I am not encouraging travel during this time however if you DO need to travel this is what you need to do.
Traveling during a pandemic definitely is not encouraged during this time however if you do need to travel, I believe you can do it safely. When COVID became a serious thing in March, I made the decision to travel down to Florida to be with my parents and leave the city. Let me tell you, I was terrified to travel. Since we never experienced this before I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I left the end of March and even during that time masks were hard to come by so I remember grabbing a scarf and tied it around my nose and mouth the ENTIRE day. It was brutal but it was the right thing to do. Months later when I went back to nyc, I had a mask, and felt a bit more comfortable. I think we need to realize that flying actually isn’t that dangerous and it does not spread COVID. I am not an expert by any means but I have read some great articles saying you are more likely to catch it at the grocery store than you are in the airplane. Knowing that the holidays are coming up and we likely will be traveling to our small family gatherings, below are a couple of steps to take to make it as safe as possible.
Wipes and hand sanitizer. These items are so important to have on you at all times. Whether you are driving, flying, taking a train, or even walking to your destination make sure you use hand sanitizer at all times! Right when I get to my seat I wipe down the entire seat, seatbelt, screen, etc before I sit down. Once you are done with the wipe make sure you don’t use it on your hands or your phone. You want to tuck it away so you can dispose of it. Often in the flight I just take out my sanitizer and use figuring it never hurts to use it!
Have a good mask. You want a mask that has the right protection yet is comfortable for you to wear for hours at a time. I have some masks from Athleta that are really comfortable and breathable and then I put on one of those throw away masks on top to just give a little extra protection. Once I get off the flight I throw out that extra mask and just keep the first mask on as I walk through the airport.
Wash your clothes immediately after you travel. It is easier said than done if you have a washer and dryer at your destination but even if you don’t change your clothes when you get to your destination and don’t wear them for the remainder of the trip. You never know what is on your clothes and it is so easy just to put on a fresh pair of clothes.
Take a shower at your destination. Can be a pain but you will feel cleaner after doing so and putting on a fresh pair of clothes. It also is a good thing in general to wash your face and hair as you never know what is on there.
Don’t touch your face. This is a big one!! Even though you are really careful in your travels you still touch stuff and if you touch your face those germs are immediately on your face. Not good! It is definitely a hard habit to break but an important one.
Clean your phone. We should be doing this all the time and not just when we travel. I’m guilty of not doing this enough myself but boy I could only imagine the germs that are sitting on my phone right now. A wipe definitely helps but it does need a good deep cleaning with soap and water every now and then.
Don’t be afraid. Even though traveling does not feel like it used to, just know that you can still do it safely. Airlines especially are taking all precautions to make sure you are safe and also their staff is safe. It unfortunately is something that we will get used to and who knows maybe in a few years we will look back and can’t believe we never wore masks when flying before.
Have you traveled yet during COVID?
Thanks for reading Elle’s Edit. If you have any topics that you would like for me to discuss, feel free to email me at elizabeth.lane.dooley@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! xo
