What You Need to Know

The travel industry has taken a massive dent in the last few years due to the impact of Covid-19, but it looks as though things will be bouncing back in 2022. In 2020 and 2021 we even saw a lot of airlines and travel companies go under as countries enforced lockdowns and people generally looked to holiday within their own countries. Within the UK specifically, the UK holiday industry was booming in 2021 as going abroad wasn’t really an option for a lot of people. In terms of Asia, many people will look to go there in 2022 as restrictions are mainly lifted but below are some of the things that you need to be aware of.

Covid-19 is still in existence

Although Covid-19 restrictions are nowhere near where they were a year ago, the virus still very much exists. In fact, in some countries, it is showing that the virus is at its highest level ever, though it is peaking in places too. This is not translating to hospital cases or deaths as it was in 2020 though, hence why the level of restrictions does not exist anymore or are limited.

The virus will sometimes modify itself and you will find there are different strains in existence. It is important though that when visiting an Asian country, you look at in advance what the restrictions are. Even now, areas in Asia are going back into lockdown as they have a “zero Covid-19” policy and will do their best to eliminate it from their country.

Flight Uncertainty

As some airlines have gone into administration, others are still really struggling to make ends meet as the travel industry is still trying to get back on its feet. There is still a lot of apprehension from people, and it will take a good few years for the travel industry to get back to where it was pre-pandemic. A lot of hotels have also gone under as the government support to this industry was pretty limited.

It is therefore important that you plan for all eventualities and make sure that you cover yourself with a level of insurance. Travel insurance can be taken out in all shapes and sizes and can be tailored to fit your needs. You can get it to include things such as flight cancellations and costs associated with this, and you can also get it to include hotel and holiday trip cancellations. Not all insurance policies cover this therefore it is important that you read the policy in detail which is all
the small print. A tip to reduce your insurance premium is also to increase the “excess” amount.

Culture

Although lockdown restrictions may have ended in most Asian countries it is important to respect their culture. In places like Japan and China, it is common for people to wear face masks, and this was very common even before Covid-19 was a thing. It is therefore really important that when you are in these countries you are aware of how people are behaving and respect their culture. There are many subtle differences like the way you eat or the attitude towards tattoos that could cause some confusion if you are not careful.

Getting this wrong could lead to you causing offense to people. You can get most of the information about these sorts of things online and it would be recommended that if you haven’t travelled to a specific Asian country before, you look to do this research in advance.

Traveling through Asia is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime, and it can bring you many amazing memories. Just make sure you do it in the most respectful way!