What will travel after Coronavirus look like? 4 travel experts share their thoughts

Travel and hospitality is one of the primary industries to have been in the line of fire during the pandemic. With losses that may steep into billions, it may be difficult to gauge how long will take for the industry as well as the travelers to get back in business. YouTube, of course, has been almost a means of living for travel influencers and advisors, and now, some struggle to stay afloat on the video platform with the death of the sparkly, shiny, wanderlust-y content while some are switching their content strategy to not only make a living but stay relevant in the minds of their viewers.

While social media has been integral in keeping travelers and influencers’ audience as intact as possible, those who relied on the adventure parts of their travel are forced to innovate now. There have been significant changes in the kind of approach some adventure junkies have taken while being confined within four walls. Republic World spoke to four travel influencers and advisors who gave an insight into how they have adapted to a settled life in these months, and how travel after coronavirus as we know will change.

Jasminder Singh – Biker, adventurer, founder of JS films

The summer months are when the routes to every biker’s dream trip to Ladakh open. Jasminder Singh has already been there several times and cannot seem to get enough of it and had plans for his trip and his bike all set – until the COVID-19 pandemic broke. Singh has had travelling as a part of his lifestyle for several years now, so much so that his video travelogue channel – JS Films has a following of 2.28 million.

While things have been challenging for Singh, his spirits are anything but dampened. “I’ve started to make videos about gaming now. And so far, I have had an overwhelming response to it,” he said. While Singh has a dedicated fan following of bikers and travelers, his other channel called Jaysn Nation features him playing games such as PubG Mobile, GTA and Call of Duty.

“Of course I miss travelling, in fact, I have my itinerary for future trips planned already. But as of now, I want to connect with my followers in all possible ways, and it seems that gaming is another interest that connects me to them,” he said.

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Singh has come a long way – from running an IT agency that built websites for brands, to becoming a traveler and a full-time YouTuber – his success story now also brags of an e-commerce store that sells merchandise for travelers. And Singh intends to make his journey longer, taking his bike 'to a nice secluded village that has scenic beauty that he can ride through'. "I will be taking precautions once travel after coronavirus opens up again like carrying a sanitizer, and own toiletries instead of relying upon the hotel I am staying at regardless of the safety measures taken. I want to even be safe food-wise where I will carry home-cooked food for the rides that are shorter,” he said, also pointing out to the fact that riders may not be able to travel together in a large number for a while or even sharing their biking gear, so staying cautious is the only way ahead.

“Nothing will deter me, or any other travel enthusiast. Travel after coronavirus will happen slowly, but I would suggest they carry gloves, masks and sanitizer as a minimal necessity,” he said while explaining that he will be following the mandates set by the government. “Once we have a vaccine, there may not be a need to fear. I plan to even throw a party at my house once things are safe enough because I have missed spending time with family and friends as much as I am missing travelling now. My perspective here is to see the positive because even travelers get homesick and this has made me spend a lot more time with my family and explore gaming as an interesting video-making avenue too,” Jasminder Singh said.

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Roxanne Bamboat, Founder, The Tiny Taster

Roxanne Bamboat had been to lots of places before COVID happened. And to her, it seems like a lifetime away. Having been to wet markets of Japan and Korea, Bamboat feels like pointing to them as a potential cause for an outbreak of this virus may not be impossible to believe, “but it feels like it’s straight out of a sci-fi movie. It has been difficult to stay in one place, caged in longer than I would have liked, but I would definitely go back once this is over” she said. But perhaps anyone who has been travelling as a part of their lifestyle for about six years now, trip cancellations to happening, exotic destinations such as South Africa and Morocco by Tiny Taster Tours do seem heartbreaking.

However, any of the present circumstances have not deterred her from creating content. She’s resorted to cooking and her dishes seem delicious and tempting, especially because one can make them at home. Her latest videos like Pad Krapao Gai and eggless chocolate pudding happen to be like a comfort blanket for her followers who look forward to her travel videos.

“I’m going out only when I need. But otherwise I’m a big foodie so making videos of my recipes is also fun,” she said.

“I shall be taking precautions for sure when I travel after coronavirus pandemic. There is a lot of uncertainty, as there may be no travel for the foreseeable future. All my plans for the year have tumbled like a pack of cards, but health comes first,” she explained while talking about how domestic travel may be more comfortable for her as well as other travelers initially. She travels personally and professionally and is concerned about how the tourism industry will cope, “someone I know had a jobs for two decades in a hospitality company and was asked to leave. Now the person has to sell masalas because he has mouths to feed,” she explained.

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But she does seem optimistic, expressing that those who really want to travel after coronavirus, will do so even with all the regulations that have to be followed. “Initially people may go out of their way to take precautions – like carry their own toiletries and sanitize their AirBnbs and rooms instead of relying on only the staff. But Indians contribute largely to the travel industry as currently, even the Vande Bharat flights are going choc-a-bloc,” she said. While she does seem audibly upset with the current scenario, that has been channeled into her passion for food on her channel that one can have a look at just in case they feel they want to get an exotic feel to their meal.

While Bamboat strongly feels that nothing will happen until the first quarter next year, she listed down a few precautions that she would like to take when hopping onto a plane next to travel after coronavirus. “While one may want to carry a lot, people will have to pack light because there may be restrictions on the cabin luggage. So people will have to carry one pair of shoes instead of four for their Instagram pictures,” she jokes, adding that packing essentials will be the only priority.

“I’d carry a disinfectant, a pair of gloves and a reusable mask, a few disposable masks too for trains and flights. Perhaps a face shield but I will be wearing that not carrying it,” she said, explaining the details of her next set of tours for The Tiny Taster Tours.

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Rahul Jagtiani, Founder, Plush Living

One can see Rahul Jagtiani’s videos and simply envy that they are the real-life personification of Ranbir Kapoor’s role in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. But things have not been that rosy after the COVID-19 pandemic. But Jagtiani has come up with a rather viable and entertaining solution. He said that he has not switched to anything else in terms of making videos, but instead now narrates his travel experiences in Hindi.

“I started doing videos about three years ago and then an airline company and few other OTT platforms began to show interest in my work. I’m an entrepreneur and I produce content for companies. My business just expanded into another vertical which is now seen on my channel,” he said, explaining that he has mixed feelings about life currently coming to a standstill.

Jagtiani almost dodged the pandemic as he was in Milan just a few days before it became a global emergency.

But this has not stopped his optimism or his basic instinct to travel. He elaborated on how currently, people are looking at China differently, “but my travels there have been most fruitful and enjoyable experiences. People are now looking at China in a negative light which should never be the case for any country. Yes, we all stand with our government and army and support them, considering the recent events at the border. We must distinguish people from the actions of their government – for any country. Their politics and actions does not reflect how the people are,” he said, urging people to calm down and not hate the people from any other country where the virus would have potentially originated.

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And perhaps that seems to be his motive as Jagtiani has switched from English to Hindi while narrating his travel experiences. “My YouTube initiative of ‘Ghar Baitho Duniya Ghumo’ is only to bring people closer to different countries, people, and their stories. While it will probably take as long as a year for things to slowly begin moving back to normal, I believe that having my videos entertain a larger mass for even five minutes is a win for me,” he said. And his videos are a lot more than entertaining – his latest ones on how to spend times with wolves in the Scotland wilderness and his polar plunge into the freezing waters of Antarctica offer a lot more information about the lesser explored places to travel after coronavirus pandemic ends.

Jagtiani highlights how people in the coming months will take travel advisors seriously no matter if the travel is budget or luxury. “Hygiene and sanitation was a luxury and now has become a necessity. People will not want to crowd around an omlette counter anymore, so perhaps the number of people travelling next will be affected but those who wish to travel will once there will be a vaccine. A mask and sanitizer will accompany me wherever I go,” he said, elaborating on his list of countries like Greenland, Iceland, New Zealand and South Africa that he seems super excited to visit post travel resumes.

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Nirav Vithalani – Founder and Travel Advisor, Travel Factory

Having travelling as a lifestyle for seven years and then suddenly being confined to one place has taken a toll on Nirav Vithalani too. He’s been enjoying his time with his family, learning new skills and even loving the ‘joy of doing nothing’. “I am also expanding into other avenues of entrepreneurship, but health comes first. Yes, it is a huge challenge for the entire tourism industry, I am not alone in this. But I feel jaan hai toh paisa wapas aa jaayega,” he joked.

He has also been spiraling down the YouTube rabbit hole, but they have also been travel videos. “In this time I have been studying some domestic destinations like Kerala and Uttarakhand. Earlier, travel used to be far behind in everyone’s priority list. But people are so tired of sitting at home that now they will travel,” Vithalani said, explaining how once the vaccine is out, people will still have to take precautions, but should not stop travelling as livelihoods globally are affected.

Vithalani too, is of the opinion that people need to avoid crowded places once travel after coronavirus resumes. “One can go easy on the overly popular destinations and explore some lesser-known ones. In the end what matters is that people get a new place to visit – even if for the time being it may not be what they initially would have visualized. There needs to be a strong mutual trust between a client and a travel advisor for the times that lie ahead,” he explained.

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Being a foodie himself, Vithalani advises that it is best to ask an expert for a list of restaurants and joints that they trust before visiting a destination.

“Even when it comes to adventure, it is best to take precautions for a while like carrying one’s own sanitizers and washing hands periodically before one can go snowboarding in the Alps or quad biking in the dunes,” he said.

He himself cannot wait to go back to Europe to travel after coronavirus and please his inner nomadic self.

[Image Courtesy:  jsfilmsindia, thetinytaster, rahul.jagtiani, neev1208]