The Safest Means of Travel During A Pandemic
Most airlines are still flying during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite numerous challenges. But most of us are wisely avoiding air travel, or any type of public transportation unless it’s absolutely essential. That hasn’t stopped airlines from offering great deals to fly during the pandemic. Alaska Airlines is offering a 50% elite status bonus for all flights taken between now and May 31st , provided you register for the promotion before you fly. December 31st, no registration necessary. You can find dirt cheap fares, including one spotted by One Mile at a Time between Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX) for about $31. That’s a roundtrip saver fare on American Airlines. It seems the added passenger weight alone would cost the airline more than what they’re charging, so this seems unwise for the airline.
These deals are tempting. Very tempting! But fortunately, my wife Debby is here to talk some sense into me. We currently have a couple of trips planned that are almost certainly not going to happen. We’re supposed to visit our daughter in Nashville next weekend – a quick nonstop on Southwest. A couple of weeks later, I have one of my regular trips to Seattle scheduled on Alaska Airlines. I was planning to get Alaska’s MVP Gold status this year, and the 50% elite bonus would be helpful. But unless there are significant changes to the current COVID-19 situation, I’ll have to cancel.
Public transportation is just not a great place for social distancing, and it doesn’t matter if you’re on a plane, a train, a bus, or a boat. If you can’t maintain six feet of distance and avoid high touch areas, it’s just not a good idea to go right now.
Road Trip!
For those of us with a serious travel bug, however, our sense of isolation is only going to get worse until this is finally over. But there’s still one way to travel that enhances our social distancing: a road trip by car.
Now let’s be clear. This isn’t a great option everywhere. Many states have shelter in place rules, and you won’t technically be permitted to do this. You might even have to explain yourself to an unsympathetic police officer. And once you get where you’re going, will you even be able to do anything?
Will There Be Anything to Do Once You Arrive?
After our first week of isolating at home, my wife and I decided to drive to the beautiful white sands of Orange Beach, Alabama. It’s not far, and we know there’s plenty of lonely beachfront on which to maintain our space from others. We thought it would be an easy way to enjoy the day while following social distancing rules. And it was. The day was simply perfect, and we were hoping to do it again soon.
Then spring break happened, along with video of partying college students oblivious to the dangers they were inflicting on the health and safety of others. The governor shut down the beaches.
Advice for a Safe Road Trip
Still, a road trip can still be beneficial where it’s permitted. Driving your car is not a problem, but be mindful of what you’re going to do when you get where you’re going. That’s the advice of Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, who spoke with the New York Times about traveling by car. She wants you to think about where you’re going, as well: “Given the strain we already have on our health care systems we don’t want people flocking to one place, getting sick, and then placing even more of a strain on the health care system (at your destination).”
So what can you do on a road trip during this pandemic? My own subjective opinion is that you shouldn’t be doing anything more while you’re out on the road than you’d be doing at home. You’ll need to stop and buy gas, pick up some food, and find places to go that are both open and easy to isolate yourself at. It’s probably okay to visit a friend or relative, so long as you’ve both been self-isolating before your trip, but make sure you’re both feeling well before going. And keep the number of people you’re in contact with to a minimum.
One key point: If you haven’t been self-isolating at home in the two weeks prior to travel, you really have no business visiting others and risking their health.
Are Hotels Safe?
With travel at record lows, hotels are struggling to fill rooms. Most of the better hotel companies have instituted much more rigorous cleaning methods, especially as it pertains to high touch surfaces. Between the low occupancy rates and enhanced cleaning, I’ll stay at a hotel. But, I’ll ask for a room that hasn’t been used for a few days. This would better ensure that the virus isn’t on surfaces in the room, and I’d self-isolate during my stay.
Final Thoughts
If you really need to travel, your own vehicle provides the safest means of getting from place to place. A short trip can help satiate your travel bug and give you a change of scenery. It can take some of the boredom out of our self-isolation. But keep in mind these things:
- Maintain social distancing guidelines when you’re not in your vehicle.
- Keep hand sanitizer in your car to use every time you get back in it.
- Stay away from the most popular destinations; there is simply no destination that can handle a lot of extra people right now.
- Do not travel to a pandemic hot spot; you don’t want to take COVID-19 home to your town.
- Travel only if you haven’t been sick and have been self-isolating in the two weeks prior.
- Short trips are better than long trips.
- Be aware of restrictions in other states you may be traveling to.
- Stay in hotel rooms that haven’t been used in the past few days, when possible. Ensure the rooms have been thoroughly cleaned.
I spoke to my 86-year-old mother the other day. She’s obviously in a high risk category and has been self-isolating at her home in the Seattle area. But she loves to get out of the house and told me she’s thinking about “going for a ride.” It’s probably okay for her to do that, even in Seattle. But it really needs to be just a ride – not a trip to Costco. Not a trip to visit friends or relatives. If you think about what you’re doing, and you don’t risk your health or the health of others, traveling by car should be fine.