This pandemic has been crazy, frustrating, and heartbreaking. I know so many of us are feeling a variety of aches and pains related to Covid. We’ve had to postpone our wedding and Tea Ceremony several times. We’re also feeling aches because we moved so far away from our family and friends for the next couple of years for work. We saw it as an opportunity to travel around Europe. With travel being what it is right now, I took some time to reflect on traveling during a pandemic.

Here are some of the pros and cons of traveling during the pandemic. I also included a shortlist of tips. Please, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if you want to talk about it some more.

Cons of Traveling During Covid:

• We have been experiencing difficulties with receiving airline and hotel refunds and vouchers. We purchased several airline tickets before the pandemic and we felt like we had to use or lose them.
• Many places are still closed.
  • We have missed out on a good number of museums, experiences, stores, and restaurants that remain closed during Covid.
• Not everybody will share your understanding of responsibility during this pandemic
  • As you probably see all over the news, there are varying degrees of how people understand the virus and how they choose to take on responsibilities. We’ve seen a good amount of people who don’t wear their masks properly and who don’t socially distance.
• Airlines are not keeping middle seats empty
  • We’ve flown with 4 different European airlines since travel was allowed again. All 4 of these airlines have not kept the middle seats empty. Most of the flights were actually full.

Pros of Traveling During Covid:

• Traveling now is light. You may find your destinations happily uncrowded.
  • We got to roam Venice with very few people around. This led to great views of the canals and the city.
• Deals and steals
  • Some places are offering amazing discounts right now.
• We feel like we are finally getting to enjoy why we moved away
  • We moved here in the fall of 2019, knowing that we only had 2 ½ years to travel as much as possible before we had to move back to the States. For us, moving away was a very difficult decision. Traveling again reminds us why we made so many sacrifices for this opportunity.  

Tips for Traveling During Covid:

• Continuously check rules and regulations for where you’re going and your home country
  • Rules and situations are constantly changing. It’s best to keep yourself informed throughout your planning process and your trip.
• Check the airline websites!
  • Different airlines may have different rules regarding providing proof of a negative test, proof of vaccination, etc. Do your research before heading to the airport!
• Do your best to stay safe
  • Keep your social distance, wash your hands frequently, & wear your masks
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make requests
  • If you’re making lunch or dinner reservations, don’t be afraid to ask for outdoor seating
  • If you’re sitting next to someone on the plane who isn’t wearing their mask properly, don’t be afraid to politely ask them to fix it.
    • I felt really awkward asking the stranger next to me to cover his nose, but I was nice and he was very kind to return the favor.
• Be flexible
  • Your plans will change with so many unknowns going on.
• Consider taking a test or going into self-quarantine upon your return home
  • Despite all your efforts, you never know if you are spreading COVID. I know not all countries are requiring a self-quarantine upon your return home, but you really need to think about what is the best thing to do for not only yourself but your community too.
  • You can also consider taking a COVID test. The average time between exposure to the virus and symptoms starting is about 5-6 days, but it could also take about 14 days.
    • We called to secure an appointment when we went.
• Get your vaccine!
  • It’s really the safest way for you to travel in order to protect yourself and your community.

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