Airbnb head Brian Chesky is planning to travel across the country over the next few months, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking a break from running the short-term rental platform.

The CEO believes travel among remote workers will be bigger than ever as the pandemic pushes employers to offer more flexible working conditions. To prove it’s possible to work from just about anywhere, Chesky plans to live and work from Airbnbs across the U.S. over the next several months, returning to his home in San Francisco between each one-to-two-week trip.

“All you need is a laptop and someone’s internet in their home and you can do your job. In fact, you can even run a nearly $100 billion company,” he told USA TODAY. 

“I generally like homes that feel like they’re part of a community,” he said. “Some Airbnbs feel a little bit more lived-in than others.” 

Chesky suggests remote workers who want to travel through Airbnb look for listings with good Wi-Fi and take a close look at reviews. The longer, the better, he said.  

“The more passionate somebody is a better review, the longer they’re going to leave reviews,” Chesky said. “So if you see a bunch of reviews and they’re like one or two sentences on Airbnb, even they’re positive, clearly that property didn’t leave the same impression.”

The CEO plans to use his time working remotely to find ways to improve the platform. Airbnb has announced major upgrades in recent months, and Chesky said “some pretty big updates” related to remote work will drop before the summer travel season arrives.

‘A revolution in travel’

Before the pandemic, customers primarily viewed Airbnb as a way to find an apartment in a city to stay at for a few days, according to Chesky. That’s changed over the past two years. 

About 20% of nights booked between July and September were 28 days or longer. Half of the nights booked in that same time were at least seven days long – up from 44% in 2019.  

“We’re on the verge of a revolution in travel,” Chesky said. “The world is getting digitized. The world is getting smaller. It’s getting more global. And I think this has probably been the biggest change in daily living.”  

While the pandemic won’t last forever, Chesky believes the remote working trend is here to stay with the “vast majority” of workers not returning to the office five days a week. He expects this will be especially big for workers without kids who are tethered to a school system but added that remote work could open doors for families who want to travel for extended periods over the summer.  

The shift is a boon for employees who want to fit in more travel, but Chesky said it makes sense from a business perspective as well: Why would a company limit their labour pool to only people who live near their office?  

“I think ultimately, people are going to want to compete for the very best talent,” he said. 

‘I feel like I can be anywhere’

Chesky’s next stop is still undecided. Cities with friends he’d like to visit are high on the list, but he’s not discounting small towns and rural communities as options. 

“I’m still kind of still figuring out where my next adventure is,” he said. “I think I’m going to go to Nashville and then I think I’m gonna go to L.A. I’m not sure where next – maybe Miami.” 

Chesky is considering posting a poll on social media to ask advice on where to go next.

“It’s a really fun adventure,” he said. “I always had this dream of being able to live anywhere. … (Now,) as long as I’m in a reasonable time zone, I feel like I can be anywhere, and I can be just as effective here as at my house. So my office is everywhere.”

Source: USA Today

Just when travel restrictions were finally easing up and travelers began rejoicing, Omicron crashed the party. News of the Covid variant prompted border closures, new travel warnings and quarantines, indicating that the pandemic will continue to change the way we travel for some time to come.

Fortunately, many of the changes we can expect to see in the travel insurance industry this year—and beyond—are aimed at easing pandemic travel woes.

Since the pandemic started, travelers have been buying more protection for trip cancellations, and the industry is addressing coverage for Covid-related issues and moving toward more flexibility and transparency.

Many travelers are eager to book voyages for 2022, and they’re adding insurance to their plans. Travel insurance sales increased 53% in the days right after news of the Omicron variant, according to Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison provider.

Here are some of the travel insurance trends you can expect to see in 2022.

Trip Cancellation Insurance Will Continue to Gain Steam

Trip cancellation insurance reimburses you for prepaid, non-refundable deposits if you cancel for a reason that’s listed in your policy, such as an illness or family emergency.

Trip cancellation insurance has always been a popular component of travel insurance. It has been part of 80% to 90% of travel insurance policies, according to Squaremouth.

As the pandemic continues to affect travel, this trend shows no sign of slowing down. Sales of travel insurance plans with trip cancellation coverage increased 255% year-over-year, says Squaremouth.

“Cancel for Any Reason” Coverage Will Maintain Momentum

“Cancel for any reason” (CFAR) insurance is an upgrade available for some policies that expands your ability to make a trip cancellation claim. If you have CFAR coverage, you can cancel for any reason not listed in the base policy and still get some reimbursement for your lost deposits—often 75%.

CFAR is a superior coverage to have during uncertain travel times because it can apply to situations that aren’t typically covered by a base travel insurance policy. For example, you could make a CFAR claim because of a border closure or because you don’t like your destination’s Covid testing or quarantine requirements.

“Cancel for any reason” coverage-built momentum during the pandemic and remains popular among travelers. Sales of this coverage spiked 147% from 2020 and 2021, according to Squaremouth.

Covid Coverage Will Become More Common

With a couple years of the pandemic under their belts, many travel insurance companies are now including Covid-related coverage as part of standard travel medical insurance and trip cancellation benefits.

“The majority of providers do now cover Covid under travel medical expenses and cancellation, looking at it like any other illness in most cases,” says Megan Moncrief, spokesperson for Squaremouth.

Travel medical insurance pays for the costs of an ambulance, medical treatment, medicine and more if you become ill or injured during your trip. There is a wide variety of coverage levels available, with some policies providing up to $500,000 in medical coverage per person.

If Covid coverage is important to you, make sure to verify that your policy includes it under trip cancellation and medical benefits.

Trip Delay Benefits Becoming Priority

While trip cancellation remains a top concern among travelers, trip delay benefits are poised to gain in popularity as concerns mount over new variants and quarantines, says Moncrief.

“With variants coming into play, concern about contracting the virus and being forced into quarantine while on a trip is now starting to take the lead over concerns about canceling,” says Moncrief. “We expect in 2022 that interest in trip delay coverage will increase.”

Travel delay insurance can compensate you for meals, an extended hotel stay and other extra costs if you have to quarantine while on your trip, under certain conditions: You must test positive for Covid and you must have a plan that covers Covid-related expenses. Benefits can generally be extended for seven days beyond your return date if you’re forced to quarantine at your destination longer than planned.

Travel insurance generally does not pay out if you don’t have Covid but have to do a mandatory quarantine somewhere.

More Travel Insurance Policy Flexibility

Some travel insurance companies will now accommodate customer requests for changes to trip dates on policies. This allows you to postpone the trip—and your travel insurance coverage—without canceling and rebuying the insurance.

Additionally, Moncrief says, many travel insurance companies are still willing to waive penalties for canceled or changed trips, so you may be able to recoup trip expenses that would have been lost otherwise.

More Benefit Options on Deck

To better meet the needs of travelers during the pandemic, travel insurance companies are bolstering certain benefits, which is likely to continue.

For example, some countries require that visitors have a certain minimum amount of travel insurance coverage. Costa Rica, one of the most popular destinations over the past year, mandates that unvaccinated visitors have $50,000 in medical expense insurance and $2,000 in trip delay benefits to pay for quarantine-related lodging.

Many of the travel insurance companies that didn’t offer these amounts of coverage revised their plans to match the required limits, says Moncrief.

“I anticipate we’ll continue to see that type of response in 2022 as long as these types of mandates are in place,” she says. “We may even see trip delay benefits be extended from seven to 10 days after a policy end date.”

Benefits for Emerging Pandemic-Related Issues

As new pandemic travel concerns crop up, the travel insurance industry appears to be responding.

For instance, some insurers are considering adding coverage for border closures and travel warnings in the wake of Omicron, says Moncrief, although it will take time to get approval in each state and work out the pricing details.

“It’s like terrorism. No policy had [terrorism coverage] before 9/11 and now it’s specifically listed and covered in most cancellation policies,” she says.

Trips Abroad Are Popular Despite New Entry Rules

It’s becoming “normal” for travelers to have to show some combination of proof of vaccination and a negative test result or proof or recovery from Covid when entering other countries and then upon returning to the U.S.

In January 2021, The Centers for Disease Control issued a new rule requiring all international air passengers arriving in the U.S. to get tested for Covid no more than three days before their departure. (It’s recently been changed to one day before.) You must show a negative result, or proof that you recovered from Covid in the past 90 days, before boarding.

Despite the pandemic and various country-entry requirements, more than 80% of bookings in 2021 were for international destinations, according to Squaremouth.

European destinations, however, are not nearing the popularity they had pre-pandemic, says Moncrief. “Even with the borders opening, I think people are still in the ‘wait-and-see’ mode,” she says. “And the Caribbean and Mexico are still more popular than they were before the pandemic.”

Younger Travelers Lead the Pack

Senior travelers are still sticking close to home, as younger travelers brave Covid travel turbulence.

Before the pandemic, most travel insurance was purchased by people over age 50. That’s changing. Now many travel insurance policies are bought by people under age 50, according to Squaremouth.

“Older people still aren’t comfortable with the potential risk of traveling right now, and younger people are more inclined to go,” says Moncrief. “We expect the trend of younger people, millennial, Generation X and baby boomers all comprising similar market share to continue in 2022.”

Beyond 2022: Policy Language to be Clarified

Some travel insurance companies are likely to begin revising the language in their policies to better reflect the new reality of living—and traveling—in a pandemic world.

A policy may have certain travel insurance benefits that are applicable to Covid, such as travel medical insurance, while others are not. But it’s not always spelled out.

Travel insurance companies have added information around Covid-related issues on their websites to bridge the information gap.

Adding explicit language to policies for Covid-related issues will take some time because state insurance departments must approve changes, but Moncrief believes insurers in 2022 will make progress in clarifying the terms of what is and isn’t covered.

Source: Forbes

Performances and themed events already scheduled for Expo 2020 Dubai will be unaffected by the UAE’s shift to a new working week, a senior official said.

Shows already announced for the coming months at the world fair will not alter their schedules because these are often part of wider global tours.

But visitors can look forward to new additions to the packed itinerary at the international extravaganza.

The UAE announced on Tuesday that federal government employees would work full days from Monday to Thursday, with a half day on Friday.

The new weekend will be Saturday and Sunday as of January 1. Abu Dhabi and Dubai governments and schools also confirmed they would switch to the new schedule.

Plans are being drawn up for more celebrations at the Expo site on Sunday, January 2, which is the UAE’s newest public holiday.

“We will be following UAE directives in terms of the weekend, but we haven’t changed anything as yet,” Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications, told The National.

“There will definitely be announcements coming for January 2. A lot of people take time off during the Christmas, new year period anyway so we do have a packed programme during that time.”

The theme weeks from January until March on travel, health, food, agriculture and water will continue as planned as speakers have been booked and activities scheduled.

“In that time when the weekend changes we will still keep the thematic weeks from Sunday to Saturday because it is a packed programme every day and it lasts for a week,” she said.

“For all our other activities we will be looking at it given the announcement has just come out.

“It’s too early to tell. We will be able to respond in due course once more is known.”

The Expo calendar for the duration of the six-month world fair was released before the October launch.

“Anybody who has already been announced – that won’t be changing because that is when those performers are scheduled to come,” she said.

“They are often coming as part of a wider tour of anything they might be doing globally.”

New concerts have sometimes been revealed weeks before, such as the show by Alicia Keys, who will launch her new double album Keys at Al Wasl Plaza on Friday.

Details will soon be given on another global pop name for a performance on December 17, Ms McGeachin said.

Organisers are gearing up for a packed holiday season.

AR Rahman, an Academy Award-winning composer and musician, will take to the stage on December 22, followed by a Christmas Day performance by Lea Salonga, a Broadway star and the singing voice for princesses in two Disney musicals.

Visitor numbers since Expo opened on October 1 have climbed to more than 5.6 million after a colourful National Day weekend filled with fireworks and parades.

Source: The National