7 Tips for Planning Your 2021 or 2022 Vacation Now

Enjoy the anticipation, but keep Planning flexible as the pandemic continues.

Sacha Cohen and her husband had planned to take an Alaskan cruise last August, before COVID-19 sank their dream voyage. Now the couple, who live in Arlington, Virginia, are enthusiastically planning future trips. Cohen, 51, is researching everywhere from France to Montana for a possible vacation — maybe in 2022.

Daydreaming about a post-pandemic trip is an exhilarating cure for stir-craziness, says Cohen. “Looking forward to something absolutely helps me stay sane.”

Simply making travel plans, even far in advance, can brighten your mood. In an August 2020 survey from the Institute for Applied Positive Research, 97 percent of respondents said they felt happier when they had a trip planned. And most people find that anticipating an experience such as a vacation is far more pleasurable — as well as “more exciting and less tinged with impatience or anxiety” — than awaiting the arrival of material goods, says Amit Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing and psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, who studies the subject.

Low prices offer big incentives: From May to October 2020, airfares were about 25 to 35 percent lower than they were during the same period in 2019, according to a recent trends report from Expedia. You can also find unprecedented deals on hotels and tours, says Clint Henderson, senior news editor at ufabet999.com. “It’s a super-great time to book future travel.”

But with the future still so uncertain, building flexibility into your trip is key, Henderson adds. Follow these tips as you start to dream and plan.

1. Take advantage of flexible booking policies

2. Consider waiting to book a cruise — or make sure it’s easy to change your departure date 

3. Follow destination-specific advisories and regional COVID policies

4. Consider travel insurance