My travel plans post-coronavirus
You’ve probably heard this over and over again but travel will return after the coronavirus. It’s not a matter of if but when. However, travel won’t be the same when it does come back. Airlines are still operating with very limited flights and many countries are still not letting foreigners in, or, if they are, are implementing strict 14 day quarantines. Since I can’t speak for anyone but myself, I’ll tell you how I’m slowly getting back into the travel world.
Personally, I don’t think it’s safe to fly right now. I understand why people might need to travel for family emergencies or work, but the process is daunting and involves interacting with a ton of people. Yes, airlines and airports have done their part to keep airplanes clean and prevent the spread of germs, but there is still a large amount of risk of catching the coronavirus. From using kiosks to print your boarding pass to the bins at security to sitting at the gate and on the plane, there are many places where you could be exposed to the disease.
That being said, I am not writing off air travel forever. I will need to go on a plane in August at the earliest to go back to DC and resume in-person school. Plus, I am currently planning trips back to Argentina and Chile for December 2020 (stay tuned). There’s certain precautions I would take though. First of all, I would wear a mask the entire time. Most airlines already require you to wear a mask onboard, but even if they didn’t, I would still wear one. Secondly, I would use hand sanitizer often and wipe down my seat, tray table, and armrest before I sat down. Finally, I would avoid buying food at the airport and bring my own sandwiches and snacks beforehand, just so I didn’t have to interact with anyone unnecessarily.
However, this doesn’t mean I’m waving off travel until August or beyond. I’m just doing a different trip than I normally would: a road trip. It’s been on my bucket list for a couple years now to do a road trip across the United States. I would see America from a different perspective and visit some of the most iconic National Parks in the world. So, in about a month, I’ll pack up my bags and hit the road in my Honda Accord for a 28 day, 5000 mile long driving trip through the Western US.
A road trip makes the most sense in terms of restarting travel. Specifically the kind of road trip I want to do where I’m visiting National Parks. It’s my own car which means I’m isolated from other people while moving between places and don’t have to worry about anyone’s germs infecting me. Also, when you travel to a National Park, you generally want to avoid people, perfect for a global pandemic. The less people you see on a hike through the Grand Canyon, the better, both for the sake of our health and so we can enjoy nature in solitude.
Of course I’ll still wear a mask and wash my hands often while on this road trip, plus it’s nearly impossible to completely avoid interacting with people, but driving in my own car to places you specifically want to avoid people is probably the best way to resume traveling.
As the country (and the world) begins to open up again, so will travel. If you want to hop on a cheap flight to Europe, be my guest but please be careful and take precautions. For now, I’m sticking to domestic road trips and will slowly expand my international travel as the coronavirus situation changes. Follow along my road trip on my Instagram account, starting July 5.
