We’ve been living with the pandemic for the last two years already. And well, travel was challenging during that time. But, it seems things may change this year. At least, that’s what we’re hoping for. Here are 10 tips for travelling in 2022 that may make your trip planning, destination choosing and enjoying your vacation much easier.
Tips for Travelling in 2022
The beginning of the year didn’t seem promising, with the US and many European countries having the Covid record numbers. However, we are still in a better position than a year ago, with the available vaccine and some predictions saying we may be looking towards the end of the pandemic.
Expedia coined the term GOAT for travel in 2022, meaning the year we’ll be taking the Greatest of All Trips. We’re done with exploring the back of our own backyards. In 2022 we’re all travelling big again.
But, since we’re still living in unpredictable times, here are some helpful tips for travelling in 2022. They will make your trip safer and smoother. And hopefully, it will help you plan some great vacations in 2022.
1/ Get all the vital information
We all heard some horror stories about people being stuck or refused to enter some countries because they didn’t have the required Covid documentation. To avoid that, one of the top tips for travelling in 2022 is to be well informed.
Have your Covid Pass both on your phone and printed out. Check out the entrance requirements from countries on their official government websites. This is where you’ll get the correct info.
⤷ TIP: My tip here is to ask in some Facebook travel groups for the situation travellers recently had in that specific destination. Don’t rely entirely on info there, but use it as additional guidance.
2/ Plan in advance
Although we can’t travel so much now, nothing stops us from dreaming about some of our perfect destinations. And holidays we’d love to have there.
Is it spending three days in Paris? Or going on a weekend break to Hamburg, Rome or Basel? Perhaps you’d like to explore some of the best museums in London this year? Nothing stops you from planning your perfect trip right now. Look for the hotels, best ways to travel to your destination, museums to visit and tours to take. Put them into a particular document, and book the trip once you know the global situation with the pandemic will allow it.
⤷ Read more: How to feel like you’re travelling when you’re not
3/ Be flexible
With the situation changing so often, it’s essential to stay flexible. You have your perfect trip planned, so now the only thing to do is to look for some possible dates to travel on.
Check out the public holidays, possible vacation dates at your work and your kid’s school holidays. Have a few options ready for each of those trips, and book it once you’re sure you can make it. It seems one of the top tips for travelling in 2022 is to stay flexible.
⤷ Read more: How to hygge while travelling
4/ Don’t be afraid of last-minute bookings
Proceeding with the last two points, last-minute bookings should become something quite regular when travelling in 2022. If you plan your trip in advance, you could easily book your transportation and the hotel you like. You can also easily adjust your plans with the museum visits or some of the sites you’d like to see.
So, for example, I’m planning to travel to Toscany this year with my family. We researched which cities we’d like to visit, what museums and special exhibitions are organised this year. And even have a few hotels saved we liked. Back in 2019, we would just pick the dates and book the trip. However, this year, we selected two possible weeks of our trip (one in February and another one in April) and are waiting to see what the situation will be and will book it last-minute once we’re sure it’s safe and possible to travel.
⤷ TIP: It’s hard to book some last-minute things, like train or plane tickets, or entrance tickets to famous museums. In that case, be sure to buy tickets that are easily refundable or come with a free date change. Some flight companies, like KLM, offers all of their tickets with the free date change in a moment. So, be sure to look for these kinds of deals.
5/ Take a workcation
One of the great things the last two years brought to us is that many people could work from anywhere in the world. If you’re among the lucky ones, why not take advantage of that and go on a workcation? It could give you more flexibility, you can stay in a destination longer and get to know it better.
I’m considering spending a few weeks on a workcation in London this summer. And have done the same by prolonging my business trip into a longer workcation in the Netherlands last autumn.
⤷ TIP: It’s also cheaper to book your accommodation through Airbnb than to stay in a hotel. Especially if you’re going to be there for a few weeks or even months.
6/ Enjoy museums and cultural programs
One of the things I missed even more than travelling during the last two years were big cultural events and museum exhibitions. The only chance I enjoyed in them was when I visited some museums in Basel last summer and some cultural spots in the Amsterdam area in autumn 2021.
However, with the museums reopening again, I feel we should put visiting some of them high on the list of travel goals in 2022. Some quite lovely exhibitions are planned for this year, too. But, more about that in one of Culture Tourist’s articles about the art exhibitions to visit this year, that’s going to be published in following weeks.
⤷ Read more: How to visit the museum right – A guide for the perfect museum visit
7/ Keep on enjoying nature
We were all crazy about nature during the last two years. And it comes with no surprise when we know what kind of a situation we were in during that time. However, we also learned to appreciate some beautiful sceneries and that great feeling we have while hiking, swimming or just spending time in some lovely nature.
This year, you could take that to the next level and plan to spend some time in nature of an exotic destination you’re going to visit. It could be some beautiful mountains, exploring the islands, walking through a forest or enjoying in anything else you don’t have in a place where you live.
⤷ Read more: Here is some travel inspiration for a lovely nature in Europe – Biking through the Dutch dunes or exploring the area around Garmisch-Partenkirchen
8/ Take-care-of-yourself-holiday
It seems that during the last two years, we all started to take care of our physical and mental health much more than before. So, why not create a well-being holiday for yourself this year? It could be a yoga retreat, spending time at a hotel with a lovely swimming pool and spa facilities, or just meditating a lot during your trip.
⤷ TIP: My friend Stephanie, a marketing and business coach, created this fantastic Solo Business Retreat. I think it’s a great vacation to take for any entrepreneur or girl boss in 2022. It’s definitely on my travel bucket list for 2022.
9/ Be a responsible traveller
It seems the pandemic switched our focus from responsible travelling during the last couple of years. People are making a massive impact on the environment, and climate changes are visible in every corner of the Earth.
We shouldn’t forget to be responsible travellers despite the pandemic. It could be trying to avoid unnecessary flights, take care of the environment while travelling, avoid using plastics, or give back to local communities.
One of my top tips for travelling in 2022 is to be a responsible traveller because climate change is the problem that will stay here for much longer than the pandemics.
10/ Stay safe
The last and the most important tip for travelling in 2022 is to stay safe. We all have enough of this situation and could quickly get too relaxed with taking necessary precautions while on holiday.
So, be sure to follow the guidelines for being safe, wear your face mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. And, well, don’t forget to enjoy and have fun during your 2022 travels.
⤷ Read more: How to pack smart – 15 of my best travel packing hacks
Hopefully, these tips for travelling in 2022 will help you plan and have some great holidays this year. Do you have any other bits of advice to add? Let us know in the comments.
*Cover photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash