I just spent six months overseas—here’s what it’s really like travelling post-COVID
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One of the things we’ve mourned over the past two years is the loss of COVID-free travel.
The era of getting on a plane without tightening your mask or planning a trip without checking entry restrictions is behind us—but it’s not all bad.
In fact, I’m here to tell you from personal experience that travel hasn’t changed that much—especially now most countries are embracing a COVID Smart approach to everyday life and tourism.
I spent an amazing six months travelling 14 countries across the UK, Europe and Asia last year and here are some of my biggest tips to keep in mind when booking your own adventures.
Yes, people are wearing masks—and the type matters
One of the biggest questions I’m asked about my travel is how many people are wearing masks overseas and the answer, of course, depends on the country.
In the United Kingdom during summer 2022 people with masks were a rarity, with most people eschewing them completely aside from in the high-risk environments where they are still mandatory (hospitals and aged care homes). This was the same across most of France, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece. Of course, low mask wearing doesn’t mean you can’t wear one as often as you like.
In Italy, masks are far more common (the country still bears the scars of 2020) and N95 masks (called FFP2 masks in the UK and Europe) are mandatory on public transport, trains, ferries and planes. Yes, they are policed and I saw people fined/not let on board for not wearing them.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, masks are no longer mandatory but in Bangkok everyone from police to shopkeepers to children are still wearing them at all times and yes, you’ll feel very self-conscious if you don’t. While they were a little uncomfortable in the heat, I had great peace of mind about not getting sick.
The obvious answer for navigating all this? Have a stash of good-quality N95 masks at all times and make sure you’re always topping them up—especially as many airlines still have mandatory N95 mask requirements.
Before you go, make sure to do extensive research using the Australian Government’s SmartTraveller website about your destination’s current COVID restrictions.
Pack as if you’re going to get COVID
This may sound scary, but hear me out. While I really hope you stay COVID-free while on holiday, your destination can greatly affect your access to medications and supplies so it’s best to plan ahead.
For example, in many European countries, ibuprofen and paracetamol are only available over the counter at pharmacies, which are often closed on Sundays and public holidays. In the UK, you can buy both medications at the supermarket but there’s a limit of one packet of each per customer. Meanwhile, in Bali, you could find ibuprofen and paracetamol at the local mini-mart but it was nigh impossible to find a RAT (rapid antigen) test.
My solution? Pack a small bag of COVID essentials before leaving Australia, including RAT tests. This is also crucial for solo travellers as you may not feel well enough to seek out a pharmacy alone.
Yes, there are still border restrictions in place for some countries
While most countries (especially across Europe) have dropped border restrictions when it comes to COVID there are still restrictions in place for unvaccinated travellers in places such as Indonesia and you’ll need proof of vaccination on arrival or you won’t be allowed into the country. It’s best to do this in physical form, so keep paper copies of your vaccination records on you at all times.
There is also an evolving situation in regards to China’s current COVID situation and some countries have imposed restrictions for people travelling from and via China, so keep that in mind. Naturally, SmartTraveller will be your best friend in navigating this and doing your research.
Have a contingency plan for testing positive—especially when travelling in groups
One of the strangest challenges, of course, is how to handle your plans if you do get the dreaded C overseas. This happened twice on my travels—once in Scotland when my parents tested positive and months later in Bali when I tested positive.
In both cases, neither country had any restrictions for COVID positive people. We could have gone about our business as normal (but of course, we didn’t). In Scotland (June 2022) we used the ACT Health guidelines at the time as our basis for our days of isolation and later in Bali I used a rule of thumb of seven days of isolation as I was travelling with a friend and didn’t want to get her sick.
Whatever your own take on isolation, it’s important to talk about this with your travelling companions before you head off to make sure you’re on the same page. For example, if you were to test positive, discuss what your travelling companions would want to do and how this might affect the rest of the holiday overall.
This will also change depending on whether your destination has COVID restrictions for isolation, so make sure to research ahead of time.
Know that yes, getting COVID can cost you $$$$—and budget accordingly
For me, this extra cost presented itself in having to book a comfortable hotel room for a week after testing positive when I had planned to share a room with a friend at a different hotel. The must-haves for my COVID recovery room were space, air-con, good WiFi, room service and a large comfortable bed. It cost a lot to book last minute but was worth every single dollar while I recovered.
Depending on your insurance coverage you may be able to claim this back, however, you will likely be out of pocket at the time, so budget accordingly.
Don’t necessarily expect places to be ‘quieter’ because of COVID
While the rhetoric has been that iconic tourist destinations would be quieter, that wasn’t my experience for the most part. I’m sorry to break it to you but tourists still crowd Rome’s Trevi Fountain for a great shot, Croatia’s beaches are packed and the Paris Metro is hopping. This ain’t Emily in Paris and you are not getting a crowd-free shot in front of the Eiffel Tower during summer, even in 2022.
That being said, many small and family-run businesses are still getting back on their feet, so if there’s a destination close to your heart, it might be time to revisit and spend your time and money there.
Places that rely heavily on tourism such as Bali, Greece, Croatia and the chocolate-box villages of the English countryside were where I heard “It’s still so quiet” from locals.
Happy (and safe!) travels for 2023. It is truly amazing to get back out there, I promise.
