Know Before You Go
Earlier this month, I flew from New York City to St. Louis, Missouri. Although there are now several proactive measures in place to make flying as “virus-free” as possible, I do believe that your health is YOUR responsibility.
And so, as we continue to deal with major life changes due to COVID-19, I wanted to share with you my recent travel experiences and what you should know before you go.
Masks are required.
As of May, most domestic airlines introduced a written requirement for passengers to wear masks in-flight. Some airlines will provide a mask if needed, although I highly recommend coming prepared with your own. I wore a standard mask while navigating throughout the airport, and switched to an N95 for the flight. Although switching to the upgraded mask made it a bit harder to breathe, potentially due to the altitude, I felt more confident knowing I had less of a chance getting sick breathing the plane’s recycled air.
Eat before you fly.
Since it's recommended that you wear a mask both in the airport terminals as well as during the entire flight, it’s better to eat before you travel. If you happen to eat while at the airport or on the plane, you’ll have to take your mask off, which can potentially expose you to the virus. In addition, most airlines have limited their food and beverage service to cups of water and small bags of pretzels.
Bring disinfectant.
While most airlines have stopped booking the middle seats on their flights, this doesn’t mean that you’re now a safe distance from the other passengers. You’re still sitting fairly close to the person one seat over, as well as those seated directly behind and in front of you. Therefore, I highly recommend wiping down your seat, tray, armrests, screen, and anything you might touch during the flight.
No temperature checks.
I was pretty surprised to find airlines not adapting to this precaution, as many other businesses are. I suggest taking your own temperature before you travel to ensure the safety of other passengers in case you happen to have COVID-19.
Bring hand sanitizer.
Bring a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer with you. Make sure to also use sanitizer after retrieving your ID or passport from airport officials. When you go through TSA, remember that you are touching the bins, the conveyor belt, and potentially other surfaces. So, make sure you wash your hands after going through security as well. For the most part, the airport bathrooms were pretty clean, but this could be due to a lot of people not traveling currently. And, if you’re renting a car, wipe down everything you touch - including the steering wheel, dashboard, seat, door handles, etc.
Negative COVID-19 tests before traveling.
Make sure to do your research about the area you are traveling to. In some popular tourist destinations, like Aruba, Hawaii, and Bermuda, travelers without evidence of a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to travel will be required to pay for a test upon arrival and be quarantined until their results come back.
Be safe, be cautious, and stay healthy.
