COVID-19 will change things in unexpected ways

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to change the world we live in- both in and through the social structures of our lives, with such things as social distancing, and no doubt with the economic tsunami coming our way.

Things are changing, of that we can be certain. But the changes may be around the smaller things in our life rather than the bigger dire apocalyptic warnings now circulating.

Let me explain.

I heard once of a young man who was left an inheritance by a distant relative and was informed it was to be used for travel. The expectations being that this healthy young man would head to Africa or Asia, backpack on and Google map out. The idea being that: “travel broadens the mind”.

The young man did no such thing. Instead he bought a giant television. He said he had abided by the wishes of his dead relative as on the newly bought television he watched little else but travel documentaries. There, with glorious, high-definition pictures and surround sound stereo he did indeed travel to Africa, Asia, and everywhere else in-between.

The story made me laugh. It now makes me wonder. The one industry that has been hit worst, and which seems to have no safety net in this COVID-19 storm is the travel industry.

Recent figures for the drop in passenger flights in and out of the United Kingdom are so low, it is easier simply to say that it no longer exists.  Business travel is non-existent. Cheap airline travel has not only ceased but so too have some of the airlines that provided it.  Train travel across the UK is equally disseminated. International travel appears now historic, from a previous age. The European Union is examining who can travel where across what frontiers. The bad news for the UK is that many on the Continent do not consider that country safe enough from COVID-19 yet to allow its citizens to freely come and go.

And then there are the once lucrative cruise ships. Formerly a sign of a prosperous retirement or a luxurious reward, now these vessels are forever burned into our minds as disease ridden ghost ships that no port will allow to dock. It will take a great deal of ingenuity to re-invent that sector with a business plan that looks viable and gives confidence to investors and customers alike.

But the whole concept of travel is one of the things that will be changed by COVID-19. Recently, while under lockdown, I caught some virtual tourism on YouTube. On there you can find walking tours; you can climb mountains; swim in the Pacific ocean, visit as many cities as your imagination can conjure up, and all in high-definition.

And I have been doing it all, and enjoying it all, without an airport scanner in sight.  I am sure I am not alone in liking travel but not liking the process of travelling somewhere. Who during this lockdown has ever said: oh, I wish I could spend more time at Heathrow Airport! If you have been there, you’ll know how ridiculous that statement is. Most of us can’t get away from or through airports the world over fast enough.

And in recent years air travel in particular, with cheaper travel options and thus service and greater never-ending security measures, has become a complete bore. I have a friend who positively dreads being in airports with their muzack and re-cycled air.

Time away from all this has not made the heart fonder. In fact, I’ve seen on line people starting to say things like: I hope I can never go back to London again, or I don’t ever want to leave the UK, and so on. I’m sure these are not uncommon views.

Ultimately, if these feelings persist, they will start to not just slow down travel but finish it off how completely.

COVID-19 has made Zoom and other video meetings and the whole concept of virtual business meetings mainstream in a way that even six months ago could not have been envisaged. You can speak to someone in London in the morning, another in Los Angeles in the afternoon and yet another in Sydney in the evening. No problem. We like the convenience; we like the fact it is more informal, and what you lose in not being together is made up by the fact that you can meet more often.

But there is another side to this as well. Many of the world’s problems would be cut down if we cut down on travel – especially holiday travel and especially via airlines. The quality of air in today’s London is a constant testament to a different way to live. And as air travel, and travel in general, has gone back 60 years, surprisingly we have managed to get along just fine with our lives.

Do we really want to return to our previous flying here and there through rotten airports with surly staff?

I would go further and say that the millions who commute in and out of London each day will start to scratch their heads at how they do the same work at home while saving four hours a day, 20 hours per week, 80 hours per month, 960 hours per year. And remember this is time travelling – not work time – so that’s nearly six weeks a year more time to yourself and your family.

Can you see anyone turning down the offer of six weeks extra vacation per year? And what’s more can you see anyone willingly going back to giving up six weeks of your life to stand in a crowded train?

Things will be changing in unexpected ways, believe me.