Over the past year or so, traveling has significantly decreased. Due to the coronavirus, millions of people were unable to travel either for work or pleasure. It simply became too unsafe to travel anywhere, whether it was by car, bus, public transportation, or airplane. However, this doesn’t mean that travel has stopped altogether.
Traveling has started to pick up again in recent months as the vaccine rollout began and the spread of the virus slowed. This is especially true for business travelers, who often do not have the luxury of deciding where and when they travel. But the threat isn’t entirely gone, meaning business travelers must still take precautions whenever they travel, for their own safety and that of others.
How Businesses Are Staying Safe
To keep travelers safe, businesses have had to adopt new policies. For example, many companies have opted to hold meetings and conferences online, rather than having everyone meet in person. This not only helps for day-to-day meetings but cuts back on the necessary travel for larger meetings. Entire large-scale conferences are now being conducted online, to varying degrees of success, due to travel restrictions and health concerns.
Businesses in the travel industry have also made significant changes. For example, if you were to head to the airport right now, you’d find every employee in a mask and that everyone is required to remain a safe distance away from others. You’d also likely find that your plane isn’t filled to capacity, to allow more room in between passengers. Airlines are doing their best to fit as many people as they can into a plane, without adding additional risk to the passengers.
You would even find safety protocols being enhanced outside the airport. For example, according to Valet Connections, an airport valet service in Detroit “We now require all employees to wear masks when they are interacting with customers and driving their vehicles. We also maintain a safe social distance at all times and keep our shuttle capacity limited.”
Finally, some businesses are choosing different travel methods. For instance, some businesses now prefer that their employees rent a car and drive to an out-of-town meeting, rather than flying or taking public transit. Being alone in a car reduces the risk of transmission, keeping everyone safer, even if it does mean that it takes longer to arrive at the destination.
Keeping Yourself Safe
While businesses are doing what they can to keep employees and customers safe, there are things that you can do on your own. For one, you should try to find alternatives to traveling whenever possible. If your company suggests going on a sales call, see if you can conduct this meeting virtually, for both your and the customers’ benefit.
If you do have to travel, remember to always wear a mask when you’re in public. Whether you’re getting on a subway or waiting in line at the airport, you should always have your mask on. It’s also important to remember to wash your hands whenever you can, especially if you have recently left a crowded public space.
When you return from travel, you should make arrangements to get yourself tested. Try to remain quarantined until you receive the results from this test. If you were unfortunately infected while you were traveling, it’s important to limit the spread of the disease now that you’re home. You should also inform anyone you met with during your travels of your positive test so that they can get tested themselves.
Finally, remember the basic rules of preventing the spread. This means keeping a safe distance away from others whenever possible, avoiding handshakes, and staying away from crowded areas. Now is not the time to go out for celebratory drinks after closing that big sale.
The Future of Business Travel
As the coronavirus situation continues to improve, many businesses will likely go back to their original way of operating. This means more traveling abroad and fewer restrictions when you do travel. However, some businesses will likely continue with the way things are. They have found that hosting meetings virtually is not only convenient, but it is more affordable.
Thanks to technological advances, you can do practically everything you would in person. Businesses no longer have to pay for large office spaces or expensive trips abroad when you can simply connect over the internet. If you used to frequently travel for work, and that halted during the pandemic, don’t assume everything goes back to normal.
