How to Travel Safely during a Pandemic

With the borders starting to open up again and the vaccines rolling out, so has the search for travel bookings gone up. There are many different rules and regulations depending on each country and we recommend checking out the regulations and airlines before booking your trip. If you do choose to travel during pandemic times it's really important to stay safe and limit the spread of COVID-19. We have put together a list of tips and guidelines on how to generally stay safe on your travels. Read on to learn more about how to travel safely during a pandemic.

How to Travel Safely during a Pandemic

Before you start planning your trip and booking flights and hotel stays it's best to check out the government websites for the country you are thinking about visiting as well as the country you are departing from. There are many different rules and regulations, so this is the first MUST-DO!

Requirements

There are different requirements for each country as well as airlines plus the regulations are being updated quite so often, so you have to stay on top of all restrictions when it comes to travelling safely. If you don't meet the given requirements you won't be departing for your trip which would be a shame and a waste of money!

Some of the most typical (and necessary) requirements are:

• No COVID-19 symptoms

• Negative PCR and/or rapid test

• Health declaration documents

• COVID-19 vaccine

• Multiple medical certified face masks

• Quarantine upon arrival

First and foremost you can't show any symptoms of coronavirus if you are travelling and you have to prove that by taking a PCR and rapid test within 24-48 hours of departure. Some countries may vary regarding the time between getting the tests and departure. Some countries also require a secondary health declaration test and/or other documents in regards to coronavirus which you'll most likely be able to find on governments websites or through the airline you're flying with.

In some countries it is required to have a COVID-19 vaccine, so if you haven't yet got the vaccine make sure that you won't be booking a trip for a country that has these requirements.

You will need multiple face masks which are of medical grade standard. Airports and airlines require you to change your face mask every 3 hours or when moist, so make sure to bring enough face masks for your trip.

Reusable masks go or no go?

Some reusable masks aren't medically certified (they have to have 3 layers) so it's important to make sure your mask meets these requirements however we would definitely make sure to bring the single-use masks just in case. When you dispose the masks it's best to rip off the elastics and toss in the bin! This is to make sure it doesn't end up in the environment causing harm to the planet and animals.

In some countries it is required to quarantine a certain amount of time on arrival and then get another COVID test when quarantine ends and it's important to follow these restrictions to stay safe and to keep the spread down. If you do have to quarantine check out your options regarding where you can quarantine, how to get there, how to get food and water while you're in quarantine and make sure to know this beforehand as you'll have to give up some of this information to be able to depart for your trip.

Tips & Guidelines

We have put together a list below on what travellers can do to take their precautions, minimise their risk of contracting coronavirus and spreading it.

• Check government travel regulations and advice

• Look for destinations with a low number of COVID-19 cases

• Look for destinations that follow the COVID-19 safety guidelines

• Check airline safety guidelines

• Always wear a face mask

• Wash and disinfect your hands often

• Comply with all regulations given

• Keep at least 2 meters distance

• Do not assume that there are no risks when travelling

We've already gone over this, but before booking any trips check out government travel regulations and advice for travelling safely to the country you are planning to visit.

It is a good idea to stay on top of the number of COVID-19 cases before making a decision on where to go as some countries might be open for travellers yet not very safe because of a high number of cases. To minimise your risk of contracting coronavirus and spread it's also a good idea to look for destinations that follow COVID-19 safety guidelines as well as making sure that the airline you're booking with are also following these guidelines. Generally speaking most airlines have been taking their precautions and made sure to disinfect airplanes and keep a safe distance for travellers on board the plane, so it shouldn't be a problem but it's always best to make sure.

Bring face masks to wear throughout your trip and enough so you can follow the guidelines of changing it every 3 hours if you're not allowed to wear a reusable mask. You also need to wash and disinfect your hands often. Try to do this every time you've been in contact with people, foods and drinks as well as surfaces you touch.

To stay safe throughout your travels you should also try to keep at least 2 meters distance from other people and keep the touching to a minimum.

Just because borders are opening up it's doesn't necessarily mean that there are no risks so don't assume otherwise. Always comply with the given regulations and stay updated on travel guidelines and advice from governments and airlines. This way you'll be able to travel as safely as possible.