Coronavirus Travel Advice: What You Need to Know

The COVID-19 crisis has slowed the travel industry considerably over the last several weeks. As cities are on lockdown and major tourist destinations are closed, most travel plans have been either canceled or postponed for the foreseeable future.

If you have essential travel within the next few weeks, then it is important to stay informed with the latest updates from the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control.

The CDC has given the following travel advice for essential travelers:

• Wash your hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Clean your hands after you have been out in public, or after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose.
• Do not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Maintain social distancing and keep 6 feet of distance from others
• Wear a cloth face mask in public
• Sneeze or cough into your elbow

What is essential travel?

Essential travel means travel for essential activities or to run an essential business. This includes health workers, diplomats, and other critical infrastructure workers. Carefully consider alternative working methods and options before deciding to travel. Weigh the risks and limit any non-essential travel.

Non-essential travel includes visits to family, second homes, campsites, or caravan parks. It is important to restrict non-essential travel in order to minimize the risk for essential workers so that they can continue to do their jobs.

What measures should I take if I need to travel?

If your job is considered essential and you must travel, then it is very important to follow all CDC guidelines. The most important guidelines to keep in mind are: washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, maintaining 6 feet distance from others, and wearing a mask.

While traveling, there are additional measures that should be taken into consideration to reduce the risk of contraction or transmission of COVID-19. Minimize contact with people and common surfaces as much as possible when traveling during the coronavirus.

Air Travel Safety Tips

• Download boarding pass onto your smartphone to avoid touching the check-in screen at the airport
• Bring a carry-on bag to minimize the number of people that will touch your luggage
• Try to fit all items into one tray in the security line to minimize contact with germs
• Pack your own food to avoid the airport cafeteria lines
• Disinfect the armrests, tray table, and seatback display on the aircraft
• Choose a window seat to be as far as possible from other passengers

Car Travel Safety Tips

• Reduce the number of stops by bringing food and water
• Check the route before traveling in case gas stations and stores are closed

Should I cancel my travel plans?

It depends on when your travel plans are scheduled. Travel plans scheduled for the Spring should be canceled because all non-essential travel is still restricted. Summer travel plans are unlikely to happen but do not need to be canceled yet. Many companies are overloaded with cancellations right now and are only responding to the most urgent cases. If your plans are still a few months away, then it’s okay to wait and potentially cancel later. It’s hard to guess what will happen with travel after the summer. Do not be discouraged yet if your travel plans are in the fall or winter, it may still be possible to travel by then.

When can I travel again?

As of right now, the CDC has not yet given a date for when non-essential travel will be reopened. It’s impossible to guess how long the COVID-19 crisis will occur. We are all itching to travel again and visit friends and family. But it is important to follow all of the CDC recommendations to ensure that the transmission and contraction of the coronavirus begins to slow. Only then will we be able to travel again. In the meantime, check out these amazing ways that you can travel from home with your laptop, smartphone, or virtual reality device.

Thankfully, we know that one day soon the pandemic will be over and we will be allowed to travel once again.  Travel after the coronavirus may look different in the beginning, but soon we will return to normal.

Stay home and stay safe!