Our borders are may be open now, but travel isn’t how it used to be. If you haven’t left the country since pre-Covid times, here’s what you should know.

The Park and Ride buses still stop in the same place, the luggage trolleys are parked where they always were, and check-in kiosks still ask if you’ve packed any aerosols or guns in your luggage, then forget to print out your boarding pass.

When you arrive at Auckland International Airport these days, everything initially looks much like it did pre-Covid – complete with bathrooms that have run out of soap, and kiosks charging $4.50 for bottled water.

Only, things aren’t the same. If you’re travelling overseas, you’ve probably already noticed one major difference – flights are far more expensive than they used to be. That’s not the only change, so here are some others you should probably be aware of before you’re heading to the airport for your first big overseas vacation since early 2020.

Everything takes more time

Drop your bags onto the floor, bend your knees a little, sink your weight into your hips and cue up a good podcast on your headphones. If you’re travelling internationally these days, you need to be prepared to wait. A lot. There are more documents for airport staff to check, different requirements for them to tick off, and a consistent level of confusion and exasperation about all sorts of things. So, arriving at the airport 30 minutes before your flight probably won’t fly anymore.  

It’s easier if you print everything out

Forget about apps, screengrabs and emails. When you’re travelling these days, it pays to have printouts of everything. Get yourself a manila folder, spend some time navigating your office printer, and build a dossier like you’re in a Bourne film. During a recent trip, I handed my passport and a fistful of documents – including my vaccination pass, RAT test results and proof of travel insurance – to a relieved check-in counter staff member. “This is perfect,” she said. “Thank you.”

Hardly anything is open

At Auckland International Airport, many eateries remain closed after more than two years off. Some bars and cafes are mothballed, with tables and chairs gathering dust. After passing through security on a recent trip, my food options included a bacon and egg bagel for $19, a McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish or confectionery from a stationery store. An airport spokesperson recently told Stuff many eateries were struggling to find enough staff to stay open the required 20 hours a day, so this may last a while.

Someone won’t wear their mask

While most people I’ve encountered comply with airport guidelines and wear masks at all times, you can guarantee that wherever you are someone will choose not to. Whatever their reasons, that person will look slightly grumpy, with a, “What you gonna do about it” look smeared across their face. I’ve found it’s best to avoid them and pass the time exchanging pleasantries with other, masked, passengers. Or just put your podcast back on.

Every country has different Covid rules

Research this thoroughly beforehand. Some airlines require negative pre-flight tests, while other countries couldn’t care less. America requires vaccinations, but no negative test. The UK’s scrapped most Covid requirements. These rules are constantly evolving. For a trip to Fiji a week ago, I was required to show proof – on paper – that I’d booked a RAT test to be conducted in Denarau once I’d landed. Just this week, this requirement was abandoned.

You might get told the wrong thing

Confusion seems to be the name of the game while travelling, so keep your eyes and ears open. Recently while overseas, I was told I’d need to fill out a New Zealand Traveller Declaration form to regain entry to my home country. It was a thing I’d never heard about, so I urgently spent half an hour filling it out online, only to be told I’d need to fill out the paper version as well. I’m not saying you don’t need to fill them out, but no one ever asked me for either of these documents.

People cough on planes – a lot

Perhaps it’s just these heightened times we live in, or maybe it’s a sign that we’re still not free of Covid, but it seems like people cough on planes a heck of a lot more than they used to. Flying back from Fiji I was surrounded by people of all ages who could not stop coughing that unmistakably dry, hacking cough. Despite assurances that the flight’s air was being switched out every three minutes, every cough sent a shiver down my spine.

People want to disembark as fast as possible

After listening to three hours of coughing, I didn’t want to hang about either. Once I got clear of the plane I felt like jumping in a bath full of bleach.

Don’t forget duty-free limits

Is there anything sadder than someone watching on as plane security pull carefully selected and packaged bottles of alcohol from their carry-on bags and confiscate them? A reminder: you can’t take huge glass bottles of alcohol through security. You can buy your bottles of booze once you’re through security. If you do it beforehand, you’re probably wasting your money.

Despite all of this, it’s still worth travelling

The sun shone, the sand gleamed, electric blue fish swam around coral reefs. In Fiji, five swims a day helped make up for the last two-and-a-half years of Covid stress and lockdown isolation. I made new friends I’m already planning on seeing again soon. The last two years melted away in the sea where Tom Hanks’ castaway was filmed. Despite all the delays and queues and extra paperwork, travel – if you can afford it, and you feel up to the extra hassles – is still awesome.