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Rochester Local

Ready to Travel? Everything You Need to Know in 2022

This post is sponsored by First Alliance Credit Union

pandemic travelIf you’re planning to take a family vacation this year, you’re not alone. According to a TripAdvisor survey, about 71% of Americans are planning to travel in 2022 and take the trip they’ve been waiting to take since 2020

Overall, this is good news. However, we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. While many experts are cautiously optimistic about the danger from COVID lessening after the Omicron variant has run its course, the truth is that COVID will likely be with us for quite a while and catching it can seriously derail your travel plans.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t travel anywhere, or delay your summer vacation plans yet again. What it does mean is that you’ll need to take extra precaution so you can stay happy and healthy during your trip.

pandemic travel

Take Precautions Against COVID

If you are planning on traveling, the CDC recommends you and your family get vaccinated against COVID, including getting any recommended booster shots. You’ll also want to know the local guidelines for masking in the locations you’ll be traveling to, as well as maintaining social distancing whenever possible. While it’s true that masks do make it hard to tell if you and your family are smiling in vacation photos, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. 

pandemic travel

Get Travel Insurance

Let’s face it—the pandemic has made air travel kind of erratic. Delays and cancellations are a lot more common, and if another COVID variant wave hits while you’re on vacation, you could find yourself trying to rebook a flight back home at the last minute. 

The good news is that under Federal law you’re entitled to a full refund or an alternative flight if your original flight is cancelled. The bad news is each airline has its own cancellation and delay policy. That means you absolutely need to know the cancellation policies of each airline you’ll be flying. 

The best way to protect yourself against cancelations and delays is to buy travel insurance, specifically travel insurance that will let you cancel for any reason. This is extremely important, since most other types of travel insurance have several situations that are excluded from coverage—including a pandemic. 

Of course, you’re going to have to pay extra for a travel insurance policy that lets you cancel for any reason. A standard travel insurance policy will cost anywhere from 4-10% of your plane ticket and getting cancel-for-any-reason coverage will cost about 50% more. So, if you bought a round-trip plane ticket for $850, you can expect to pay around $85 for standard travel insurance, or about $128 for cancel for any reason coverage. 

Admittedly, paying extra for travel insurance is kind of a headache, especially since airline tickets aren’t exactly cheap. However, in this case the reward will be well worth the cost, if only for the peace of mind you get knowing that you won’t have poured hundreds of dollars down the drain if your travel plans get put on hold due to COVID. You can also use this information to plan in advance, adjusting your vacation financial goals to include the cost of travel insurance so it won’t unduly strain your wallet. 

pandemic travel

Consider Driving

A lot of the travel safety information you’ll read (including this article) is mostly concerned with airports and flying. There is, however, one way to ensure that you don’t have to worry about crowded airports and cancelled flights—drive. 

While driving isn’t as fast as flying, it does offer some advantages that flying doesn’t have. It’s less expensive, for one thing, and you also have a lot more freedom about what you can and can’t pack. 

Driving also gives you and your family the option to stop at attractions along the way, from overlooked restaurants to museums. It’s important to note that this will come at the cost of spending less time at your intended destination, but there’s a lot to be said for enjoying the trip along the way. It’s also worth pointing out that these roadside attractions can be quite affordable, and it’s a creative way to save money during your summer vacation

pandemic travel

Avoid the Crowds

As we’ve all come to learn, social distancing can help you avoid getting COVID. That can be difficult in crowded areas, especially popular vacation destinations. 

One of the best ways to avoid this is to make your plans during the off-season, when there won’t be as many people around. This doesn’t mean that you need to schedule your beach getaway in December, though. Instead, do some research online for your destination and find out their least busy times of the year. It’s also worth pointing out that many attractions, like museums, have certain times during the day when they don’t get as many visitors. 

As an added bonus, many places offer discounts during the off season and during the off hours to help attract customers. Taking advantage of these offers can sometimes yield significant savings.  

If you really want to avoid crowds, though, consider going somewhere remote for your family vacation, like a lakeside cabin or even touring some rural state-owned campsites. Not only is this option safer, it can also give you a chance to get away from the rest of the world and de-stress, which is something many people sorely need after the past couple of years. 

pandemic travel

Budget for Your 2022 Family Vacation with First Alliance Credit Union

If you’re going to travel in 2022, you’ll need to take COVID into account. While taking steps like getting vaccinated, wearing a mask and social distancing will help you reduce the risk, you’ll also want to consider how COVID might affect your travel plans. You’ll want to pay for travel insurance to ensure that you don’t lose money if your flights are disrupted, but you might also want to consider driving to your destination instead. 

Now that you know how to be safe during your vacation, become a member of First Alliance Credit Union today and get help funding it. Use our free downloadable financial goal setting packet to figure out how much you’ll need for your trip, and then use our free vacation budget worksheet to figure out how to set aside money toward your vacation each month. From there, you can open up a club savings account to save your vacation money, and even get a credit card or personal line of credit to ensure you can handle any unexpected travel expenses. 

>>>Fill Out and Print Your Vacation Budget Here! <<<

 

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