The pandemic changed the way we do just about anything. It has left people quarantining at home for months, it led to the devastation of economies all over the world, and it crushed various industries. Some of the hardest-hit industries are travel and tourism. Thankfully, the vaccine rollout has been happening in different parts of the world, and restrictions over traveling have eased significantly.
As the economy starts opening up, we see a glimmer of hope for us bored folks who are itching to leave our home for a change of scenery!
In fact, the Transportation Security Administration or TSA has recorded over 1 million passengers in a single day post-pandemic. This is the highest number of people flying out since the coronavirus pandemic started last March 2020.
While this is an excellent piece of news – something that we all need in these dark, uncertain times – we should protect ourselves all the time. This goes especially if you need to travel for work or business; protection from the coronavirus must be prioritized. Otherwise, you could get sick, or you could end up making your loved ones sick as a carrier of the virus.
So how do you fight an invisible enemy when you’re traveling? What are the good practices that you should always keep in mind when traveling during and after the health crisis? Here are some tips:
Wash Your Hands (Properly)
The most basic of all health tips is also the easiest to do: wash those hands! And we’re not talking about simply rinsing your hands with water because you’re in a hurry; you have to take your time cleaning every nook and cranny to prevent the spread of germs.
Wash your hands often and use soap to create a good lather. Wash those grubby paws for at least 20 seconds, paying close attention to the spaces between your fingers. Rinse thoroughly with water and dry your hands with a clean cloth or towel.
If soap and water are not available at the airport, always carry a hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizers are only meant to rid the hands of germs; these should never be used to replace hand washing.
Wear a Mask
Wearing a mask saves lives. It will save the lives of your loved ones, the people you meet at the airport, and the hardworking airport and airline employees around you. If you love your family and/or don’t want to spread germs to anyone close to you, wear a mask. Wear a mask properly and wear a mask often — especially if you are out and about at the airport!
A good mask inhibits the spread of the virus from people without symptoms (asymptomatic) by acting as a barrier that prevents viral particles from spreading through talking, whispering, sneezing, and coughing. Even better, wearing a face mask prevents you from touching your face, which helps reduce your risk of acquiring COVID-19.
Practice Social Distancing
It may be hard to practice social distancing when you’re trying to catch your next flight but DO IT! Coughing and sneezing propel germs as far as a few feet so being at least 6 feet apart from other people minimizes direct contact between you and your fellow travelers.
Practice social distancing throughout your security experience with TSA officers, even while on the queue at the immigration, or while waiting for your luggage!
Sanitize Often
Spritzing a little disinfectant spray here and there never hurts anyone — certainly not when the COVID virus is spreading everywhere! Traveling increases your risk of exposure, so it’s best to keep a small bottle of disinfecting product with you to keep your things clean and germ-free.
Choose a disinfecting product that kills 99.9% of all known bacteria and viruses; most of these are available in your local grocery. You can also keep a bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol in your purse or bag or alcohol wipes so you can sanitize your hands and things that you hold while out and about.
Reduce Touchpoints
Germs spread through cross-contamination, i.e., touch contaminated surfaces. If you want to protect yourself from airborne bacteria and viruses, you need to keep those hands as far away as possible from things that get touched a lot. These include door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, processing documents, etc.
Instead of opening the door using your hand, use your elbows to push the door open. The same goes for the elevator buttons; find creative ways of touching these without using your digits. Keep your docs in your travel bag instead of your pockets to reduce touchpoints even further.
Pack for Safety
One reason why some travelers get held up at the checkpoint is that they’ve packed things that are prohibited or suspicious-looking. Pack for safety so you don’t end up rerunning your bag through the x-ray machine or being made to open your bags so the officer could rummage through your things.
Don’t Eat or Drink on Public Transport
If you love using public transport to go from point A to B at a travel destination, avoid eating or drinking while on it. Eating inside a vehicle means taking off your mask and touching food with your hands, all of which could increase your risk of getting sick.
Get Travel Insurance
Travel insurance used to be optional, but it has become a vital part of a busy traveler’s must-haves while traveling. Some countries have successfully contained the spread of COVID, but this won’t stop another outbreak. To protect yourself and the people you’re traveling with, shop for travel insurance and look for a policy covering situations like a global health crisis! Choose a policy that offers medical and cancelation coverages to protect yourself from emergencies, especially if you travel a lot.
Drink only from Sealed Bottles
There’s no guarantee that airplane water is clean. Ask if the water used for tea or coffee came from bottled water. If you’re unsure or unconvinced, pack your own drinks or ask for bottled water while onboard a plane. If you don’t want to drink bottled water because you’re conscious about your plastic usage, ask for filtered water instead. The same goes when you’ve arrived at your destination; always drink from bottled water or use an electrolytic water-purifying device to prepare your own drinks.
Stop Touching Your Face
Most people just can’t stop touching their faces — it’s a habit that a lot of us do unconsciously. The thing is, touching the face could speed up the spread of germs because the nose, eyes, and mouth are entry points for bacteria and viruses. And when you’re traveling, your hands are touching dirty surface areas all the time. Make a conscious effort to avoid touching your face if you can. Wear a face shield if you’re comfortable to protect your face from your hands. Avoid direct contact by minimizing touchpoints while traveling.
Pack Boarding Passes Smartly
Don’t hand your boarding pass to TSA officers to reduce direct contact and prevent possible cross-contamination. Pack your docs in a clear container so the airport personnel could check these items at a glance. For electronic or paper passes, hold these to the scanner and then hold them up for TSA inspection.
Feeling Sick? Stay in Your Room!
Stay at home if you’re feeling sick before or during your travel. If you feel a fever coming on and you’ve got a sore throat, cancel your plans and rest. Wait until the symptoms have subsided before you go outside and risk infecting others. If you had symptoms during your journey, let the hotel personnel know about it and get yourself tested. If there is an outbreak where you traveled, stay in your room to protect yourself.
Let’s be real, now is not the best time to travel but if you’re doing it for work or business and it’s absolutely necessary, keep yourself and others protected. Better yet, wait until you’ve been vaccinated before going ahead with your travel plans. These tips ensure that you’ll travel safely.
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