Traveling During a Pandemic
We all want to go back to traveling. Visiting beautiful places and vacationing seems to be in human nature. However, the situation isn’t completely safe, at least not yet. Can you still travel safely, even during a pandemic, while respecting social distancing? Let’s find out.
Is It Safe To Travel?
Ever since the pandemic began, traveling became almost impossible. Sure, you might be able to visit different cities within your country, but how about going to other countries? It’s highly unlikely. This means that the pandemic has truly disrupted the tourism industry.
Many travel agencies have shut down because they have no work. No country that has COVID-19 cases will allow people to come in, and it’s even worse for those with no cases of infections. It’s too much of a risk for them to let an outsider in, even with testing requirements.
Still, all of this doesn’t mean that you cannot travel safely. Now that some countries are opening their borders to other people, staying safe is imperative for traveling. To take a COVID-safe vacation, there are a lot of things you need to do. The preparation is extensive, but it will be worth it in the end.
The Risks of COVID
The transmission rates of the COVID-19 virus are high, especially while traveling. Why? Well, it’s different for every country. That’s especially the case if you’re traveling overseas. Let’s assume that you’re familiar with the current situation in your country. You know how to act, and you know which measures your government recommends. What about when you go to a different country? There’s only so much you can educate yourself on.
That’s not the only issue. No matter which country you’re going to, you’ll have to take some form of transportation. This means you’ll be in a confined space with a bunch of strangers. Even if you’re taking all of the precautions and measures seriously, the people surrounding you might not be, thus risking the spread of COVID-19.
It’s extremely important for you to stay safe, both for your sake and the sake of others. So if that’s an option for you, traveling by car would be the safest.
Travel Requirements
Travel restrictions and requirements during the pandemic vary depending on the country you want to visit. However, there are still a few things they all will require you to do. Before you decide to go anywhere, you should check in with everyone you came in close contact with in the past two weeks. If they say they feel fine, you can move onto the next step. To simplify, let’s make a list of the things countries will require you to do:
- Quarantining for two weeks before your trip would be best. Not all countries will require this, but it’s a safety measure you can take;
- Quarantining for a few days once you get to your travel destination;
- Taking a COVID-19 test. This is likely to be mandatory for most countries;
- Bringing a COVID supply kit — masks, hand sanitizer, some medications. You never know if there’s a supply shortage in the country you’re visiting;
- Having a Travel Health Visa;
- Taking an additional test a few days into your vacation.
Again, it will all depend on the country you’re visiting. However, you should prepare yourself for all of the above and more. Restrictions should come as no surprise because every country wants to do whatever it can to protect its citizens.
New Normal
Travel advice will never be the same again. Many people are hopeful when it comes to this pandemic. Sure, one day, it will go away, and we will have medication that helps fight the virus. However, will things ever go back to what they were before? Probably not because we’re in the process of adjusting to the new normal.
What does this mean? Masks are mandatory everywhere you go now. Well, not exactly everywhere, but wearing them harms you in no way. Washing your hands also became one of the most important things to do. Our parents always taught us to do that when we’re coming in from outside; however, now it has a whole different meaning. One minute of hand-washing can pretty much save your life.
What does this mean for future traveling? We won’t be able to go anywhere without masks, just in case. Plus, now we’re hyper-aware of how dirty things can be. We will sanitize everything we can as much as we can in hopes of keeping ourselves and our families safe.
The Hope of Vaccine
Even though the pandemic is still far from over, the vaccine is becoming increasingly available. What does this mean? Well, once people start getting their shots, we’ll be able to contain the virus more effectively. Of course, not everyone will want the vaccine, and that’s when we’ll count on herd immunity to protect us all.
The availability of the vaccine means that we’ll probably be able to travel again soon. So travel enthusiasts — fear not. However, getting the vaccine will probably be mandatory for visiting other countries. If not for the countries themselves, then for the sake of your fellow travelers.
Still, one of the challenges is the fact that many people believe that vaccines aren’t ready to go yet. Extensive testing has been done before they were released, so there’s no need to worry. We will probably be back on our feet by the end of the year, maybe even before that.
Vaccine or no vaccine, people should still take the pandemic seriously. Taking the COVID-19 vaccine doesn’t mean you can’t still spread the virus to others.
Conclusion
Those are the best COVID tips for traveling that we have for you. If you do travel during a pandemic, we hope you do so safely. The safer we all are, the faster we’ll be able to go back to living at least semi-normal lives. Ensure you always wear a mask, even if you’re just taking a trip to the store.
