Should Coronavirus Influence Your Travel Decisions?

*Editorial note: This post was written at the very earliest stages of the global pandemic. It’s interesting to read this in retrospect…the parts that remain accurate and the parts that over- or under-estimated the eventual impact of Covid-19 on travel around the world.

If you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, #Coronavirus (or COVID-19 as it’s also called) is having a worldwide impact on travel. It’s not just the medical impact of the virus that is causing concerns. The psychological effects of the coronavirus crisis are having a huge impact on our travel behaviors. Governments, airlines, travel services, cruise lines, organizers for events like #SXSW Music Festival, and others are all scrambling to make decisions regarding travel during this ever-evolving public health crisis. So what influences our travel behaviors when it comes to our health?

For example, what about your upcoming travel plans? Is it okay to travel while the coronavirus is out there? Should I cancel my trip because of the coronavirus? If any of these questions have crossed your mind, you’re not alone.

International travelers have become increasingly concerned about traveling to China (and some other Eastern countries), and both personal and business travelers have cancelled trips to the area. And it’s not just international travelers that are adjusting to the coronavirus concern. In the U.S., travelers are wary of any new cases of coronavirus. Some people are choosing to avoid states with any identified coronavirus case.

I can’t tell you what you should do in regards to your travel decisions during health risks, that’s up to you. For more information on the medical risks and latest travel advisories, check out the Center for Disease Control. What I can do is shed some light on the ways people make decisions about their health, including travel.

What does psychology say about health and travel?

From a psychological standpoint, our minds tend to take shortcuts when making decisions. These shortcuts affect the ways in which we consider new information. Currently, the tremendous media coverage of coronavirus has contributed to what’s called an “availability bias”. This means that the more exposure we have to certain kinds of information, the more likely our thinking and decisions about the topic may be influenced.

Think about it…how often have you checked your phone today to see any news updates? The major headline across the board is coronavirus. The more you are given constant updates regarding the latest number of coronavirus cases and emerging “possible” cases, the more you tend to automatically keep the coronavirus at the tip of your tongue and top of your mind. The problem with this is that the availability bias can lead you to making faulty decisions about your travel based on skewed assessment of risk.

As an example, consider that scientists estimate the current (at the time of this blog post) mortality rate of coronavirus at around 2%. This is still well below the mortality rate for plenty of other medical illnesses. Plus, there are other diseases that are easier to “catch”. So why don’t we keep the same degree of heightened alert for those other diseases if they can be more deadly and easier to transmit than coronavirus? A major reason the coronavirus is so frightening is that we’re more exposed to information about it. It “feels” like it’s everywhere because that’s what everyone is talking about at work, at the grocery store, on television, and on social media. Even if the likehood of catching the flu when shopping at the mall is higher than catching coronavirus by visiting a state with one confirmed case, few have stopped shopping (at the time of this post) while many are taking steps to avoid visiting certain geographic regions.

Fear is powerful motivator, in both a helpful and less-helpful sense. Fear is a helpful tool to protect you, though too much fear restricts you. Think through the available information you have from reputable sources like your doctor or government agencies dedicated to public health. Try to take an objective look using multiple sources of information to get the most well-rounded version of latest events and health recommendations. This will help you reduce bias in your decisions. It will also help reduce the likelihood of relying only on emotional reasoning, making decisions based only on how you feel.

Health Behaviors and Travel Behaviors

To understand the psychology of the travel behaviors in the midst of the coronavirus problem, we turn to a specialty area within clinical psychology called Health Psychology. According to one of the established models in health psychology, the Health Belief Model, people tend to make decisions about their health due to a handful of important factors. For example, we make decisions based on the perceived susceptibility of acquiring an illness. If you don’t think you’re at high risk of acquiring the coronavirus, you’re less likely to change your scheduled travels plans to places with known coronavirus cases.

Another important factor is your perception of the severity of the coronavirus. If you get the virus but don’t anticipate having any significant symptoms, you perceive the severity to be low and are unlikely to make significant changes to your travel plans. The reverse is also true. If you imagine that the severity of problems will be high (e.g., long-term hospitalization or death), you are definitely going to take every precaution possible. Ask yourself, how susceptible are you to acquiring coronavirus? How worried are you about the severity of symptoms? Would this change significantly if you were to travel to a place with any known cases?

Another factor to keep in mind is in regards to the perceived benefits and perceived barriers of taking an action. Basically, high benefits and low barriers mean you’re more likely to engage in a given travel behavior. Let’s take making a decision about whether or not to go ahead with your planned vacation due to concerns about the coronavirus. What would be the benefits of making the decision to go ahead and travel? After all, you have planned this trip for a long time and are looking forward to it. What would be the benefits of not moving forward with your travel plans? Perhaps you might have a better sense of safety and the peace that comes with that feeling.

After you’ve considered the potential benefits of your choice, consider the potential barriers to that decision. For example, although you see great benefits to proceeding with your travel plans, barriers might include airline cancellations due to coronavirus. Or perhaps there’s been a run at the stores on important protective gear like N95 breathing masks for use during your travel. Remember to consider the benefits, but also the practical barriers.

Coronavirus and Your Travel Plans

Ultimately, any decisions related to your health are important. There’s no easy answer when it comes to making tough travel decisions, particularly when your health is involved. Do your research, check for government-issued warnings, check travel blogs, and talk with your doctor. Take the time to learn about the latest conditions impacting your health, and pay attention to how you feel about those conditions! Your gut may be trying to tell you something. Be aware of how you feel about your susceptibility to acquiring coronavirus and the severity if that did happen. Remember also to consider the benefits of taking any actions during your travels while also considering the practical barriers.

#CoronavirusTravelTips

1. Do your research.
2. Check for government-issued warnings.
3. Check travel blogs.
4. Talk with your doctor.
5. Pay attention to how you feel about the conditions impacting your health.
6. Identify how you feel about how susceptible you might be of acquiring coronavirus (high risk vs highly unlikely).
7. Consider how you anticipate the severity of problems would be if you did (life changing vs meh).
8. Consider the benefits of any decisions about your travel plans.
9. Don’t forget to consider the practical barriers to moving forward or changing plans as well.
10. Consider multiple sources of information to help reduce bias in your thinking
11. When in doubt, trust your gut.

Ultimately, we can use what we know about psychology and health to help us make the best travel decisions for ourselves.

What do you think? Feel free to comment. To what degree should our travel be affected by public health issues? What are some other factors to consider when making travel decisions in light of the coronavirus? Any other helpful resources to share?

Happy Travels,

Dr. L
Founder: PsychologyofTravel.com

This content may include affiliate links from advertisers.  It may earn a commission from actions readers take on these links (at no cost to you), such as a click, purchase, or subscribe.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.