Travel In The Time Of Corona
By: Himanshu Atre
Tags: Travel, New Normal, Travel Tips, Covid 19, Pandemic Travel

Travel In The Time Of Corona

My Experiences and Learnings from Travel during the Pandemic

Picture of us at Bryce Canyon National Park courtesy of a stranger.

In 2019, my wife and I traveled to nine countries, ten US states, and five US National Parks. In March 2020, like everything else in everyone’s lives, our travel streak came to a grinding halt.

As we sheltered in place for the next three months, we sorely missed being on the road and were itching to get back. Now, we are not Travel Bloggers or Social media influencers and our livelihood does not depend on traveling. We travel because we really like to. In June, as the states started opening up one by one, we started contemplating packing our bags again. But we had some reservations.

1. Would it be safe?

Back in June, the memories of those images from COVID-19 hotspots like Italy and New York and were still fresh in everyone’s mind. After having stepped out only for groceries four to five times in 3 months and the occasional jog in the neighborhood, we had not really ventured out. So the apprehension loomed large about the risks involved.

2. Are we being reckless?

We were fortunate enough to be healthy, employed, and not in the ‘at risk’ demographic. Would it be an unnecessarily reckless move to travel for leisure?

3. Is it really necessary?

As hotels, restaurants, parks, and other places of interest started to open up again, it became possible to travel.

But just because we can, should we?

Of course, we could have survived without leisure travel. It was by no means essential. But, it was an important part of who we are and how we live. So we started researching how to balance the equation.

Start small and explore your backyard

If you haven’t made a trip in the last 8 months planning that first one can be scary and confusing. A lot has changed. Plan day trips to nearby parks if they are open. To limit exposure, pack your meals and fuel up in advance. In the case of most of us, we often ignore places near our home in favor of tourist destinations elsewhere. By doing this, you not only take baby steps and warm up to traveling in a pandemic but also support your local community. We visited so many delightful Missouri state parks near St Louis where we live that we would not have otherwise.

Plain and Fancy Bed and Breakfast at Ironton, Missouri. (Picture source: Himanshu Atre)

Research, Plan, and Confirm

Educate yourselves about the safety measures in effect at the place that you plan to visit and then make a decision. Rules and hours of operation change very frequently, so do not rely on websites and make sure you call and confirm if the content online is accurate. Most places limit the number of visitors. If you need to book ahead in order to get in, make sure you have that figured out. Constantly keep a lookout for updates and travel advisories.

To fly or not to fly

Is it safer to fly for two hours or drive for twelve? For a long time, we were skeptical of air travel. But as we learned about the safety measures being put in place by the airlines and airports, our faith was restored. Strict ‘Masks Always On’ policy, empty middle seats, HEPA air filters on the planes, and active sanitization makes spending a few hours in a sealed tin can with strangers seem less scary. We took our first pandemic flight in late August.

Wander-slut shaming

The COVID-19 pandemic presented new opportunities for people to shame others online. A lot of travel bloggers, social media influencers, and celebrities were shamed for having posted pictures of their travel. I agree that some posts were tone deaf or downright insensitive and hence the hate was probably warranted and justified. But a lot of it was just resentment over a few people having the opportunity to travel while others have to suffer.

Zion National Park (Picture source: Himanshu Atre)

Since July, we planned our travel purely around National Parks, Forests, and State parks. We visited the Great Sand Dunes and Rocky Mountian National Park in Colorado as well as Zion and Bryce Canyon National parks in Utah. These trips gave us what we were looking desperately looking for:

Opportunity to spend time in the lap of nature in order to rejuvenate our minds which are exhausted from the current circumstances

My take away from our experiences in the last four months is: