The question we can’t stop asking: When and how can we travel again? Global research by travel agency eDreams showed that prolonged lockdowns and home isolation have people itching for adventure and escapism, with 70% of surveyees planning 2021 trips.

Fun fact: Almost every single person we’ve interviewed for our popular Work From Home Routine column has said that the one thing they’re most looking forward to post-pandemic is to travel again.

But the travel landscape has changed, and so must our travel mindset, Lonely Planet warns us. The key is to be prepared and flexible, with some contingency plans in place. What will you do if your planned destination becomes a covid hotspot? Will you bring extra disinfectant, masks and other hygiene equipment for trips that involve a lot of time on the road? Are you ready to spend your holiday reading by the pool if all the tourist spots are closed? Could you self-isolate on your arrival or after your return if needed? What does your insurance cover? What’s the cut-off point for calling off your trip entirely? These are all questions you need to answer — and if possible, write down — as you plan your getaway, LP advises.

The covid-19 change in travel habits could be long-lasting: 83% of 9.5k frequent travellers from 12 countries who took part in a global airline passenger confidence survey said their travel habits would change, even after the pandemic has abated.

Everyone’s hoping that tech innovations will help — primarily by providing more real-time updates on the covid-19 status of different destinations and by enabling more contactless systems, including payment and staggered queues for security.

Travel anxiety varies depending on the age of surveyees and their countries’ pandemic responses: Surveyees over 65 were three times as likely to wait for a vaccine before travelling again than their younger counterparts aged 25-34. Anxiety around travel appears to be higher among Asian citizens than Europeans, despite reporting higher levels of satisfaction with how airlines have handled covid. It surely can’t be a stretch to link this more cautious approach to travel with the lower rates of covid seen in many Asian countries. 58% of Singaporean and 54% of South Koreans say their behaviour to avoid covid is highly cautious, versus just 29% in the UK, reports Forbes. Aggregated data indicates that Singapore has seen just 29 covid deaths, South Korea 1.2k and the UK 89k.

Countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Australia — with great pandemic responses — could be shooting up bucket lists: Future travellers will be drawn to destinations seen as clean, healthy and safe, and to have managed the pandemic effectively, suggests a report by Pacific Asia Travel Association, along with partners including the World Economic Forum. The report shows a clear link between perceptions of health and hygiene and the competitiveness of countries as travel destinations.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg’s urging a (somewhat) sustainable travel rebound in this overview of 24 destinations supposedly prioritizing environmental sustainability and community rebuilding. Stunning images, a rundown on covid-19 safeguarding measures in place in each, and in-country highlights — from art and culture in Senegal to bracing walks in the British countryside — will have you, like us, itching to get on a plane even more than you already are.

And Egypt’s a bucket list destination for post-covid travel with the Siwa Oasis getting some special love on its own. (The Wall Street Journal | The New York Times)