People seem to feel that reentry into "normal" post‐pandemic life may be difficult. Saturday Night Live (SNL), a popular comedy sketch show in the U.S., parodied the potential awkwardness of that first post‐quarantine conversation.

It reveals a collective fear that we may not know how to return to the simple things, like making small talk at a party. The same goes for travel. Even for a simple trip, business travelers may wonder "How do I do this again?"

Like social reentry, we need to find ways to take the awkwardness and fear out of travel reentry. To help travel managers ease back into COVID‐era travel we conducted a series of listening sessions. What we found is reminiscent of the SNL skit.

The vast majority of travelers and the C‐suite are eager to travel again, but may be uneasy about what this entails. They need more reassurance than ever and require a higher level of confidence.

In the old days (circa 2019), we focused on data to build and optimize travel programs. That’s still true today. However, a new kind of "data" is required to meet new demands for confidence.