In Australia we’ve been lucky enough to have domestic travel open up once again, and with the airlines opening up international bookings for mid 2021 we’re thinking about what travel, and luggage, will look like in a Covid-19 world. 
 
Luggage Hygiene 
Personal hygiene is something everyone has now incorporated into their everyday life; masks, sanitizer, hand washing and social distancing is and will continue to be the norm through airports and on planes as much as possible. Having access to a hygiene pouch of sorts in your handbag that you can have within reach at all times would be recommended and it should include spare disposable masks, personal sanitiser, antibacterial wipes and disposable gloves. Airports and planes are obviously high risk areas for infection transfer and extra care should be taken when handling high traffic areas such as tray tables, seats, toilets and areas where social distancing is not possible. 
 
Hardsided Suitcases
Recently there has been a shift to hard sided luggage for security and aesthetic reasons, Covid-19 means we will continue to see hard sided luggage as the more popular choice. Being easy to clean and easy to give a quick wipe with an antibacterial wipe as you collect it off the conveyor belt, a hardside suitcase is easily the better choice for stress free hygienic transiting through the airport. 
 
Interior Packing
Packing pouches have been popular for a while to help organise your suitcase interior and fast and easy unpacking and repacking. For travel during Covid-19 travel pouches can be used to separate your items and keep items that need cleaning or sanitizing separate from your clean belongings. As we return to travel for work and leisure we’ll find ourselves in situations where our clothes, bags or personal belongings might need separating for a portion of our trip until they can be properly cleaned. Various sized pouches and reusable zip lock backs will be beneficial for this. Bonus points if they are washable. 
Suitcase with no lining or washable lining will also be beneficial for thorough cleansing at the end of your trip. Some Samsonite hard suitcases and many of the Delsey hard suitcases have removable and washable lining. 
 
In the Airport
The airport, along with its checkpoints and forms, boarding and disembarking, connections and transfers is stressful. To add in health checks, screenings and a cycle of masks, gloves, general hygiene and heightened stress around high risk zones, the airport and flight component of travel is likely to be even more chaotic. Minimizing stress through the airport will be the key to starting your holiday off on the right foot. Allowing yourself plenty of time. Organising your carry on bags so you have all your essentials at hand, easy to find and nice and secure will help to minimise the stress. 
Beyond the Airport 
Even before Covid-19 it was common to see our customers focused on the transiting side of their trip, and having the right gear to get what they want to take from one end to the other, rather than having the right gear to maximise their travel experience once they’ve arrived in their destination. 
In this Covid world, depending on your destination and exactly how things look when the borders are opened for leisure travel again, it may well be that we are still taking extra precautions in our day to day life. If we assume our current day to day here is an insight into how we will travel, we can assume that typical tourist hot spots will remain subject to restrictions and caution, social distancing, cleaning and extra hygiene. Once again, it would be advisable to have an organised day bag with your personal hygiene kit along with any specific requirements to the cities and countries your visiting. Of course you need to be well briefed in the current restrictions and requirements in the places you visit and to ensure you have everything you need on you at all times. Bag sorters, plastic bags, and travel organisers should be used to keep your bag sanitary if you need to dispose of masks, wipes and so on and there are no bins around. 
Giving thought ahead of time to where you are staying and the cleaning and hygiene, and making allowances to have gear with you to ensure hygiene wherever you go will make for a more relaxing trip. 
 
We look forward to travel kick starting this year. We know it will take time for it to be ‘as before’, but we look forward to reveling in the joys of travel once again, seeing it through fresh eyes and not take it for granted.