Travel Writer Alice Wibberley shares her expectations for a ‘post-pandemic’ year abroad
In the last few weeks, UoB students have been allocated places at host universities, including students who last year chose to invert or postpone their year abroad. However, familiar feelings of uncertainty prevail. Some Universities in the U.S. have been operating online-only since the beginning of the pandemic so will they re-open in time? Furthermore, prospects of international travel rely upon government policy. Understandably, attitudes remain cautious with memories of mandated quarantines and last-minute cancellations remain fresh in our minds. So what can students expect from a ‘post-pandemic’ year abroad?
Read any article doling out advice for a year abroad. Nearly all of them will mention taking the chance to explore more of the country than the University’s surrounding area. This is one aspiration many prospective travelers may have to reconsider. Recently, the British media has been hosting the debate on the morality of non-essential travel during the pandemic. Celebrities and influencers have come under fire for travelling to Dubai, suggesting that the public are not very sympathetic towards travel they deem unnecessary. Whilst optimism is growing for a return to travel with the vaccine rollout, it is unclear whether it will become safe enough, or accepted in the media to do so.
The experience of travel has been far from normal and it’s likely to stay this way for a little while longer
Furthermore, what about traveling to a country with a vastly different outlook on the pandemic? The U.S. has consistently seen higher than average death and transmission rates. In August 2020, they were hosting one-quarter of global COVID-19 cases despite only making up 4% of the world’s population. The British media has keenly reported every ill-informed recommendation made by former-President Donald Trump, from injecting disinfectant to the racist language surrounding the pandemic’s origins. Many are hoping Joe Biden will take a different approach for the U.S, however, if 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that government policy can only go so far in altering individual attitudes and actions.
Recently, anti-lockdown sentiment has spiked in the U.K. and Europe. However, these feelings have been widely reported in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic. Stories of college parties, videos of ‘anti-maskers’ interrogating retail workers, and interviews with COVID-19 deniers have constructed the perception that American’s are more likely to reject COVID-measures. However, the data suggests that the public’s adherence to regulations and levels of personal responsibility mirror those of Britain. A U.S. study from last year reported that respectively 72% and 76% of American’s believed attending in-person gatherings and traveling for the winter holiday period posed a ‘large or moderate risk’ to their health.
The key difference is in policy. The U.S. has traditionally taken a more laissez-faire approach than the U.K. with no national lockdown and mask mandates only sporadically enforced. Planning for a year abroad then will likely be governed by cautious hope. Vaccines and a new President may put socialising, domestic travel, and face-to-face learning back on the table. Yet, it’s likely they will be accompanied by the caveats of mask-wearing and social distancing, especially if vaccine uptake in the U.S. is as low as projected.
Travel during the pandemic has always had its risks and drawbacks but living abroad for an extended period of time will only exacerbate frustrations with restrictions. It is likely that the upcoming year abroad experiences over the next year will vary massively. They will depend on the host country, its attitudes and handling of the pandemic, and individualised appetites for travel and socialising. Personally, I’m just hoping to be let into the country.
With the vaccine rollout, there is hope that flights can resume and Universities can bring back in-person learning and all the extra-curricular and social add-ons that make the experience so worthwhile. But travel now necessitates a lowering of expectations. From quarantine to attraction closures, the experience of travel has been far from normal and it’s likely to stay this way for a little while longer.
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