Travel Plans…Are You Trippin’?

If this were a pandemic free year, I would be on a two-week trip in Asia right now… but instead, I am sheltering in place.  Like me, many of you are well into your second month of staying home almost all day, every day.  Countries around the world have imposed travel restrictions – airport closures, quarantine mandates and in some places there are even curfews. These restrictions are aimed at controlling the novel coronavirus.

If you suffer from wanderlust like I do, the coronavirus outbreak has effectively left you with travel paralysis.  Also, if you have been assessing this surreal unfolding scene like I have, you should be wondering how to navigate this new and very foreign place. How will we thrive? How will we keep our wanderlust alive?

This is temporary. I declare it! The day will come again when we can freely intermingle with each other and explore the far corners of the world. We know this day will come, but we don’t know when. So, until then, we must find other ways to satisfy our Wanderlust.

An escape to recharge is perhaps even more import now than it has been in years past. I don’t know about you, but after 12 weeks of lockdown – I can taste the atmosphere of a foreign country on my tongue. These current limitations on international travel point to one thing – and one thing only -- ROAD TRIPS!!! The appeal of road trips is particularly strong this year because people are afraid of flying.

In the pre-COVID era I have done some one day and multiple day roads trips in countries which include; Canada, Ireland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Pero, Jamaica and the US so I know how fun they can be.

On road trips, the journey itself is a part of the experience. You and your roadcrew can make your own adventure along the way. The stops can by few or endless. Every town, city and state have their own lure and attraction and you are sure to run into something memorable along the way.  However as international boarders remain closed and countries relax internal restrictions, we must take the CDC and WHO guidelines into account as we make our plans to venture out.

Here are my tips to a Corona Virus Conscious Road Trip:

Assess The Risk

Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick. Travel of any kind increases your chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19. If travel is on your agenda, here are a few considerations

Is COVID-19 spreading where you’re going? You can get infected while traveling. A quick google search can provide you with some insight.

Is COVID-19 spreading in your community? Even if you don’t have symptoms, you can spread COVID-19 to others while traveling. If you know you have been exposed, be a decent human.

The CDC advises people to not travel if they're sick, are in a higher-risk group for the coronavirus or live with someone who is.  We cannot make assumptions that people will use common sense and practice good public health. Therefore, we must take responsibility for our own health.

Establish Your Road Crew

Your tribe determines you vibe. So you want to make sure the best people are along for the ride. As it relates to COVID-19, proximity increases the risk of contraction, and as we all know, a person can be infected without showing symptoms.  So, the tricky part of establishing a road crew is identifying the tribe with the right vibe that you can safely be confined with. Your screening of your crew should include a consideration and/or query of who they have been interacting with and any risk of second-hand exposure.  Your safest bet is to stick with the people you're already quarantining with.

Another option is to hit the road solo. Getting out does not require company.

Research Before You Go

We all know that experts recommend that we stay at least six feet from others and avoid gathering in crowds. For your road trip plans, that means you’ll want to steer clear from crowded destinations. COVID-19 restrictions vary from place to place so do your research before you head out. Road driving plans may put you in the path of checkpoints at state lines, quarantine orders, closed welcome centers and rest areas, and fewer open hotels and restaurants.

Look into visiting wide open spaces, consider rural places and the great outdoors – Montana, South Dakotas and North Dakotas are options if you are in the US.

1. Check to make sure your destination is open,

2. Find out if there are rules in place for visitors and residents, and

3. What, if any, quarantine measures may be mandatory.

Note for US Travels: Florida and Rhode Island require drivers entering the state to check in.

Establish a Road Plan

Are you renting or driving your own car? Are you staying at a hotel or camping? According to the CDC the chances of picking up the virus from surfaces is low compared to the risk of getting it from an infected person.

If you plan on driving your own vehicle this is not the time to put old Betsy to the test.  So before you hit the road, make sure your car is running smoothly.  Take your car in for maintenance check to avoid any surprises on the road. This will ensure that you and your roadcrew stays safe, the car stays running, and everyone has a great time

If you plan on staying at a hotel book in advance and book directly with the hotel. Look at hotels options without elevators or other confined spaces like crowded breakfast buffets that put you and your roadcrew in close contact with other guests and hotel employees.

You can also opt to sleep on camping grounds using your own tents and supplies. Camping presents an opportunity to eliminate the risk of staying in a confined indoor space where you could come in contact with others.

While on the road…limit stops and opportunities for contact with others as much as possible. The fewer the stops the better. Pick up food at drive-throughs, utilize curbside service and avoid dining-in. If possible, pack an abundance of food and drinks in your car or RV to keep food stops to a minimum.

Pack Consciously

Road trips offer the flexibility to bring more things than you would had you been flying.  You don’t have to abide by TSA’s guidelines and you don’t have to pack a suitcase that’s less than 50 pounds. If you have enough space in the car, you can bring plenty of games, activities, sports equipment, camping gear, and more. Your car is your home, storage unit, and means of transportation on road trips, so pack it to the brim and bring everything you and the family might need on the open road.

Stock up your vehicle with personal protective equipment (PPE) -  face masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Keep in mind that wherever you go, you'll want to aim to uphold the CDC's guidelines.

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

With places reopening and COVID-19 still very much a reality, it will be possible to quell those travel blues. Traveling to closer destinations by car may represent one choice to increase the control you and your family have on potential risks versus traveling by plane or public transportation. Should you choose to get behind the wheel, plan and pack with the pandemic in mind.

I think; therefore, I am…itching to travel.