Safe Travel Tips During Covid-19

Safe travel tips will help you protect yourself and others while maintaining a sense of normalcy in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic even if you have to change your old ways and adapt to new, travel safety tips and precautions. Despite the opening of many borders and the beginning of the establishment of regular airlines, traveling, in general, is incomparably smaller than the last year in the same period. Some experts warn that travel has changed forever and that there is no going back. If you’re wondering how to enjoy vacation safely, here are useful safe travel tips which will save you the time and trouble, and inform you about what to expect whether you’re traveling by car or an airplane.

Travel Safety Tips: Before You Start Your Journey 

If you’re feeling any signs of the virus, cancel your traveling plans. If you are over 65 or have a chronic illness, please consult your doctor before booking a trip. Apart from packing what you need, you have to know possible scenarios, so check out the following:

• Do you need to get tested for COVID-19 to enter the country of your choice?

• If you’re traveling abroad, do you need quarantine, and for how long?

• Check local coronavirus restrictions and stay up to date.

• Whom to contact in case you find yourself in the latest COVID-19 hotspots?

• How to choose your accommodations to maintain safety?

• If you have travel insurance, what does the policy say regarding the novel coronavirus?

• Do you have enough vitamins, medications, masks, gloves, and antibacterial products?

When you arrive at your destination, try always to avoid any crowded areas. Before you take off, get plenty of rest, and check out the latest news from the country of your choice. Things change all the time, so be flexible and focus on what’s right for your immune system.

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Car Travel Tips During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Traveling via your own car is the safest choice of transportation if you’re traveling solo. If you’re traveling with other family members or friends, you should keep your mask on during the trip. Disinfect all surfaces you touch before and after traveling, especially if you share a car with someone or drive someone.

Exterior parts that you should disinfect:

· door handles

· door frames

· trunk opening handle

· any part of the car’s exterior that you have touched

The interior part you need to disinfect:

· steering wheel

· gearbox

· door handles

· radio and infotainment control buttons

· steering wheel controls

· armrests

· seat position control functions

· door frames

Be careful while making stops and disinfect anything you might get along the way. You should always keep your antibacterial products near, and don’t forget to wash your hands whenever possible. Additional car travel tips include never leaving your hand sanitizers in the car during the warm weather. They might lose their potency due to heat exposure. Another critical thing to remember for safe traveling is to buy hand sanitizers that consist of at least 60% of alcohol. Although the possibility of catching fire is relatively rare when it comes to hand sanitizers, CDC recommends that they are stored safely, and that implies not leaving them in an unattended car.

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Air Travel Tips During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The most important air travel tips include choosing your flight time and checking the company’s policy of cleaning and disinfecting the plane. Wearing a mask and practicing social distance at the airport are a requirement. However, once you’re on the plane, it’s impossible to stay 6 feet away from other passengers. According to numerous researches, the chances of getting infected with COVID-19 are higher when you’re at the airport or boarding the flight. The risk of getting infected is probably lower during the plane ride than on the bus. Planes use very efficient air filters comparable to those used in hospital operating rooms. It is so-called HEPA filter captures 99% of microbes from recycled air and is changed regularly. Bring your food in a plastic, transparent bag, and if you have to use the tray, wipe it and then place napkins over it.

For traveling safely via plane you need:

· At least one pack of disinfecting wipes

· Wear and have extra masks (the best ones are N95)

· One liquid hand-sanitizer is allowed

· Food in a transparent bag

· Additionally, eye cover or goggles will protect you as well, since the virus enters the body via mouth, nose, and eyes. Or Use Faceshield.

· Choose window seats if possible

· Wipe down windows, fans, trays, window, and seat belts

· Don’t talk to other passengers and maintain distance when you’re boarding or leaving the plane

· Pick an early morning or late-night flights since they are less crowded

Once you get to your destination, you still need a way to get to the facility.  Check out car rental options and their disinfection policies. If you’re staying at a hotel, check their shuttle service availability.

If you’re paying for your stay, make sure that your host (hotel, hostel, Airbnb host) takes the pandemic seriously. When you’re doing your best to be a responsible, safe traveler, it’s reasonable to expect others to do the same. Before booking a room, check out what steps hotels and other facilities are taking to protect guests. If your choice is a hotel, decreased occupancy, frequent disinfecting, digital keys, a 24-hour vacancy between guest departures, and digital check-in are some measures now available. It’s up to you to call the hotel of your choice and ensure that they practice all these steps to protect your safety.

Airbnb added a new protocol, which means that every host who commits to their Enhanced Cleaning Protocol will receive a special callout on their listing. Booking a house or an apartment without a host is the most popular trend on Airbnb. You don’t have to meet other people, and your only job is to disinfect your luggage once you arrive. Avoid pools, saunas, hotel restaurants. The best idea is to find a more isolated spot, like an outdoor patio if you want to eat out.  Clean and disinfect all surfaces people touch regularly. This includes doorknobs, light switches, countertops, tables, desks, phones, remote controls, toilets, sinks. Wash the plates, glasses, cups, and silverware before using them.

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Disinfect Your Travel Necessities

Before you can relax and start enjoying your journey, clean up all the things you brought with you, since you don’t want to take chances and bring COVID 19 into your apartment or hotel room. Clean the mobile phone and other electronic devices you used during the trip with disinfectant immediately.

The same goes for passport covers, glasses, a wallet, a box for medicines, etc. A bag or backpack with personal belongings also has to be clean. The bags were placed on risky surfaces such as under the plane seat, on a chair in a cafe, on a seat in a waiting room, etc. You need to wash dirty clothes after the trip. However, some experts recommend that you remove all, even clean clothes that you carried with you. Be sure to clean or store the jacket or coat that you wore during the trip for a more extended time.

General safety tips during traveling

If you are still unsure about your traveling plans, here’s the list of general rules that might put your mind at ease.

• Keep a distance of 6 feet between you and others as much as possible.
• Avoid crowded places.
• Wear a mask.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover coughs and sneezes.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• If not, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 70% alcohol.
• Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub your hands together until they feel dry.
• Always have products to disinfect any surfaces you may come in touch with.
• Make a plan of what you want to see, and check out the policies regarding health and cleaning.

Though more challenging, traveling should be a fun activity, even when your travel is work-related. You can still take long walks or get a coffee (disposable straws will come in handy) and visit historical places, all while staying away from others. If that’s not enough, remote camping is a perfect idea for those who crave an adventure, yet they don’t feel safe outside the country or near crowded places. Keep in mind these safe travel tips for yourself and your family!

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Recommended Reading: Basic Travel Tips for Travelers

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