How has the pandemic changed the way we travel? From masks on airplanes to the rise in work vacations, see what is predicted to stick around.

There’s no question the pandemic has shaken up the travel industry, but how much? Below, find out just how different vacations are looking these days and how some changes may persist in the future.

1. Travel agents are becoming popular again.

According to research from Travelport, 39% of young travelers ages 18-38 are now more likely to use a travel agency or travel management companies to book their trip.

According to research from Travelport, 39% of young travelers ages 18-38 are now more likely to use a travel agency to book their trip.

These days, it’s not just about finding a hotel or flights in the right price range. It seems like almost every destination has different rules and regulations regarding vaccine or testing requirements. “There’s a lot more research required before you book a trip,” said Claire Newell, travel expert, founder and president of Travel Best Bets. “It’s just so difficult to navigate everything now.”

Many are finding that working with a travel agent or a travel management company is the easiest route.

2. People are spending more money on flexibility and travel insurance.

“We know one thing about this pandemic: It’s constantly changing, and you don’t want to book your travel and be caught if you need to change your plans,” Newell said. She noted that prior to the pandemic, people would be more likely to opt for a lower price for airfare or hotel rooms, regardless of restrictions. These days, she says people will happily pay more to have the flexibility — just in case plans change.

 Another trend she’s seeing is people opting for travel insurance. “People realized that you can get sick while you’re away, and with Covid-19 particularly, you can’t get back on a plane without having a negative test, so if you catch it while you’re away, who’s going to cover your cost for those days while you stay and recover?” she said. “So that insurance is really key moving forward.”

3. Workcations are on the rise

This is a pandemic trend we can get behind.

Many people found out they could successfully work remotely during the pandemic; a model that has sparked more workcations. “If you have to log in your eight hours, why not do it from the beach?” Newell said.

Read More Here:

We also understand that money is one of the key factors when it comes to travelling, that’s why we are sharing how Monet of THE TRAVELLING CHILD travels around the world with her family.

Here is what she has to say;

‘Two of the questions I am asked most is “What do we do for a living?” and “How do we afford to travel so much?” and while I do respond to these inquires individually I have been avoiding writing a post on it. The reason is because I know how things can come across over the Internet and I never want anyone to misconstrue my words or take them the wrong way. With that said, I feel it’s time to address these questions, but before I begin please know I don’t mean to come off in a condescending way or offend anyone. This is my family’s truth and I don’t expect anyone else to live the way we do but this is how we manage to travel “so much”.

HOW WE AFFORD TO TRAVEL

Dedicated Vacation Savings Account;

The number one way we afford to travel is with a dedicated vacation savings account for travel. Each month we set aside an established amount to go into our travel fund, that way when a flight deal comes up we have the cash to pay for it.

Book Flight Deals and We Are Flexible With Dates;

We are able to afford travel by only purchasing flight deals. Instead of picking where and when we want to go somewhere, we let flight deals dictate where we will go. Skyscanner is our favorite website! It allows you to enter dates you can travel, your home airport, and then will tell you the cheapest places you can do during that time. It also work where you enter your home airport and where you want to go and it will tell you the cheapest dates to travel there.

Use Frequent Flier Miles to Pay for Flights;

As we only book flight deals we aren’t airline loyal however, we still have frequent flier accounts with multiple airlines. Airlines belong to alliances so you can pool are your points from airlines in one alliance to one specific airline that you find yourself flying more often. As an example on our recent trip to Europe we flew Virgin Atlantic there and Air France back- they are both apart of Skyteam and so is Delta Airlines. Since we fly Delta the most out of those 3 I had all our miles earned from those flights added to our Delta Skymiles account balance. The three alliances are Skyteam, OneWorld, and Star Alliance.

Use Airbnb to Afford Travel;

We rarely stay in hotels (we do in the Caribbean as we like to be on the beach) and typically opt to stay in vacation homes such as rentals through Airbnb. They are cheaper, give us more space for the kids to run around, and come equipped with a full kitchen allowing up to cook some meals while on vacation saving us from eating out for our entire trip.

You can read more of the tips she shared HERE and remember,

“We have nothing to lose and a world to see.”

With time, you’ll know all the things to do and all the things to avoid when planning a trip somewhere or visiting a foreign land.

There are a ton of mistakes you can make as a first-time traveler. These include being reckless, being culturally offensive, missing buses, etc.

Here are some travel tips to get you started as a traveler.

1. Learn Common Phrases of the Local Language

Visiting a new place will always be easier if you have some knowledge of the local language. This doesn’t mean that you have to spend weeks picking up the new language. It simply means that you can take out a few hours each week before your trip to learn some common phrases in the local language that will help you when in the foreign land.

Such phrases include “I’m sorry”, “hello”, “thank you” and anything else that you feel is necessary to get you through your trip.

2. Read a Book About The Place You Are Visiting

More knowledge never hurt anyone. It’s only human to be curious about a place before you visit it. For the sake of both your curiosity and for efficiency purposes, try to grab a hold of a history book about wherever you plan on visiting.

Anywhere you decide to travel will most likely have a rich history and heritage and it only makes sense to read up on some of this so that you enjoy your trip even more.

3. Get To Know Local Customs Before You Travel

The one mistake you want to avoid as much as you can when in a new place is to be culturally insensitive or offensive in some way to the locals.

If you are unaware of their culture entirely, you are quite likely to make this mistake. This is why it makes sense to read up a little on the traditions and customs of a place before you visit so that you understand them better and don’t risk acting in an insensitive manner.

4. Keep An Open Mind

Don’t judge the lifestyles or customs of others if different from your own. Listen to opinions you don’t agree with. It’s arrogant to assume your views are correct and other people are wrong. Practice empathy and put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Embrace different possibilities, opinions, religions, customs, and interests. Ask questions. You don’t have to agree with everyone, but you may be surprised what you’ll learn from the people you meet during your travels.

5. Eat Local Food Frequently

Taste a bit of everything when you travel, especially if you don’t know what it is. Ask local people for recommendations. Eat street food from vendors with big lines out front. Eating street food is an awesome way to save money while you travel!

I’ve only been very sick twice in 9 years of constant travel. Don’t be scared of the food. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with popping into McDonald’s if you’re feeling homesick, but why fly across the world to eat the same stuff you can get at home? Live a little!

Bonus Tip – Travel More!

Culled from Travel Medium and Expert Vagabond

RENT AN APARTMENT

This may sound more expensive than a hostel, but if you’re going with a group of friends it’s worth looking into renting a holiday apartment and splitting the cost between you. Not only is it more exciting – a house of friends can only mean fun and laughter (and minimal sleep) – but you’ll save money on food too.

Top 10 Tourist attractions  In Barcelona

1. La Sagrada Familia church.

La Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi. This unique and unusual construction is Barcelona’s most famous tourist attraction and the most visited, so it’s a must-see attraction.

It is also rated as one of the world’s top attractions by Tripadvisor users. It is free to see the Sagrada Familia church from the outside. La Sagrada Familia welcomes 3 million visitors a year, which means long queues all day of 1 hour or more to get inside the church. It is, however, worth seeing inside so a good tip is to buy advance skip-the-line tickets.

How long does it take to visit Sagrada Familia?

From the outside about 15 minutes to walk all around. To see the Sagrada Familia church inside you should plan to spend at least 1 to 2 hours to see it all and maybe go up inside some of the towers. Your ticket to the Sagrada Família is actually a donation to help finish the construction which is privately funded. The temple was designed by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi over 100 years ago – the foundation stone was laid in 1882 when the surrounding area was mostly fields. The splendid Sagrada Familia interior was not fully opened to the public until 2012. The outside is still being built and was at around 70% completion in 2015. Only 8 towers of the 18 spires are finished. The ambition is to complete the Sagrada familia church in 2026 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Gaudi’s death in 1926. When it is finished it will be 144 years since construction began. See a YouTube video of how the finished Sagrada Familia will look.

Gaudi himself knew that it would take a long time to finish the temple and he famously once said, “My client is not in a hurry.”  Gaudi died quite tragically in 1926 after being hit by a tram. When he died only the nativity facade was built.

Visit the Sagrada familia on a hop-on-hop-off bus tour or take the metro to station Sagrada Familia. Beat the 1 hour-long queues to see inside by buying skip-the-line tickets.

2 – Magic Fountain show

The Font Mágica Fountain. The Magic Fountain is a “must-see” Barcelona attraction. You have never seen a fountain like this. It really does feel magical to experience the beautiful show of water, light, and music. The Magic fountain was built in 1929 as one of the main attractions for the Barcelona World Fair and the Font Magica is still one of the most famous spots in Barcelona with an estimated 2.5 million visitors annually. There are evening water and light show in the winter on Friday and Saturdays only. In the summer the evening light and music show is open from Thursday to Sunday. Admission is free all year. 

Please note that sometimes due to exhibitions and events access to the fountain can be closed. Visit the Magic Fountain by metro to station Espanya.

3 – Picasso Museum Barcelona

Picasso Museum. The world’s most famous painter Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga in the south of Spain but lived his youth in Barcelona with his family from 1895 to 1904. It was here he spent his formative years as an artist and first exhibited.

The Picasso Museum is in the Born area of Barcelona and is Barcelona’s most famous museum and a top 10 attraction. Picasso’s father was an art teacher. The young Pablo Picasso had already started art studies in Malaga, but Barcelona was a major influence on his early years as a struggling painter. Picasso first exhibited his work in Barcelona and considered himself from Barcelona. The Picasso museum in Barcelona does not have the most famous Picasso paintings, but the collection in Barcelona is unique and has 4000 works. You find early sketches and lesser-known Picasso’s, which explain and show his development as an artist.

The museum is located in various magnificent gothic mansions in the medieval part of Barcelona called El Born.

Visitor Tip

1. Book a Picasso walking tour which includes skip-the-line access and a guided tour of the museum.
2. If you just want tickets, the queues are very long so Buy skip-the-line Picasso museum tickets  
3. The Picasso museum has free admission for everyone on the first Sunday of each month all day and is free every Sunday after 3 pm. Get to the Picasso Museum by metro to station Jaume I and then 10 walks.

4 – Las Ramblas street

La Rambla is another must-see. Also called Las Ramblas The Spanish poet Federico García Lorca said about La Rambla, “It is the only street in the world which I wish would never end.” La Rambla starts at Plaza Catalunya and ends at the Monument of Columbus at the Port Vell harbour of Barcelona. La Rambla is not a spectacular sight, but very pleasant to stroll down and enjoy the human heartbeat of Barcelona. If you have not strolled down it, you cannot say you have been in Barcelona. Also called Las Ramblas as it is really a collection of various stretches of streets with different names. During the day and early evening completely safe and free to visit. However, be careful of pickpockets on La Rambla and in the Metro stations nearby. In the early hours of the morning 2 – 4 am be wary on the lower part of La Rambla near the harbor. This attraction is always open and free.

Keep a hand on your bag at all times and wear your backpack on your front to avoid pickpockets.

5 – FC Barcelona museum & Camp Nou stadium

Camp Nou Stadium home of Barcelona football team. Buy Tickets for Barcelona games. If there are no games during your visit, then book the stadium and museum tour. The Camp Nou stadium and FCB museum are among the most popular attractions in Barcelona attracting millions of visitors a year.

Camp Nou also has one of the largest Nike stores in Europe packed with Barca merchandise. Unmissable for Barça fans. Visitor tip. You can buy cheaper FCB shirts and scarves from market stalls outside the stadium on match days but they might not be official.

6 – Barrio Gotico area of Barcelona

 

The Barrio Gotico gothic quarter is the medieval city of Barcelona from the middle ages. It grew around the old Roman town of Barcino which is the oldest part of Barcelona.

The gothic part of the city has many beautiful churches, plazas, markets, and museums and you can see parts of the old Roman walls. If you visit the Barcelona history museum – Museu d’Història de la Ciutat – you can see the remains of Roman houses and streets of Barcino in Roman times under the museum. The gothic quarter is free to visit and best seen on foot because tour buses cannot get through the narrow streets. There are no dangerous areas in the Gothic quarter, but be aware of Barcelona pickpockets.

Also worth visiting is the neighboring medieval area of Barcelona’s old city called El Born.

7 – Modernist Park Guell by Gaudi

Parc Guell by Antoni Gaudi. Parc Guelli is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered to be one of Gaudi’s most artistic works. Parc Guell is a Barcelona top attraction and a definite must-see.

The park is on Carmel hill so seeing this attraction means quite a long and uphill walk if you take the hop-on-hop-off bus or metro station Vallcarca. If you prefer not to walk, then take a taxi to the Park Guell front gate. The original idea of Park Guell was to build a private and exclusive residential garden village with 60 houses.

This business idea of Guell’s didn’t work and after his death in 1923 the park was donated by his family to Barcelona´s city as a public park. 

8 – Modernist buildings

Modernist buildings Barcelona. Modernisme was a Catalan cultural movement centered in Barcelona and Catalonia from 1888 to 1911. It is most famous for its architectural expression in particular the many works of Antoni Gaudí.

There are a handful of modernist buildings in Barcelona that are outstanding. Three of them are in the one Barcelona city block called the “Illa de la Discòrdia” – the “Block of Discord” on the street Passeig de Gracia. They are “Casa Amatller” designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch, the magical “Casa Batlló” by Antoni Gaudi and the “Casa Lleó-Morera.” A little further up the street Passeig de Gracia on the opposite side is one of Gaudi’s most famous buildings in Barcelona named “Casa Mila” – and nicknamed “La Pedrera” (the Quarry). which is pictured above.

In the summer months, you can enjoy rooftop terrace jazz concerta at La Pedrera. At Casa Batllo, you can tour the building and also enjoy summer concerts in the modernist courtyard. Another modernist treasure is the beautiful Palau Guell townhouse near Las Ramblas, also by Antoni Gaudi. For modernist art and furniture visit the Barcelona Modernist museum. A popular way to see top modernist buildings is on foot on Passeig de Gracia or by taking hop-on-hop-off tourist buses. Nearest Metro stations Passeig de Gracia or Diagonal

9 – Montjuic hill and Poble Espanyol Spanish village

Montjuic hill and Poble Espanyol de Barcelona – the Spanish Village of Barcelona. Montjuic hill has many parks and attractions including an old fort at the very top called Montjuic Castle, which has a rich and dark history and fantastic views of Barcelona. The other big attraction on Montjuic hill is a unique Spanish village called Poble Espanyol which was built in 1929 for the Barcelona 1929 World Fair and Universal Exposition. The Poble Espanyol village is the 4th most visited attraction in Barcelona. It was built in 1929 as an architectural experiment to create a village to showcase Spain’s different architectural styles. It was so popular that it was left intact after the world exhibition and it now houses a wide variety of cafés, summer open-air nightclubs, restaurants, over 40 very nice handicraft shops and a full program of concerts and events, especially in the summer.

You can also see a very good flamenco show called El Tablao de Carmen at Poble Espanyol, which includes a 1-hour free entrance to Poble Espanyol. Poble Espanyol was designed by Catalan architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch. This attraction is on hop-on-hop-off bus routes or takes the metro to the nearest metro station Espanya and then it is a 20-minute walk.

10 – Tibidabo hill

A visit to Tibadabo is a fun thing to do in Barcelona and great for kids. The views of Barcelona are fantastic and there is a small and fun vintage amusement park at the top, which is open in the summer from March to September. You can reach the top of Tibadabo via a vintage Blue Tram which connects to a mountain railway Or takes the bus from the Plaza Catalunya directly to Tibidabo.

The fun-fair is closed in winter, open at weekends in spring and autumn, and generally open from Wednesday to Sunday in summer, but check before visiting. The Skywalk where you can enjoy views of Barcelona is free and open all year except a few weeks in February for annual maintenance. The Sagrat Cor church at the top of Tibidabo is open all day and is free to visit. Visit by bus or by tram/mountain train.

Feeling inspired? Then get yourself to Barcelona quick sticks! We can sort out your accommodation, flights, and tour itineraries.