Travelling Under a Pandemic

Travelling

UNDER A PANDEMIC

by Nada Abdelkader

If there’s one thing that is always in the back of our minds, travelling is just that thing. But who can blame us, right? Given the chance, everyone will drop everything they’re doing to head off on an impromptu trip to any country they can visit. Of course, right now this is easier said than done, what, with the pandemic still going on.

Since life eventually goes on, however, we’ve discovered that we cannot sit by and allow circumstances to rule us or our airmiles. Airports are opening up and travelling is coming back with a vengeance, so we’ll have to make sure we’re all equipped and ready to make our returns as well.

For that, naturally, we’ve rounded our sources to come up with the ultimate travelling guide under this current pandemic. 54 August 2020

Naturally, the pre-travelling stage is the most important in this day and age for a good reason. Although, it goes without saying, the most important tip here is to postpone your trip if you don’t feel well, but there are more useful tips, too:

GET A MEDICAL CHECKUP

A pretty important first step is to go to your nearest hospital or medical center to test yourself for Coronavirus so you can make sure you’re not a symptom-less carrier. If you don’t have a report that proves you’re not sick, there is a likely chance that you won’t be able to travel. You also won’t be eligible for travelling if you’d recently been in contact with a COVID-19 patient and/or host.

GET MEDICAL AND TRAVEL HISTORIES

Since you are traveling under a pandemic, after all, you should make sure you don’t skip out on any important document, like your updated medical history, needed here to prove that you haven’t been ill recently, and your travel history, in case you’ve traveled anywhere in these past few months.

DO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH

Another tip that we practiced before the pandemic, before you book your tickets to anywhere, it’s best if you make extensive research about your preferred destination, what sights you can see, and how that country is doing pandemicnumbers-wise.

MAKE SURE TO GET VACCINATED

This tip is a must before every trip and its importance only grows now. After getting tested, get yourself vaccinations that are up-to-date.

WORK ON YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

If you have some time before you travel, start working on improving your diet by adding more and more healthy, organic foods so you can boost your immune system and be marginally healthier when you make for the airport.

Kilometre Paris What To Pack Now that the first step of the traveling process is over, it’s time for our favorite step. The packing, of course. It’s not widely different from our pre-2020 packing processes, save for a few exceptions:

UNIQUE LUGGAGE

While this is more of what-you’ll-pack-in rather than what-you’ll-pack, you should probably change your luggage before you travel. Make sure you get suitcases that match your tastes, but also make sure that they stand out and are unique enough you don’t accidentally confuse them with someone else’s luggage at the baggage claim.

SEASON-APPROPRIATE CLOTHING AND A LIGHT JACKET

As part of your pre-trip planning, you’ve probably already figured out what the weather is like in the country you’re visiting this time of year, so you should be prepared. Pack your favorite clothes, but don’t go overboard. Don’t forget sunglasses and comfortable running shoes. August 2020 55

Aside from the necessary items, you’ll need to make sure you have packed medicines for headache-relief or the like (and pre-existing conditions, if any). Also, make sure to pack extra handsanitizers, alcohol wipes, face-masks, gloves, and goggles. If the last option isn’t available, sunglasses will do. Since communication is a must, you should make sure to pack your gadgets (i.e.: phones, laptops…etc.) with you and you should make sure these gadgets have no problem connecting to the internet where you’re headed.

Safety Tips

AT THE AIRPORT AND AIRPLANE…

• Make sure you wear gloves and sunglasses in addition to the face-masks of course. • Upgrade to first-class, if possible, to avoid being seated near other passengers. • Even though your seat is already sanitized, sanitize it again before sitting. • If you can, avoid airplane food and pack your own snacks. • Carry your essentials in your personal bag or your carry on.

GENERAL TIPS…

• Avoid touching your face, especially the eyes or nose. • Sanitize your hands regularly. • Cover your nose and your mouth when you sneeze or cough with a tissue, or if you can’t reach for one, with your elbow and wash it afterwards. • Don’t share sanitizers. • Change your face-mask every four hours. What To Do in Other Countries

Onto the best part of the trip, you’re now at your destination and you’re ready to enjoy yourself, which we heavily recommend. However, while you do so, you should keep some things in mind:

DON’T CARRY CASH

While you’re on your trip, avoid carrying cash with you and if you can, keep yourself limited to cashless transactions. If cash is needed at any point, though, make sure you have gloves on when you visit your nearest ATM. You may also use toothpicks while pushing the ATM buttons for a better measure.

REMEMBER YOUR GUIDELINES

While you go about your business, make sure to keep up your social distancing and other guidelines, like avoiding crowds and washing your hands regularly.

DON’T USE BATHROOMS IN PUBLIC

For all intents and purposes, if you’re not sure if the bathroom in question is properly disinfected, it’s better to wait until you’re back in your hotel room to use the bathroom. However, if you must, make sure you have alcohol wipes with you.

KEEP A HIGH-ALERT WHEN IN RESTAURANTS

You’re on vacation and you’re in a new country, so it’s understandable you want to sample local cuisine. And while you do so, you should check your restaurant’s safety precautions. Check if the staff is wearing face-masks and gloves, there’s a good air flow in the restaurant, the tables are spaced apart and disinfected, and if the utensils used are disposable.

WHEN VISITING IMPORTANT LANDMARKS, SIGHTS, PLACES OF WORSHIP…ETC.

Arguably, the most important tip of all is seeing where crowds are and immediately avoiding that place. Naturally, this is doubly stressed when it comes to touristic sites, where crowds are likely.

To avoid this, make sure you’re on the same page with your tour guide so you can put together a program where you can visit all the places you want, while avoiding the crowds too.

AVOID PEOPLE WITH COLDS AND PEOPLE NOT WEARING MASKS

Since COVID-19 is a tricky virus, there’s a big chance that some people are carrying it without showing symptoms. And while all you have to do in most cases is keeping an appropriate distance between yourself and others, you should be careful to not directly deal with people not wearing masks or showing symptoms of colds/flus.

Post-Trip Phase

If you’ve followed all of these general tips we’ve given so far and you’re all but done with your trip, then you’re probably on your way home. And so, here are some things to keep in consideration after your landing back:

YOU SHOULD ISOLATE YOURSELF FOR 14 DAYS AFTER RETURNING

Even if you have kept up with the safety measures and generally feel fine and not sick, you should still keep yourself isolated for two weeks after your return.

YOU SHOULD GET ANOTHER MEDICAL CHECKUP

If the two weeks pass and you’re okay, you should take the extra step and get a medical checkup, if you can. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

GET BACK TO YOUR REGULAR LIFE

After the two-week self-quarantine passes and if you’d gotten checked and are now all but greenlit, you can pick up your pace and go back to regular living. Just keep up the social distancing.