BUS JOURNEY... THE NEW EXPERIENCE

Covid-19 and the crisis that follows have completely changed our ability to measure tourism, causing in some cases the interruption and the suspension of the analysis of tourist flows.

Last month Istat released the results of a survey on the intentions of Italians to take holidays in the period June-September 2021. The picture that emerges from this outlines the type of holiday that Italians intend to do this summer, still affected by the health emergency. The 33.3% of Italians will remain in the region of residence, while 63.6% will choose a different one. In general, the total duration of the holiday will not exceed 14 days and almost all people prefer to reach the destination by their own means (84%).

The recovery of the domestic tourism market was commented by Gianfranco Lorenzo, director of the research sector of CST Firenze "The acceleration of the vaccination campaign and the introduction of the health passport that will allow European tourists to travel freely between the countries of the Union has certainly encouraged holiday choices, but it will still take time to recover the collapse of this last year and a half".

Many holidaymakers last summer had to deal with last minute mishaps due mainly to flight cancellations, resulting in sudden changes of schedule. Summer 2021 has started and has highlighted the desire of people to return to move, to find that "normality" in traveling within a context of greater safety and tranquility, especially from a health point of view.

The measures taken to contain the virus have forced people to behave more attentively. Even to go on holiday you must continue to observe the good habits that have become part of our daily life in recent months: wear a mask, sanitize your hands and maintain distancing. Whether you travel by plane, car, boat, bus or train, you must always respect the rules to ensure our safety and that of others.

The Covid-19 emergency is still the cause of many limitations in travel in Italy and abroad. It being understood that the situation is constantly evolving, it is always good to evaluate the situation and put everyone's health in front of anything.

The green pass (which to travel in Europe must certify that it has completed the vaccination cycle for at least 14 days, or be cured of the virus within 180 days of the first positive swab, or that it has made a molecular or antigenic swab in the 48 hours prior to entry into the country with a negative result) had to "solve" the holiday issue also abroad , but the new wave of spread of the virus is forcing many countries to adopt additional restrictions, from certificates to extra swabs to quarantines.

But let's go back to the Istat survey data that confirm the tendency to reduce the distance of travel, choosing domestic destinations and neighboring nations, in contact with nature, away from crowded places and open air activities. If this were really the case, why prefer the private vehicle when you could very well use an alternative service? 

Changing habits can surprise us for the good.

Travelling is something that excites us, that changes our daily routine, that thrills us and makes us feel alive. There are different reasons why we want to travel and, consequently, to think how to manage the cost, quality and modality

During daily life more and more people are starting to use less polluting means of transport, especially in big cities, like bicycles, electric vehicles, trains. Why not continue to do it even in the moment of leisure, leaving your comfortable car in the garage?

In this article we told you about safety on public transport, bringing to your knowledge a survey carried out by the University of Genoa, which showed that "wearing the mask correctly, the chances of contagion on board a public transport, in particular a bus, are minimal, even in the presence of an infected subject and with a residence time of half an hour".

Here it is why the bus journey, whatever the destination, is today reconsidered as an ad hoc alternative to classic means of transport. Bus is the perfect solution to get out of our comfort zone and live a brand-new experience.

Why? Bus routes are an opportunity to undergo through each moment the entire sense of travelling.

Think about it. No crowded airport and no queue to check-in, no loud people squished in the carriage, no expensive ticket prices and no driver stress when you are blocked in traffic.

Bus stations are usually located in the city centre, or in the near proximity; in the case you choose to reach a fair or a manifestation there are various companies which organize the journey taking the customer directly to the event location. So, once the destination has been chosen it is necessary to do a little research to find the bus that will take us as close as possible, choose when and where to jump on the bus, buy the ticket online, and reach the destination without thinking of anything else.

Instead of using your energy to concentrate on the drive, you can sit back and relax by reading, working on your laptop, taking a nap, listening to music and anything else.

Above all you can find new and curious friendships. A bus journey begins to be something interesting and funny, by paying attention and observing people around us. Have you ever tried to imagine the life of who is sitting next to you? Have you ever thought of a bizarre story about your seat neighbor? You need to try it at least once.

Here is another advantage of bus journeys that you would have never thought about: reawaken your fantasy!

If you are not good with fantasy, you can always start to chat with other passengers. You will find out that everyone has their own feelings, a story to tell, a mentality and different points of view. It is a continuous exchange, a confront with others.

Never forget about the ecologic advantage: travelling in bus means less pollution (both for CO2 emission and the noise pollution) and less traffic congestion.

Of course, like every other means of transport, it has its own disadvantages: for example, sometimes (even if rarely) you could find buses with uncomfortable seats, especially for tall people. . But the fact of being crumpled for hours on a little car seat will surely be something to laugh at and tell friends about when you return.

Even so, the positive aspects are so many and such, to make the negative ones completely irrelevant.

There are different factors which influence directly or indirectly the choice of the means of transport to get to any destinations and bus journeys are coming back thanks to the extensiveness of the routes offered by different companies.

Every person has its own personal perception of travelling, but with the right intelligence, a little bit of flexibility and a lot of open mindedness, you can transform a simple journey from an itinerary to a life experience.

What about you? Have you ever used the bus to get around or to a place?

If you are looking for new inspirations for your next trips, keep following us!

Ps. To travel to some countries it is mandatory to fill in the Passenger Locator Form (PLF) online, including Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Spain (each country has its own website to fill it out).  In addition, to return to Italy from abroad it is mandatory for everyone (except for those traveling by own vehicle and do not exceed 48 hours of stay abroad).

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