Travel advice fellow travellers wished they knew before flying amidst the pandemic, and now you know!
Since the introduction of the Vaccinated Travel Lanes, many travellers have made their long-awaited trips for a myriad of reasons. We caught up with a few of them to understand what it is like to travel in the midst of a pandemic, and here’s all their precious travel advice, so you’ll be more prepared when it’s your turn to fly!
For Yan Yi, Thailand was the perfect destination for a short getaway after being stuck in Singapore for the last two years.
1. “Be Very Very Very Organised”
With a ton of documentation now required, you need to be very very very organised. Have all your travel documents printed or all in a single folder on your phone for easy and fast access. And because of all the new checks, do get to the airports early. We got to JKF 3.5 hours before the flight and made it to our gate only 15 mins before boarding.
- Henry who flew to New York, USA, to meet up with family and friends
Be prepared for longer waits at the airport due to additional document checks required. Do have every ready for checks to make the process faster said most travellers!
2. “Print Out Every Single Document Required”
Do print out every single documentation required for the trip - whether it's the Thai Pass or the Pre-Departure PCR Test results or the Vaccination Certification. We realised how important having hard copies was only once we reached the airport. Throughout the trip no one asked for our digital proof, everyone wanted to only look at the physical print-outs.
- Yan Yi who was on holiday to Bangkok & Hua Hin, Thailand
3. “Always Be Flexible”
Just because the country’s COVID-19 rules are updated doesn’t mean the smaller towns and cities are aware of the changes! We had to do a Day 4-7 ART even though we’re fully vaccinated (Switzerland’s guidelines changed and those who are fully vaccinated didn’t need to do this test) because the local hotels were unaware of the change and still insisted that we show them the test results! Always be flexible 😉
- Shara who was on holiday to Switzerland
4. “Refresh Yourself On How To Travel”
After a long period of not travelling, it’s useful to refresh yourself on 'how to travel'. I accidentally packed my power banks and batteries into my check-in luggage and had an embarrassing time at the check-in counter.
- Brandon who was on a work trip to South Korea
As troublesome as it may seem to travel amidst the pandemic, nothing beats the actual feeling of getting to travel again shares Brandon.
5. “Embrace The Good & Not-So-Good”
Being in a foreign country with so many exciting things to explore and do made the trip all worthwhile. Eating amazing and authentic local food, meeting people randomly at a bar, speaking very bad Thai to the locals, just being away felt so good.
Even the not-so-good parts are part of the experience. We were freaking out two days before our flight because the hospital we were supposed to take the pre-departure PCR Test at was closed. We also got stuck at the airport and almost missed our flight because the PCR Test result did not comply with "international laws". Thailand uses the solar calendar, so for example they write 2021 as 2564, thus wasn't recognized by the lady at the check-in counter.
At least these become good stories that we can share after.
- Yan Yi who was on holiday to Bangkok & Hua Hin, Thailand
How many of you have been longing to revisit Bangkok for that hearty bowl of tom yum?
6. “Well Worth The ART & PCR Tests”
Being away from Singapore even just for a while, being able to wake up to snowcapped mountains, enjoy the cool winter breeze and escape into nature, made this trip all worthwhile! Despite the multiple ARTs needed, it was well worth the recharge!
- Shara who was on holiday to Switzerland
Shara says being able to wake up to snow capped mountains, enjoy the cool winter breeze, and seeing snow for the very first time made the multiple ARTs worth the while!
Being able to see my family and all our friends here in Sri Lanka after more than a year was great. Definitely worth the PCR Tests that we have to do!
- Sindoori who flew to Sri Lanka to spend time with family and friends
7. “Bring Extra Antigen Rapid Test Kits With You”
Take 3 ART kits along with you. Some people get weird about seeing you, even if you have travelled all the way to see them. Maybe they have family members with underlying health issues or are very concerned about getting COVID-19. The ability to do a quick ART before meeting them could be the difference between seeing a long-lost friend and not.
- Henry who flew to New York, USA, to meet up with family and friends
Henry took a two-week trip to New York to finally catch up with family and friends separated by the pandemic.
8. “Don’t Underestimate Winter”
This might sound totally stupid, but I completely underestimated the weather in Spain. Being European, remembering from my childhood that Mediterranean countries are normally milder even in winter, I felt I had everything under control. It was quite a shock, as it was waaaaay colder than I expected. I was wearing almost all the clothing I brought with me and I even had to buy a hat and gloves. I guess I forgot the unpredictability of European winters and was spoiled by the climate in Singapore.
- Veronika, who took a trip to Spain
9. “Always Check For The Latest Information”
The COVID-19 rules keep changing and sometimes it gets quite confusing when you need to look up various sources for the latest information. I hope there’ll be a single source of information for all the pre-departure and post-departure requirements.
- Cary who made a trip to the West Coast of USA
Cary was more than glad to jump on the chance to travel after close to two years. Her two-week road trip along the West Coast of USA took her to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas.
10. “Be Kind To Everyone”
Many in the travel industry are short-staffed due to the ongoing pandemic, so please be kind to those who do show up.
- Henry who flew to New York, USA, to meet up with family and friends
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