Travellers eager to explore the world now that many COVID-19 restrictions have lifted may find that process to be longer than usual.

Reports of long check-in lines are coming out of many of the country’s major airports, with Toronto’s Pearson Airport facing significant delays.

A member of the executive team with the Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors, Arlene Gibbons, has her own company. She’s advising her clients to get to the airport four hours early.

Gibbons chalks the delays up to a lack of border officials.

She says there’s more pent-up demand, meaning more travellers and if they are not using a travel agent, many do not know the exact COVID-19 vaccination requirements for the country to where they’re travelling. She encourages people to research what’s needed in terms of documentation before booking a trip.

The Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors is calling on the federal government to do what they can to recruit more border officials.