The COVID-19 pandemic is not coming to an end anytime soon, so you need to exercise caution if you travel anywhere. Here are some tips that will help you stay safe during your travels.
Do Your Homework
Before you travel to any location, do some research to find out what the COVID situation is there. Find out if COVID is spreading where you are going, what precautions are being taken by businesses, and if you’ll be required to quarantine before you go back home. You should also include your own community in the research. If COVID is spreading where you live, or you’re traveling with people who are at high risk of getting sick, you should postpone your trip.
Get Tested
You should have a recent negative COVID test result before you travel anywhere. This should be the case even if you’re fully vaccinated since you can still contract and spread the virus. Get tested, and be ready to share your negative results when prompted to do so.
Travel in Small Groups
Driving to your destination is safer than flying if you want to avoid catching or spreading COVID. If you do drive, limit the number of people in your vehicle as much as possible, and make sure that everyone wears masks unless you’re absolutely sure that everyone has tested negative for COVID.
Always Wear a Mask
You should still be wearing a mask wherever you go, even if there are no rules requiring it. Not only are you traveling to unfamiliar locations, but you’ll likely be surrounded by people you don’t know.
Wash Your Hands Frequently
No matter how and where you travel, you will come into contact with things that countless people have touched. Since there’s no way to know whether or not any of these people have had COVID, you’re going to need to wash your hands frequently. If you find that you can’t wash your hands after touching a surface, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you. It’s not as effective as washing your hands, but it will provide some protection until you can wash your hands again properly.
Don’t Go if You Feel Sick
Finally, don’t go on a trip if you feel sick. It might hurt to postpone or cancel a trip that you’ve been planning to take, but you will be making the current global situation much worse if you insist on traveling to a busy tourist destination when you could spread COVID. Use your best judgment, but accept that you might have to wait a few weeks before you go anywhere.