Tips for Traveling During Covid 19
I have lived outside of the US for over 10 years and every year since, I’ve gone to the US to see my friends and family….except for 2020 when my trip was cancelled. I never truly realized how much I needed that once a year trip until now when I am not allowed to go! Covid has only delayed the trip to 2021 so I’m already preparing for what I’ll need to do to keep from getting sick. Even before Covid I’ve become one of those people that wipes down everything on a plane when I sit down so this is not a huge change for me. The biggest issue is that now it’s not just to keep me from getting a flu…it’s much more than that. Previously I did a blog on Staying Healthy While Traveling (LINK) but this is one step further and some of the advice is the same so I will repeat it here.
Starting from the moment you leave your home, through the airport and at your destination, these are some things you can do to help you to not get Covid.
Travel Tips on Your Way to the Airport
Taxi, Uber, Lyft, Shared Shuttle, Taxi, Bus or Train…however you get to the airport, make sure to protect yourself from getting sick before your trip has barely begun. Rule #1 is to always wear your mask. Use your hand sanitizer often. As soon as you get into the car, sanitize your hands. Do not worry if other people look at you like you have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)…it’s worth it if it keeps you from getting sick! If you have a bottle of water or soda, make sure to wipe it off using the Antibacterial Wipes in your Quick Grab Bag that you have with you. Read more about the Quick Grab Bag here.
Travel Tips on Staying Safe in the Airport
Think of the thousands of people who go through the airport every day. So those elevator buttons, escalator handrails…thousands of people per day are touching those. You’ve got to protect yourself by using your waterless hand sanitizer every time you touch something. It can seem over the top at first, but once you start doing it often it becomes habit. Perfect example of how germs spread, you are on the moving walkway, you touch the handrail, then you touch your face…or your phone…or the zipper on your bag. It is truly unknown how long Covid lives on all surfaces and it changes weekly. If you think of fresh paint on the handrail, you could watch it spread on everything you touch after that. Now if you just washed your hands after touching the handrail, there would be no spread…but getting to a bathroom sink isn’t always convenient so waterless hand sanitizer to the rescue! Just do what you can to minimize your exposure so you can enjoy your trip!
Travel Tips on Staying Safe on the Airplane
Here is a step by step instruction manual for how to keep from getting sick on an airplane.
As soon as you sit down, grab your Antibacterial Wipes from your Quick Grab Bag. Wipe down everything you touch: button to recline your seat, movie screen, tv & audio remote, seatbelt, arm rests, especially the metal part on the end, take out your tray and wipe it down, the air control above your head…anything that you may touch during your long journey. As soon as you’re up in the air, get a glass of water and take your Airborne, another item in your Quick Grab Bag that’s already in the seat pocket in front of you.
Depending on the type of mask you have/are wearing, many say they are “good for 4 hours” or whatever their time limit may be. So you may consider having several masks handy for your journey. Before Covid hit, I always made sure to have a scarf. It was great to put over my nose/mouth if somebody nearby was coughing or if I had to cough or sneeze. I also would use a scarf to cover my nose & mouth when I’d go to sleep. The air normally gets quite cold and I noticed I’d wake up with a sore throat so I found this very helpful to do. Even with a mask I will still most likely do this and keep my neck warm.
Regarding drinking alcohol, I think the bottom line is that you need to pay attention to what you’re doing, not touching your face, sanitizing, etc. As soon as you loose focus on that, you could be in for trouble so just don’t loose that focus!
Use your hand sanitizer frequently. Getting up to go to the bathroom to wash your hands often is not always easy.
Tips to Staying Safe While Eating/Drinking
Airplanes are now either not serving any food or serving it in one plastic bag. If you get anything at all for drinks or for food, wipe it down or spray it thoroughly. Personally I plan on bringing my own food with me. Since I have a Gluten allergy I normally bring items anyway but this time I’ll bring more to last the entire trip. I do travel with Carry On only so I’ll need to buy my drinks in the airport but those will be sprayed with the alcohol spray and wiped down with antibacterial wipes before they go into my bag.
The bottom line is do your best, don’t care about what other people might think about your actions, this is your health and that’s what counts. Travel safe everyone!