As COVID-19 restrictions are being relaxed, many New Zealanders are itching to hop on a plane and fly to other countries, following a two-year isolation.
Travel agencies have experienced a surge in business since the government announced it will be allowing Kiwi travellers to fly abroad, 1News reported.
“I think there’s a real hunger to get out and experience other cultures, other destinations and actually have a break,” said Dalwyn Sinclair of House of Travel.
However, the process of travelling has yet to return to how it was before the pandemic.
“There’s a lot of planning and preparation involved around the pre-departure testing and also the vaccine requirements and the health declaration and various immigration requirements,” Sinclair said.
Another extremely important part of travelling in the post-COVID world is insurance. All travellers must have insurance and fully understand what their policies do and do not cover.
According to Tim Grafton, Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) chief executive, if a traveller can’t afford travel insurance, then they can’t afford to travel.
“You can also buy a COVID extension now that’s particular to you and will cover you – say if you came down with Omicron and you couldn’t travel,” Grafton said, “If you’d already got cover when you bought your ticket, you’d be covered for any losses you might incur.”
However, ICNZ has stated multiple times that travel insurance will not cover any losses or delays caused by government-mandated actions such as lockdowns and quarantines.
