5 Predictions for Post-Covid Changes

I have no doubt that one day I will be able to travel again. It’s against human nature to avoid exploring our planet, and globalization has brought the nations of the world close enough now that I think it would be difficult if nigh on impossible to disentangle ourselves. Still, that doesn’t mean that change isn’t coming. What changes exactly? I don’t know, but these are four of my best guesses as to what the future holds, and one overly hopeful request of the future.

#1. I think travel will (eventually) become cheaper.

This is most certainly my own ignorance speaking, and I know that everyone expects travel to become more expensive, but I just don’t see how that’s possible. I recognise that craming people into planes will no longer be viable, so prices will rise, but in the long term, I don’t think airlines will be able to sustain themselves on what will ultimately be fewer travelers. I hope (though I doubt) that companies will cut their losses, treat their customers like human beings, and find a way to live without those extra dollars in their pockets for now. If they don’t, I predict a slow, but ultimately fatal starvation at the hands of smaller, cheaper airlines.

#2. I think there will be more local travel.

Whether or not travel becomes more or less expensive, I definitely think more people will want to get out of their homes, at least locally. I was planning trips with Forest, Dragon, and Arrow before Covid hit, and I can tell you that this whole social distancing thing is making me all that much more eager to get on the road with them. I would expect that even those who can’t afford international travel will want to get out of their home, and probably their town, if even for just a weekend.

#3. I think the idea of immunization passports will become more prevalent.

Be it carrying around a paper certifying that you’ve been vaccinated or having part of your passport be electronically dedicated to vaccinations which local health care providers can update, I think many governments will begin to look at the pros and cons of such a system. I don’t think the idea will come to full fruition any time soon, or even within my lifetime, but I think with how hard Covid has hit us the idea will start gaining some traction.

#4. I think insurance and travel companies will be sure to include pandemics, and probably even localized disease outbreaks in their policies.

Let’s face it, travel companies are going to learn from this, and they’re going to take the exact worst part of the lesson to make sure they never loose money from a pandemic ever again. When you purchase a trip through a travel agent they will likely have a clause in the itinerary saying that they will not give you your money back if you cancel due to a pandemic or an outbreak of a disease in your chosen travel location. They might also offer insurance, because the insurance companies, without a doubt, already have their working-at-home employees writing up plague policies.

#5. I hope companies come out of this pandemic better, not necessarily smarter.

We all know that most corporations have a malicious intelligence to them. Sell at the highest profit margin, retain every single dollar they possibly can, treat workers and customers as if they’re ultimately replaceable. I hope that this pandemic will force some companies to reconsider that ideology.

I hope they change for the better, even though I know they won’t.