A guide to travelling in 2021

With guidance around travel restrictions ever-changing we’ve worked with our partners, the Focus Travel Partnership, to separate fact from fiction for business travellers in the coming months.

While essential workers have continued to travel as required throughout the pandemic, airports, train stations and hotels may look a little different to those who’ve not been able to venture further than their local area over the last year.

When will travel re-start?

The Global Travel Taskforce confirmed that international travel could resume from 17 May with the introduction of a new traffic light system to help monitor the spread of any new variants.

Countries will be given a colour code within the traffic light system and this will be kept under review – the different rules applying to green, amber and red countries can be found on this government page.

While there has been plenty of media speculation on how this translates to holidays and leisure travel, there’s little being said about the importance of reviving business travel.

We know our travel partners are keen to get back on the road and in the air to nurture business relationships, secure deals and regain a sense of normality – but what does that restart look like and how can we prepare? Take a look at our guide to travelling in 2021 below.

Top tips if you’re booking travel

• Review your travel policies, ensuring there’s a stringent trip booking approval procedure. With duty of care in mind, consider how senior this approval needs to be and if there are processes in place should that person be away
• Limit the use of public transport by working with us to create a list of pre-approved accommodation based on location, hygiene ratings and any other required features. Have peace of mind that your travelling team will only ever stay at these hotels
• Create a travel mandate to further emphasise your duty of care. Partnering with us for all travel bookings means we can take care of the complex details, navigate the constant changes to the travel landscape and provide an overview of your travellers at any given time
• Communicate with your travellers to understand if/when they’re comfortable travelling again and check their passports are valid in line with post-Brexit requirements
• Make the most of your travel budget by considering premium cabins or higher grade hotels which are likely to have higher-spec safety features. Will you advocate longer trips to prevent frequent back and forth travel?
• Utilise our expertise; we’re here to help you navigate the complexities of visas, testing and entry requirements. Our consultants pride themselves on going the extra mile – what they don’t know, they’ll be meticulous in finding out

Top tips if you’re travelling

• Check local requirements as countries will differ on pre-arrival tests, certificates and quarantine. We’ll be able to support with this, but it’s best to feel prepared as the travel landscape continues to look a little different than usual
• Download apps in advance – help keep covid-secure by utilising airline and hotel apps to speed up contact-free check ins
• How can we help you? As well as recommending pre-approved hotels, we can further support your journey by pre-booking airport parking, car hire or private transfers; no matter where in the world you are
• Be prepared for gyms, swimming pools and room service to be different. Chat to our expert consultants beforehand so you have an idea of currently available amenities and of any pre-booking requirements

We know there’s a plethora of constantly changing advice out there when it comes to travel, so we hope you’ve found our guide to travelling 2021 helpful. We’ve been here supporting our travel partners throughout the pandemic and we’re continuing to help them make plans to restart or develop their travel programs from this summer.

Contact us here if you’d like us to do the same for you.