I know I am not the only one who had their travel plans disrupted upended during 2020. And as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, people are wondering if, and when, it will be safe to travel again.  While I have no idea when it will truly be safe to travel again, I believe it’s up to the individual traveler to define what “safe” means and when they will be comfortable doing so. I put together my own requirements for how to travel safely and have, in turn, traveled domestically several times over the last couple months and have more travel plans to come. Here are my tips for traveling during a pandemic, whether it’s this month or even six months from now.

Flying during a Pandemic

The economic impacts to the airline industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will haunt airlines for years to come. Since the onset of the pandemic, it was clear that people do not feel safe flying on an airplane. Honestly, the idea of being in an enclosed space for hours while sitting inches away from strangers did not seem appealing to me either.

But the airlines based in the United States responded. They really had no choice, their ability to remain in business relied on them making changes so that people would feel safe flying again. Most airlines blocked, and continue to block, the middle seats. Face masks are required on flights. And for the first time, in what feels like forever, airlines are letting travelers book flights that don’t have change fees attached to them. If it wasn’t for the fact we are in a pandemic, I’d say these changes are for the better!

I took three round trip flights over the summer of 2020 and have another one booked in the coming weeks. I only book with airlines that are blocking the middle seat (so, that means that American Airlines is not an option) and I have no problem wearing a mask if that means I can channel my inner wanderlust.

Sure, the in-flight service is limited, but I am fine with that if it makes flying safer and I can ultimately continue to travel.

Traveling during a Pandemic | Ground Transportation

Once you get to your destination, you will need to consider the safest ground transportation options for getting around. During the pandemic, I’ve used both ride-sharing (Lyft/Uber) and have rented a car and found both options very safe.

Ride-sharing

We relied on ride-sharing for the week we spent in San Diego, California, instead of opting for a rental car. The ride availability was much lower than I’ve historically experience, especially in a large city like San Diego. While we were always able to get a ride using Lyft or Uber, there was typically at least a 10-minute wait.

For safety purposes, we did not sit in the front seat and wore masks the entire time we were in a ride-sharing vehicle. We also rolled down the windows to help air circulate throughout the vehicle. The drivers wore masks and we found that they all carried hand sanitizer in the back seat and spray bottles with disinfectant that they would use to clean between passengers.

Rental cars

We took a family vacation to Club Med in Florida (yes, I know what you are thinking… Florida during the pandemic?!) and rented a car to get us between the airport and the resort. Like airports, the rental car counters are basically a ghost-town, but by reserving our car online before our trip and having Budget FastBreak, the entire process for picking up our rental was smooth and contactless.

Overall, we felt safe with both ground transportation options when traveling during the pandemic. The safety precautions that rental car and ride-sharing companies have put into place made me feel comfortable during my travels and also seem to do the trick to minimize potential exposure to the virus.

Travel Accommodations during a Pandemic

Regardless of how you make it to your travel destination (flying or road trip), chances are you are going to need a place to stay once you get there. I’ve stayed in both Airbnb’s and hotels since the pandemic began and am thoroughly impressed with the safety precautions in place.  

Hotels

Many hotels are literally taping the doors shut to rooms after they’ve been cleaned and sanitized so guests are assured no one has been into the room. (In face, this is what we experienced at both Club Med and Hilton brand hotels). Hilton is even leaving the rooms empty for 24-hours after checkout before they let hotel staff enter the room to clean! During our travels, we have seen hand sanitizer stations everywhere, staff constantly cleaning high-traffic/touch areas, staff and guests wearing face masks, plexiglass barriers at reception counters and even temperature checks at check-in.

I know travelers are unsure about staying in hotels during the pandemic, so I recommend confirming the hotels safety precautions that they have a place before making a reservation. One thing to consider is that hotels are operating at a reduced capacity during the pandemic, so it’s easy to stay socially distanced from other guests. You can also read the recent reviews on the hotel on sites like TripAdvisor. These will give you a good indication of if other guests felt comfortable and safe during their stay.

Airbnb’s

If you do not feel comfortable staying in a hotel, or if you want a larger space that is complete with extra bedrooms and a kitchen, then renting a place on Airbnb is a safe option while traveling during the pandemic. The good thing about renting an Airbnb with a kitchen is that you can have groceries delivered through a service like Shipt or Instacart. This way you can enjoy home-cooked meals without having to go out into public while traveling!

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We’ve stayed at Airbnb’s during the pandemic and found that the hosts are taking extra precautions to keep their guests safe. I recommend looking for an Airbnb that offers self-check-in, has good recent reviews from guests who have stayed during the pandemic and hosts who outline their cleaning / sanitizing procedures between guests.

Will these tips keep me safe when traveling during a pandemic?

So that’s the big question – can you stay safe while traveling during a pandemic? Well, I can tell you that the only way to guarantee safety is to stay home. But, if you are like me, it may be a risk you’re willing to take if your inner-wanderlust is struggling to fill that travel urge. Combine that with the fact it’s hard to turn down the opportunity to travel for so cheap right now.. (With the entire travel industry completely un-raveled, the cost to travel is at an all-time low and you know I am all about traveling on a budget!) Unfortunately, it means making tough decisions on whether you feel safe or comfortable traveling.

I can honestly say that I felt both safe and comfortable traveling domestically over the last couple months using the tips for traveling during a pandemic covered above. With that, my husband and I are also in the “low-risk” category for COVID-19 and would (hopefully) survive if we were to contract the virus. Our biggest issue with traveling is potential exposure and then unknowingly passing it to a loved one who is high-risk. In order to reduce that risk, we isolated from family and friends for two weeks after returning from Club Med in Florida. While the isolation was inconvenient, it was well worth it because our corona-cation to Club Med was amazing!

Oh, and I think it’s worth mentioning that with all of the traveling we’ve done during the pandemic, we have not gotten sick. And, in fact, my husband and I just booked a trip to Cancun over our anniversary in a few weeks at an all-inclusive Hilton resort. While this will be our first trip outside of the U.S. since the pandemic began, we feel comfortable with the safety precautions in place at the Hilton resort and do not plan to leave during the entire stay. If you want to see how our trip to Cancun goes, be sure to follow One Savvy Wanderer on Facebook and Instagram!

Cheers!