Traveling during coronavirus is a major task. I have to say, ever since Coronavirus hit I have remained pretty optimistic. That’s not to say I don’t worry about it, but for me and how I surround myself with it I have kept a pretty level head. I do my part. I wear my mask. I stay 6 feet away from others. I take my Vitamin C and Zinc. I even do the weird head nod go in for a handshake and then immediately change my mind thing. I have tons of mini precautions I have implemented. However, in the end, I’m going to live my life with the parameters I am given.

If there is one thing I could give advice on when it comes to traveling during a pandemic it would be to follow policy. I’ll dive into my experience here in a little bit but following the rules of all the pieces to get you to your destination will make a more seamless trip for you in the end.

Is it safe to travel during a pandemic?

A lot of people are wondering if it is safe to travel during Coronavirus. While some travel restrictions might be lifted, others are cracking down. Who really knows if it is “safe” to travel. That, my friend, is a judgment call on your part. Unfortunately, I am not equipped to say yay or nay on this matter, but anymore, I wonder if the CDC is either, Hmm…

The last time I flew was in June and previously before that, it was in May. I’m hopping onto a plane this weekend too. So I have seen a lot of the restrictions lift and tighten throughout his time.

I’m not traveling just to travel. The two times I have traveled was for weddings. Side note, my heart goes out to the COVID-19 couples. This has been tough. If you are nervous about traveling, that is completely normal. We re all navigating this “new normal” and we don’t have all of the answers.

I had a lot of questions too

I was a tad nervous about traveling during coronavirus, but I think that’s was because I had seen so many eerie shots of empty airports, and empty planes. That was not the travel industry I knew.

I had questions like “How is the security control going to be? Are there going to be too many people at the airport? Are things going to be open in the airport? Is my flight going to be full? Will I catch COVID-19 because I am choosing to fly?” I’m sure you are probably asking yourself those same questions if you are facing a travel battle.

Well, I am here to tell you about my experience so you can make a more informed decision.

Side note: This cute sweater set above is from my Etsy Shop Cover Your Basics.

Flying amidst the coronavirus

The first thing I did when I was getting ready for my trip was look up all of the policies of all of the places I’m going to or the services I am using. Traveling during Coronavirus means more restrictions are in place. From Uber to Southwest, to TSA, to Enterprise Rental Car, and our hotel. You start to see a pattern of policies after looking up so many policies but I would rather be safe than sorry.

Uber Ride

The Uber was normal. We had masks on and sat in the back seat. I know some people go straight for the front seat but you know, try to give the driver their space. We pulled up to the airport and there was not a soul in sight. It was the emptiest I had ever seen the airport. It made staying 6 feet away from everyone very easy.

The airport

The check-in desk had extremely limited staff. There was one person to help you from a distance with your machine and then you took your bags straight to the baggage security checkpoint. Only they were allowed to handle your checked luggage. The no lines part was SUPER freakin’ nice though.

Airport Security

Airport security had a decent sized line, and unless you were between two people that understood the 6ft rule, there wasn’t too much control over that. It is going to be on you to tell the guy behind you scarfing down a meatball sub that he needs to back away 6 feet. Believe it or not, people still don’t understand personal space.

TSA already isn’t my favorite group and I haven’t decided if it is because they hate their jobs or they think they’re the shizz. I’ll get back to you on that. They were on some sort of power trip when I was there though. Only one person/group was allowed at the belt to distribute your/their stuff and TSA does not let you forget it. It’s a little annoying when people don’t know how to work a security belt but that’s every day at an airport I guess.

Waiting at the Gate

There were very few places open in the airport. Basically one of each type of store/restaurant per gate was open. I was super bummed when I wanted my bagel and smear and found out I had to walk back 43 gates to get it.

All of the planes were relatively on time. I didn’t see any delayed or canceled signs. The spread the gates out too. Seating in the gate was open through like three gates as opposed to trying to find two seats between groups.

They only board 10 people at a time. With Southwest, it was A1-A10, A20-A30, etc. I actually like that method better. People are so antsy to get on the plane. Chill dude, you have your number for a reason and you will get on the plane I promise. Additionally, the flight attendant cannot take your ticket or your phone to scan your ticket. That’s all on you.

On the Plane

Okay, believe it or not, this is where it gets good. All of the middle seats are not booked for space purposes. Let me repeat. ALL OF THE MIDDLE SEATS ARE OPEN. If you’re traveling with a friend you get a row to yourself! How wicked is that? Of course, there is a downside. You do have to keep your mask on the entire flight. As I said, I do my part and wear my mask but a 3-hour flight is a really long time to wear it, so that wasn’t my favorite.

I honestly didn’t smell any sanitizing products but my seat was wiped down when I went to go sit in it. I had packed some sanitizing wipes and just wiped everything down before getting settled. Safety first, right?

Once in the air, they started serving refreshments. I believe it was just water but I can’t remember because that’s just usually what I ask for 30,000 feet up in the air. I do know alcohol was not being served. Bummer, right guys? I’m not gonna say bring your own because that’s illegal, but I’m not going to say to not NOT bring it. Anyways, they served me my water in a can, so that was a first. No ice. Just a can of water, so if that freaks you out as it did me, maybe buy water at the airport.

Everything else ran the same. Everyone jumped up when we landed like they needed to be the first peeps off the plane, and we all crowded around the baggage claim like we were about to lift the curse of the Black Pearl. Airports are weird, man.

Rental Car

We made it to our rental car area. That was pretty normal except you have to examine the car and let them know if you see any dents instead of them looking with you. That could be standard practice for some companies though.

Hotel

When traveling during coronavirus you will more than likely put yourself up into a hotel. I know a lot of hotels will vary in their practices but here are some of the things I noticed between them all. Housekeeping services (which is my favorite part) hardly exist anymore during your stay. They will not come to clean your room until it is a complete and utter disaster because you think they’re never coming to clean your room. LOL no, I am totally kidding. They will come and clean your room after three days, but they don’t tell you that so after the first two days we thought we just weren’t having our room clean and everything was a hot mess express when they did come to clean. Ugh, we felt so bad.

When it comes to masks, you have to wear your mask in the lobby area and in the elevators. You can take it off once you’re in your room.

There is no more continental breakfast even if it is regularly included and there is usually is no compensation for that either. Sometimes they might give you free parking in exchange for breakfast not being served, but as I said, it varies from property to property. Either way, this sucks because I love waking up to a lovely croissant in the morning.

The last thing that stuck out to me is you have to reserve time at the pool. No more walking down all willy nilly and setting up camp. Check with the front desk on availability and they will let you in. UNLESS you are at a bigger resort, they monitor by capacity (sometimes, not very well if I might add).

So, there you have it, friends. That has been my experience with flying amidst a global pandemic. I have figured out a few tips and tricks along the way which you can find here. Be sure to stay tuned for that so you can be fully prepared for your next trip.

What has been your experience? I’d love to chat in the comments below!