Traveling in the time of COVID

Traveling with COVID-19 has become a whole new challenge. Some people are totally up for a safe and CDC approved adventure while some people stay in the comfort of their own county. This past year, my family have taken two vacations in two very different ways.

On July 27 I mounted a plane to Seattle from Miami International Airport, which was a ghost town. Walking through the airport I felt comfortable seeing everyone in a mask and respecting CDC guidelines. In the air, my outfit consisted of a CDC approved mask and a plexiglass face shield. Before touching anything, I used alcohol wipes to clean every surface. Landing in Seattle, we rented our own car so that we wouldn’t have to ride in an Uber or taxi with other people and other germs.

We stayed in two different AirBnb’s in the span of a week to prevent having to get in a contaminated elevator of a hotel. We came in contact with few people throughout the whole trip as we stayed hiking in national parks rather than hanging out in big cities.

A day after we landed, my family got tested for COVID-19 and thankfully the results came back negative.

During Thanksgiving break, my family again made the decision to travel, but this time on a road trip. We left for Blue Ridge, Georgia and prepared for a 12 hour road trip ahead. This trip was incredibly different from our first. On our first day of driving, we stopped halfway at a hotel to spend the night. We were extremely lucky to get the elevator and hallways all to ourselves as we didn’t see anyone walking around. The hotels have all made some changes and stopped serving breakfast and closed some amenities like the gym.

In Georgia, we stayed in a small Airbnb again for 4 days, doing activities like hiking and fishing. Our only time we came in contact with strangers was to go to the grocery store or with other passersby on our hikes. We spent the holiday meal socially distant with our aunt and uncle, who live in Georgia.

We hadn’t seen them in a few months and took the opportunity to see them being in Georgia. We enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and pumpkin pie sitting in separate tables on opposite sides of the porch outside overlooking the mountains.

After another fun trip we got tested again and thankfully the results were negative.

Our experiences go to show that by following CDC guidelines and doing your part in wearing a mask, traveling can be done safely. We did have to give up some simple luxuries like eating out and going to big tourist hotspots and cities but that wasn’t a deal breaker for us.

At the end of the day, it depends on what you and your family are comfortable with. The most important thing is doing your part: wash your hands, wear a mask, and stay socially distant.