Each border opening reconnects us to a part of the world that felt lost. There are so many opportunities to visit countries we’ve always dreamed of seeing, and in some cases to avoid the crowds that are usually flocking to must-see spots. But there is still a long list of places we still can’t visit, countries battling new waves of COVID and trying to get vaccines for their citizens. It could be next year or even later by the time the list of countries closed to tourism gets down near zero.
There will surely be long lines of people waiting to get in when those sought-after destinations do reopen. As we’ve seen with the long waits for passport renewal, it’s far better to do as much advance planning as you can than to wait until the whole world is trying to do the same thing at the same time. We already encourage our clients to plan years’ worth of trips in advance or at least get thinking about the destinations that are absolutely on their Wanderlists. This way your advisor can work with you to ensure you go at optimal times and can take advantage of special offers as they arise.
It’s even more important in the era of COVID to plan ahead. Your advisor can keep an eye out for notices that a country is planning to open and what the entry protocols are. Even if you can’t get a firm set of dates locked down for that trip to, say, Australia and New Zealand, you can work with your advisor on designing an itinerary, discussing places to stay and sites to visit. You can make tentative reservations for tours or hotels that have rates out. You don’t want to be scrambling along with countless others to secure one of the few spots on a tour you’ve waited years to take.
Collaborating with your travel advisor to create a Wanderlist, you can figure out exactly what you want to see and do so that when a country opens up you’re ready to book and be one of the first travelers to make a triumphant return to a special place. Plus, it’s always inspiring to dream even if you can’t go just yet.
Things are constantly in flux, even with destinations that have been open to visitors. Having a plan in advance will make it that much easier to adjust when protocols change rather than trying to start from scratch. You can count on your trusted travel advisor to always be on top of the situation and to offer exclusive behind-the-scenes access even in the most hectic of times. As travel advisors, we are always smoothing rough edges for our clients. It just happens that there are more rough edges than ever in travel these days. Working together, we can make the road to unforgettable travel memories in the years ahead.