Holiday Travel during a Pandemic

I was very curious about traveling by air during COVID-19.  Recently, my husband and I traveled to Denver, Colorado and I must say that I was surprised to see that not much had changed in air travel.

There are some additional measures that have taken place such as temperature checks and masks, but other than that, nothing has changed.

Passengers are still packed together, shoulder to shoulder, in a tiny tube and flown here, there, and almost everywhere. 

Here are my tips while traveling by air during a pandemic.

1. Bring your masks. 

    I know this isn't popular and I know that some people say that masks don't work and some people say masks do work, but the fact of the matter is this- all the airlines say that you MUST wear a mask at all times during the flight and in the airport unless you are eating or drinking. If you don't want to wear a mask, do not fly on an airplane right now. The flight attendants go up and down the isles (or at least they did on our flights) making sure that passengers are wearing their masks correctly. Noses cannot be out and about and bandanas are not considered a proper face covering. Some airlines will provide masks for you if your mask doesn't meet their requirements.

2. Planes are boarded from the back to the front.

   In my opinion, this tactic should have been implemented a long time ago. I am usually always sitting at the back of the plane. In the past I would be the last to board and end up beating everyone with my bags as I trudged down the aisle. I guess the airlines realized that boarding from back to front would reduce contact. In theory it works, but when they begin calling rows on who can board, everyone seems to swarm around and it ends up being a mass hoard of people all gathered together. (Oh well, at least they tried.)

3. Arrive at the airport earlier than you normally would.

    There were not long lines to check in or to go through security, but if you are like me, I always get pulled to the side for a pat down by security. It never fails, I always wear something that sets their machines off. 

    Temperatures are taken right before boarding. This isn't a big deal, but it is an extra step that takes a few moments longer. 100.4 degrees is the highest temperature that they will allow you to board with. 

4. Bring your own hand sanitizer.

    I purchased some pocket size hand sanitizer and used it a good bit. It was handy to have throughout our trip when sanitizer wasn't readily available. They will allow you to board the plane with the little pocket sized kind. 

5. Have fun.

    Stop worrying and enjoy your life. It's the only one you've got- remember that! 

Happy Travels, ya'll!