The Covid-19 pandemic has essentially forced us to change the way we approach travel these days. Before the coronavirus crisis, traveling was as easy as packing whatever can fit in a bag and hitting the road. Today, our health and safety have become the priority when it comes to travel planning, even as travel restrictions are easing up and vaccines are being rolled out.
Although health experts still advise against non-essential travel, you can go on a vacation if you’re really itching for it. That is, as long as you make plans to stay safe on your trip. We have here four safe travel tips that will help you avoid getting sick with Covid-19 and other illnesses.
Tip #1: Consider a road trip instead of flying to your destination.
More and more airlines are now enforcing stricter protocols when it comes to keeping their crew and passengers safe and preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Even so, traveling by car is still considered much safer than flying or traveling by public transport. Thus, if you’re planning a vacation, one of the safe travel tips you need to thinking about seriously is going on a road trip instead of booking a flight.
When you travel using your own car, your exposure is limited to just the people in the car traveling with you. Thus, your risk of catching the coronavirus is minimal. You’ll only get sick with Covid-19 if one of your travel companions has already been exposed or if you had a close encounter with an infected person at one of your stops on the road.
What if you’re using a rented car? Just like with airlines, car rental companies now implement tighter safety measures. If you have to rent a car, make sure that the company you’re renting it from has these safety measures in place.
So, if you’ve been bitten badly by the travel bug, you could consider planning a road trip instead of flying or taking public transport. A road trip may take longer, but as long as you’re cautious, you will stay safe during your trip. And, who knows what surprises you may meet along the way?
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Tip #2: Choose a destination closer to home.
The emerging new Covid-19 variants are pushing several countries to close their borders once again. Thus, you may want to put any plans for international travel on hold for the meantime. Instead, why not look at destinations closer to home when planning your vacation?
Vacationing close to home may have sounded like a lame idea before the pandemic. These days, though, it’s now a sensible way to spend time outside and away from your house. The destinations near you are easier to reach by car. More importantly, you can easily drive back home if you or one of your travel companions get sick.
If you do a close search, you might be surprised at the number of wonderful vacation spots only a few hours’ drive from you. Besides, as the old saying goes, it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.
Tip #3: Go somewhere remote.
If you’re serious about going on a socially distanced vacation, why not opt for a destination that’s far away from the crowds? That way, you can have as much fun as you’re allowed to and limit your contact with other people at the same time.
One way to do this is to go camping or glamping at a state or national park. Many of these national parks have already reopened with new safety regulations in place. Or you can rent a vacation property in an area off the beaten path that has great amenities. You can have so much fun in such trips without having to encounter a lot of people.
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Tip #4: Take advantage of the new WFH trend.
If you’re like most of us, the one true reason why you’re longing to go on vacation is you’ve been self-isolating all these past few months. You’ve been working from home and going out only when absolutely necessary. And you’re tired of seeing the same walls day-in and day-out.
You can enjoy a change of scenery while still staying safe and self-isolated by riding the new WFH train. This new WFH stands for “work from hotel,” where hotels now offer packages that allow their guests to do remote work using their facilities. These facilities include faster Wi-Fi, dedicated work spaces, contactless service, and others. It’s not exactly a vacation, but it’s a much better alternative if you’re feeling cooped up at home.
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The Covid-19 pandemic may have forced all of us to rethink the way we travel. But it doesn’t mean that travel has to end. With these safe travel tips, you can enjoy a vacation with minimal risk of exposure to the coronavirus.
Header image by Pam Patterson from Pixabay
