When should I travel again?
Erica Kocher
3.25.21
This is a question on every travel lover’s mind now days! As a travel advisor, I have personally started traveling again at the end of June but using extreme caution when doing so. I feel that in order for my clients to be able to trust my advice and suggestions that I need to have been traveling during the pandemic. I will share with you some of the things that I have witnessed and learned along the way.
First, the safest way to get to your destination right now is driving. In your own vehicle, you have full control of the cleanliness of your transportation. We have taken 2 road trips since the pandemic started and have done things a bit differently than in the past. We rarely stopped for food on the way, we get a snack bag with plenty of fun snacks but also high protein snacks. By having our food and drinks already with us, this eliminated extra time in restaurants and/or convenience stores looking for food/drinks. I carried Clorox wipes with us on the first trip and created my own wipes for the second trip. I used wipes on the gas pump handle and screen before using them and then made sure to wash my hands in the restroom after filling our gas tank. By making these adaptations, we not only arrived safely, but faster than normal because we weren’t wasting time outside of the car.
If you are planning a long-distance trip and you don’t like the idea of driving, then flying can still be deemed as safe. Most commercial airplanes are produced by Boeing. According to their website, even Pre-Covid 19, their “air circulation systems filter out more than 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, exchange the air every two to three minutes and create air flow that limits the spread of airborne contaminants.” They are also doing numerous tests to determine how they can modify their current and future airplanes to make them even safer. I could be biased, because there is a Boeing plant in St. Louis, but I feel fully confident in riding in an airplane created by Boeing. But, where I worry is the airline’s ability to clean the airplane quickly and appropriately between stops. Because of this, I carried on my own sanitizing wipes and would wipe down the arm rests, seat belt, and the back of the seat in front of me. I also chose flights that were direct to our destination. I didn’t want to have the added risk of being in another airport where travelers from different areas could share the virus.
Just in my experiences, I felt safer on the Southwest Airlines flight than I did on Frontier Airlines. Southwest has continued to keep the middle seat open to distance people a little more however, this ends on December 15, 2020. On our two Frontier flights, we learned the first trip that they do not social distance in the airplane and they were still flying with completely full flights. In our group of four, we had a stranger to the left of us and then one in the middle of our group. I’ve never felt so awkward on a flight before. The second time we flew, we purchased an extra seat in each row so that we had room to spread out. Currently, out of St. Louis, Frontier is the cheapest way to fly, so I will most likely still fly on a Frontier flight, but definitely will keep purchasing an extra seat.
Of the hotels and condo we have stayed in, I was above and beyond impressed by the newly introduced cleaning measures put in place. Every one of our stays had the television remote in a plastic bag stating that it had been fully sanitized. The Disney resorts went back to travel sized toiletries vs. large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. We noticed while staying on Disney property, that Mousekeeping would come in daily and take out the trash and wipe down the room, but that they kept their time in the room to a minimum. When we were still in the room, they would knock and ask if we needed service and/or extra towels. Being a family that usually stays in the DVC villas, we are accustomed to only getting cleaning every 3-4 days, so this was a nice touch to help us feel safer.
With the travel requirements to different states within the U.S. or different countries always changing, now it is even more important than ever to trust in a travel professional. It is our job to keep up on the requirements so that you don’t have any unpleasant surprises when you arrive at your destination. The team of agents at Wishes Family Travel, is constantly researching and updating each other on new changes to different destinations. You can trust in us to have the most accurate information to share with you.
Now to the most common question asked to me…when is the best time to return to travel. Well, the answer to that is different for each individual that I’ve worked with. I am personally at a moderate risk of having severe symptoms if I contract Covid 19, so I am both more cautious but also comfortable to travel. If you are traveling with someone that is considered, high risk, then I would most likely recommend that if they are the least bit worried, then to hold off on traveling until there are more safety measures put out there. For the average healthy person, I would say you could travel at any time, but definitely carry wipes and sanitizer with you to clean around you, as well as wearing a mask in public places and social distancing. The Orlando area theme parks have all made changes to help with social distancing and keeping visitors safe. Between my experiences and my clients who have gone to the parks, none of us have returned with anything other than great memories.
When you feel like you are ready to book your next relaxing vacation or fun adventure, I’d be happy to help you do so! All services that I provide to you are complimentary for my clients. As your agent, I’ll help you with everything from finding the perfect package, adding newly released promotions to existing reservations, and grabbing those hard-to-get dining reservations. I am trained in booking worldwide vacations based on land or at sea. You can contact me at 1-618-514-5536, or emailat erica@wishesfamilytravel.com or through my Wishes Family Travel – Erica Kocher Facebook group.