Questions On Travel…How To Stay Safe While Traveling During A Pandemic

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2020 was a beast of a year, to say the least. In the travel industry, we have seen a significant decline in flights and passengers. So much so that CNN reports a 96% drop in air travel since the start of the pandemic.  

However, after several months of stay-at-home orders, many people are now feeling more comfortable since many cities are opening up. Travel is up and people are out and about. According to NPR, many U.S. airlines are adding flights. What does this mean for you and your travel plans?

Please remember, no matter whether you fly or not, according to the CDC, Covid is still here.  However, whether you are traveling out of the country or not, there are things you can do to help keep you as safe as possible.

Questions on travel while at the airport

Keeping yourself as safe as possible doesn’t start when you get on the plane. It starts before you leave home. Arranging your things in your bag in an orderly fashion before you arrive at the airport will help you keep your anxiety down. Think about the order you will be taking things out of your bag and pack accordingly. Check out these 100 tips to help you not be a hot mess while traveling. 

For instance, if you do not have TSA PreCheck and you have to remove your computer, belt, shoes etc, there is no reason to put your computer inside of its case. If you take all of the things that you know you will have to take out in one section of your bag, you won’t have to think about what you need to remove.

Once you enter the airport, you can wear disposable gloves and use those to touch the kiosks. This kiosk screens are not disinfected often, so the less you touch them with your hands, the better. If wearing gloves isn’t a possibility, you can wipe the screen down before you touch it. Make sure you also wipe down the area on the kiosk where you retrieve your tickets.

While standing in security, there should be lines on the floor to help you stand 6 feet behind the person in front of you. Make sure you adhere to those lines. The CDC recommends you stay at least 6 feet away from others. Read more about their guidelines here.

Please throw those gloves away once you have gone through security, and do not touch your phone with those gloves. If you wear your gloves and touch your phone and all of your personal items after you have touched the public surfaces, the gloves are no longer protecting you.

PRO TIP: If you don’t want your items to touch the bins that are provided at security, simply pack several sheets of paper towels in your bag and lay them in the bin before you put your items inside. Easy peasy!

You can also buy someone my beautiful luggage covers. They will always help you find your bag on a carrousel!

Questions on travel while on the plane

You may have some questions on travel while on your flight. While this isn’t an exhaustive list, I hope this can give you some guidance as to how you can travel during COVID-19.

Is it possible to travel safely during a pandemic?  Listen, there is no full proof way to avoid catching Covid-19 except for staying at home. Period. However, if you want to take a trip, there are things you can do to minimize your exposure. One of these ways is to disinfect your airplane seat.

How to disinfect my airplane seat? I have been using Nice Seats for years and I love them. It’s one of the best ways to keep yourself away from all of the nasty airplane germs. The cover protects your whole seat and allows you to sit in peace. You do still need to disinfect the armrest, the seat belt and buckle, the knobs above your head and the table tray. Use code TRAVELGURUSENTME on their site and get 20% off!

What do you need in order to keep safe while traveling? If you include the following in your carry-on, you will be doing what you can to help protect yourself.

• masks – many airlines are requiring that you use masks when boarding a flight, and you can be denied boarding if you do not have one.
• sanitizer – This will allow you to clean your hands throughout your flight.
• wipes – You will need disinfectant wipes in order to sanitize your area. You should also take wipes with you when you go to the bathroom so you can use them to touch the door and the knobs.
• slippers/socks -If you want to walk around on the plane but don’t want to stay in your shoes, bring slippers or socks. Do not walk around barefoot. That is just nasty. Socks can also be helpful when you are walking through security if you don’t want to have your bare feet on the floor if you have to take your shoes off.
• paper towels – If you want to put your purse on the floor in front of you, use some of the paper towels. Put them down on the floor to keep the germs off of your bag.
• If you choose to check a bag, do not stand right next to the other passengers near the carrousel. Please stay at least 6 feet away and if you can’t get to your bag safely, just wait for it to get to a less crowded area. Sanitize your bag before you take it with you.
• Plastic bags – You can put your socks in a bag after you take them off if you don’t want them to be inside of your purse of carry-on. Also, it is always a good idea to carry a few plastic bags, they just come in handy. I like the ones that zip like this one below.

Can I avoid catching Covid-19 while traveling?

No. No one can tell you that you can 100% guarantee that you will not catch Covid-19, even if you take all of these precautions. However, if you put these things into practice, it will decrease your chances of catching anything you don’t want. We have to embrace this new normal that this pandemic is presenting, and if you choose to fly, it would be smart to protect yourself as much as possible.

Do you have any trips planned this summer? Do you feel safe flying during this pandemic?