The world is finally opening for business, but how do you go about planning your long-awaited trip in 2022? Learn how to plan, budget and book your dream holiday.
Countries around the world are opening their arms to travellers as international borders reopen and COVID restrictions ease.
Whether it’s an adventure, a relaxing getaway, or a luxury trip abroad every trip requires careful planning.
The flights you book, where you stay and the activities you plan all have the potential to make or break your holiday.
For decades, travel agency Flight Centre has been helping Australians plot and plan their adventures overseas.
To navigate the financial considerations, COVID challenges, and achieve a dream holiday, the team at Flight Centre have passed on their top travel tips for 2022.
How to plan your holiday as travel restarts
For two years Australians have been starved of holidays abroad, but as the world reopens plans for travel are becoming a priority.
“It seems that after COVID, all people want to do is take a well-earned break somewhere tropical by the beach,” said Kelly Spencer, general manager at Flight Centre Australia.
“In terms of overseas holidays, Fiji and Hawaii are proving very popular with Aussie holiday-makers,” she said. “Closer to home, Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are where people have been heading.”
But the pandemic has changed the way we travel. The new reality of covid testing, vaccination certificates and health restrictions has amplified the planning that’s involved.
“We’re meeting customers every day who have hardly ever used a travel agent to help plan their trips and holidays,” said Spencer. “But they’ve come to us because all the new post-COVID travel rules and requirements are so daunting.”
Flight Centre travel expert Alysha Tan has five items on her travel checklist.
Tan said travellers should check their passport expiry date, visa requirements, airline COVID-rules, destination COVID-restrictions and travel insurance.
What to budget for on your next holiday
Whether you’re packing your swimmers for a trip to Bali, rummaging for your ski pants to hit the slopes in New Zealand, or reaching for your hiking boots to trek in Nepal you’ll need to plan a budget.
Tan said she gets a good understanding of each customer’s negotiables and non-negotiables before building their budget.
“It varies a lot depending on what people want,” she said. “Some customers must have an ocean view room with breakfast included during their stay whereas there are some customers that just want a clean room with a bed.”
Flight Centre team leader Luvena Lee said the number one budgeting consideration was airfares.
“Airfares usually make up the bulk of a holiday spend, sometimes up to half of your entire spend,” she said.
To pay the return airfare from Sydney to London or Melbourne to Rome, a long interest free credit card can help customers manage the standard rates that start from $1200.
A long interest free period allows jet setters to absorb the upfront costs that come with airfares while having the gift of time to make repayments.
When new or current humm90 cardholders book their new holiday with Flight Centre they have access to long term interest offers of up to 12 months interest free.
Start planning tomorrow’s holiday and visit humm90 today.
