Vacation planning
Organization during Corona troubles Germans
Careful planning of your vacation is essential in times of Corona.
© kitzcorner / Shutterstock.com
The desire to go on vacation again is unbroken. Participants in the “Travel Companion” study often feel overwhelmed when planning.
Mankind has been living with the corona virus and its rat tail for over a year: lockdown, exit restrictions, homeschooling and holidays with certain obstacles are nerve-wracking. A trip never wanted to be planned as carefully as it was in times of pandemics, and that is a problem for Germans who are otherwise so fond of traveling. This is the conclusion reached by “Travel Companion” study of the online travel agency Expedia, which deals with settings relating to holidays during the corona pandemic.
According to this, 45 percent of German citizens admit that the thought of booking a trip abroad within the next twelve months increases their stress level. As a result, more than half of Germans have given up or postponed their vacation planning once or even twice. Who is surprised? After all, every country feels like cooking its own corona soup that is sometimes more, sometimes less peppered with strict entry and exit regulations and vaccination requirements.
More support: keep an overview in the corona jungle
For example, tourists should be able to return to Italy from May 16 without the obligation to quarantine and benefit from the so-called “Green Pass”, which “will in all probability be fully operational in the second half of June”, said Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi (73) known at the G20 summit. Until then, a national “green vaccination pass” should be in place, but what it looks like in practice is still in the stars. Nevertheless, it could be a little ray of hope for sun-seekers who miss Lake Garda or the South Tyrolean Alpine panorama.
Tourism is also slowly picking up in Spain. The Balearic Islands and parts of mainland Spain such as Galicia and Valencia are officially no longer considered risk areas. Nevertheless, when entering from Germany, a negative PCR test must still be proven and an entry form must be filled out. But once you have made it to Spain, quarantine is no longer necessary. So if you want to soak up some Spanish sun, you can do so again in Valencia and go on a discovery tour in the old town. The trading exchange La Lonja de la Seda, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, stands out among the numerous architectural gems. But the cathedral of Spain’s third largest city is also impressive.
Before starting your journey – whether Italy or Spain – it is worth taking a look on the side of the Foreign Office. And that in turn can put a heavy damper on the joy of vacationing. Between travel warnings, traffic light systems and online forms, good advice is expensive and, according to the survey, this is exactly what some globetrotters want: 27 percent of the 15,000 respondents admit that they need more support when booking trips than before the pandemic.
Even more than half (51 percent) would like to be kept up to date on current developments, restrictions and regulations from a single source. The travel app of the Federal Foreign Office or the Expedia Covid-19 travel planner, which provides detailed information on the current situation (mask and quarantine obligation) at the holiday destination, can help.
More variety: the main thing is to get out of everyday corona!
This destination does not necessarily have to be in the south. Holidaymakers have been able to travel to Sylt and Fehmarn again since the beginning of May. Hotels, holiday homes, restaurants and pubs opened there as part of a model project And also in the Schlei region including Eckernförde and in the inner Bay of Lübeck, tourists are more than welcome again. According to the survey, holiday-hungry people don’t really care about being able to go on a long-haul trip again: The main thing is to get out of everyday Corona, said 49 percent of those surveyed.
Food that is served (49 percent) and for which you don’t have to clean up the kitchen yourself afterwards (45 percent) is also very popular. So why not try the Sylt specialty cutter plaice with fried potatoes and bacon? If that’s too hearty for you, you might just enjoy a cocktail in the beach café or restaurant – then relaxation is perfect, 36 percent of the survey participants from twelve countries agree on this.
Either way, 60 percent would like to be able to travel again without restrictions and discover the world piece by piece in order to be able to follow the advice of the Dalai Lama (85): “Once a year you should visit a place where you have never been before were. “