Domestic Travel Guide in the New Normal: Ensure a Hassle-Free Travel Experience

Jul 7, 2021

Travel & tourism is among the industries hit the hardest by the global pandemic. Today, it is gradually being revived. Good thing the wanderlust or travel enthusiasts among us are willing to abide with health protocols including swab test and other new normal guidelines. Are you and your family, friends or colleagues ready to travel again in the new normal?

If the answer is a resounding yes, prepare to grasp and embrace what is the new normal and how outbound travel meaning at this point is no longer the same as pre-Covid-19 times. A few months back you may have been asking “When will Boracay open” and what will be the travel pass requirements as well as health declaration form required? Or maybe you wondered how to get travel pass to go home to your hometown after months of lockdown.

Interestingly, many people who have come to realize the importance of mental and physical health during the lockdowns correlate overall wellness with communing with nature, which usually means stepping outside the confines of their current dwelling, and traveling. Over a year after the first lockdown took effect, many Pinoys feel very excited to travel local.

Before packing your swimsuits and bringing a family or gang outing to the next level, it pays to have a checklist of essential items, including travel pass requirements, the Philippines quarantine update, and sufficient cash. If you are not patient to queue at the bank, then you can try applying for a fast cash loan via a peer-to-peer funding platform like Blend.ph.  Here are a few vital things you need to do for a worry-free travel:

First, if you will be traveling to far-flung areas, check websites to see if domestic border crossings require travel pass, swab test result, and quarantine. If your chosen destination is Corregidor, for instance, it remains mandatory to wear a face mask, social distancing of 1 meter, and other Covid-19 safety rules. Travel advisory Philippines updates are also released by embassies and major news organizations.

With the first half of July 2021 in  National Capital Region and several provinces confirmed as under GCQ  (general community quarantine), check as well the requirements for travel under GCQ. A travel pass for every person entering Zamboanga City, for instance, is needed, and traveler needs  to register with the Safe, Swift and Smart (S-PaSS) Travel Management System. The same holds true for other places, like Pangasinan. Travelers are advised to register at Pangasinan.tarana.ph and apply for a travel pass QR Code.

Those who need to identify the needed travel pass requirements by a particular local government unit, like whether a health declaration form/medical certificate or a Travel Authority or both need to be presented by a traveler, can be obtained through the mobile app (S-PaSS) developed by the Department of Science and Technology.

Recommendations by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease or IATF guidelines for travel also need to be heeded. Current quarantine protocols for returning overseas Filipino workers, especially those exposed while working & traveling the world and joining their families for travel are being upheld by the IATF. Heightened measures are necessary especially with newer variants like Delta that Health officials said could infect about eight individuals.

Second in the list of things you need to know would be how things have changed in your favorite destinations. Trip.com Chair James Liang, stated that product innovation is the key or  driving force to the travel industry’s recovery. That means not just adding exciting activities but also ensuring a safe stay for travelers and their families. Online travel agencies have been working closely with their partners in the allied industries to make sure people arrive, and leave, their chosen destinations safe and sound.

Nonetheless, before finalizing travel plans, check email from your booked hotel for new normal requirements you would need to comply with. While you are online, you might as well check out virtual tours of attractions like museums, and policies in place, like contactless check-in at hotels and airports.

New normal guidelines need not send a traveler into a frenzy, if preparations are made in advance. There are informational tools to determine which Philippine destinations are open. It is best not to assume, and do an internet search to know what to bring. When traveling to Baguio, for example, travelers need to present a negative result of a rapid antigen or RT-PCR test obtained within 72 hours before arrival, along with valid government ID, and QR-coded travel pass. That pass must be presented to triage officers for updating of travel status. 

The third important thing you should never forget to have at hand, whether you are embarking on business trip or leisure travel, is extra cash. Delicious food, historic sights, souvenirs, accommodations and pampering services – there are so many things to explore and memories to treasure, so make sure you have enough funds.

With the easing of travel restrictions and continued rollout of vaccines, travelers to destinations in the Philippines may now pursue travel plans in the new normal, but with heightened precautions and compliance with new travel rules .Diminish worries about expenses and check your eligibility for a personal loan or fast loan by logging in to app.blend.ph. Register as a borrower at the Blend.ph platform and provide the needed information along with supporting documents for quick evaluation. Bon voyage!