general people not ready to go through the extra hassle that travel now brings (wearing masks continuously, Passenger Location Forms for different countries, vaccination and additional testing requirements,…). Let’s face it: travel is not as worry-free as it often was pre-pandemic.

Traveling for fun

When you travel for vacation, you need to know what you are prepared to get into – the points I mentioned (extra forms, testing, etc) add to the stress which is exactly what you want to get away from when you travel to relax…
My advise is to ensure that you leave with the right mindset: prepare well for your trip but also prepare yourself for changes – flights change, new variants change rules, and of course the fact that no matter how vaccinated you are, there is always the possibility that you still test positive. If you start with thinking about this, it is up to you to decide whether you feel it will be worth it or if you prefer to do a staycation.

Travel for work – the Corporate perspective

Most companies clearly articulate their intention not to return to pre-pandemic travel frequency, quoting primarily the environmental perspective, and the travelers’ wellbeing, while of course also welcoming a cost reduction.

Our company, as an example, will definitely focus on reducing our pre-pandemic travel frequency for those reasons as we have engaged (like many others) to reduce our environmental footprint and we are committed to making the work environment as stress free as possible.

In order to reduce our travel frequency, we invite travelers to consider 3 angles:
– Is this travel going to add value (for our company, for their job,…) ? In other words, is this travel needed?
– Is there another way to reach the same result (remotely, combining trips, is it better to travel by rail, …) ?
– What will be the impact (on the environment, their own wellbeing, colleagues,…)?
It is important to have realistic expectations – not traveling at all will most likely not work for any company.

The response will of course be different depending on your job (level) and interpretation is unfortunately needed. « Unfortunately » as it would of course be easier if we were able to define a black and white answer. Who doesn’t like easy rules instead of interpretations?

How successful will we be? This is of course impossible to predict as old habits die hard but we need to believe we can all adapt and change…