It feels surreal to plan for a trip again.
There’s a mixed feeling of excitement and anxiety. Because we have not travelled for more than 2 years. Because we have seen many changes to travel since the pandemic (and it is still evolving as we speak). Because we have to learn, unlearn and relearn how to travel as we live with COVID-19.
Thought I will try to document my preparation for this very first trip over the next 4 weeks before I fly off. Wanted to remember and at the same time, share my experience with everyone who’s planning to travel. And if you have already started travelling, leave a comment and share too!
The travel bug bites
It all started when Singapore started the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangement end of last year. I decided to shelf my plans because although quarantines were not required for VTL trips, many countries still required pre-departure and arrival tests. Cost asides, it also adds to the level of uncertainty involved. Then came Omicron at the start of this year.
In the last few months, many countries started to relax their travel restrictions, which made travelling less costly and more convenient. Also, many Singaporeans who have started to travel again shared their experiences. Planning for a trip began to seem less daunting and more assuring. Travelling, with some restrictions, was going back to the norm.
In March, I started to do some research on where to go. Initially it was somewhere in Asia so I could ease into the groove of travelling again. But I also wanted to visit a country where I have not been before, preferably somewhere with more relaxed travel restrictions. And because a longer trip makes more sense now with more preparation involved, Europe became an option too.
Do your homework, don’t procrastinate
With further relaxation of the travel restrictions in Singapore recently, I finally mustered my courage and took the first step to purchase the air tickets to Switzerland today! I almost forgot about the hustle of comparing the airlines, deciding on the best schedule, monitoring prices etc.
On Friday evening, the ticket was S$900+ (it was S$1100+ a few weeks back). Then the price shot up to S$1100+ that night. I decided to wait it out for a day to see if the price will come back down. But alas, it was S$1200 this morning. It can be quite heart-stopping so I decided to go ahead and purchase the tickers. Lesson #1 – if the price of the ticket is one of the lowest you have come across, just book it. Procrastination proved to be costly in this case!
Now that the travel dates are locked in by the air tickets, I’m going to start planning the trip itinerary in the coming week. Will share more if I make any interesting discovery or learn anything new. Stay tuned!
#ilovelongvacationswitzerland
Follow me on Facebook OR Instagram (@ilovelongvacation) OR Twitter (@ilovelongvacatn)
ilovelongvacation 