Many are concerned about the future of the travel industry. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts were optimistic, relying on their experiences with past crises, such as 9/11 and SARS. They did not foresee that in a matter of weeks, planes would be grounded, hotels would be emptied, cities would be under lockdown, and borders would be closed. This unprecedented crisis showed us that nothing is certain and that we must be ever prepared to adapt.

As both a traveler and travel professional, I have been trying to understand the effects of this pandemic on our industry. It is critical that we support our clients during this time of uncertainty and adjust as needed to new scenarios as soon as they are ready to travel again. It is also imperative that we support our industry by helping colleagues, suppliers, and partners develop solutions that reinvent our sector and reflect current safety standards for both travelers and workers.

Time will tell what changes are here to stay. Right now, we must concentrate on what we can do as travelers and travel professionals to make travel safe again.

• Promote safety and comfort

We travel to enjoy ourselves, relax, appreciate life, meet new people, try new foods, and see places we’ve only dreamed of. The words travel and uncomfortable are incompatible. They pair to create a bad experience, and no traveler wants a bad experience. People will start traveling again when they feel comfortable, confident, and safe. As a few countries rehearse their reopening, we keep our fingers crossed that they succeed. We must work to feel comfortable enough to travel again.

• Make informed decisions

Now, more than ever, we must be informed and take appropriate precautions. We need to stay up to date with safety guidelines, destinations’ rules and policies, cancelation penalties, airline regulations, the reliability of hotels and other accommodations, visitation precautions, and much more. Planning a trip just became much more overwhelming. We must seek information and adjust to changes. Destinations will expect travelers to be careful and respectful. In addition, planning a vacation far in advance may be tricky for a while, since we are unsure what may change in the coming months. So, we must continually research and stay informed.

• Confirm cancelation terms

During this pandemic, so many people have had to deal with canceling flights, hotels, vacation packages, or other travel-related purchases, highlighting the importance of carefully reading contracts to understand travelers’ rights and obligations. When signing a travel contract, make sure you understand details such as cancelation deadlines, non-refundable deposits, and change fees.

• Look into private tours

Most people are uncomfortable being near strangers right now and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Private tours, therefore, are becoming a real trend. Such tours have been around a long time but are usually considered a luxury. Now, families are considering private tours for safety. As restrictions start to lift, such tours may prove the safest way to travel. They offer travelers the opportunity to distance themselves from crowds while enjoying the best of a destination.

• Explore domestic travel and travel bubbles

Most experts agree that domestic travel will resume first. Road trips and short-term vacations will likely be the first choices of most travelers. Because most people feel safer at home, domestic travel may be preferable. With time, longer trips and overseas vacations will again become more feasible. Some destinations are planning “travel bubbles,” which are agreements between two countries or cities to open borders for travel between one another while remaining closed to others, at least for a while. Examples are New Zealand and Australia and China and Singapore. We don’t yet know exactly how these bubbles will work or how efficient they will be. However, it is good to see such efforts to resume international travel. Let’s hope they succeed and that demand continues to grow.

• Consider the pros and cons of hotels and rentals

In a post-pandemic world, what kinds of accommodations will be the safest places to stay? Hotels are developing professional hygiene and cleaning standards that rentals will likely be unable to compete with. How could Airbnb, for example, regulate cleaning standards for each of its independently owned homes and apartments? However, rentals provide a sense of privacy, and their rooms are occupied by fewer visitors than those of hotels. Also, hotels have more common areas, such as elevators and pools, that may challenge attempts at social distancing. Regarding cancelation and refund policies, big hotel chains may have standard plans in place, while rentals require negotiating with individual homeowners. Choosing between hotels and rentals, therefore, may be difficult for a while. Each traveler must do what feels most comfortable. One thing we know for sure: both hotels and rentals are working hard to find solutions that allow guests to have safe and enjoyable experiences.

The travel industry is facing many challenges in our post-COVID-19 world. But it’s been amazing to see professionals across a variety of fields working together to reshape and rebuild the industry. We all have one goal at heart: to travel—safely—again soon. And we will!