Traveling During a Pandemic Is Different…But Still Fun
All road trips are not the same.
That’s even more true in the middle of a pandemic.
This past weekend I embarked on the first of a two-part journey around the states that border Texas.
It was my first trip out since the pandemic began with the stay at home rules. My friend Paolo and I decided to set out for New Mexico. He had never been.
Our plan was to spend three nights exploring. We ended up in Post, Texas the first night; Ruidoso, New Mexico the second night and Abilene, Texas on our last night.
We found that people are very aware of COVID-19 and being careful. Here are some tips we took into consideration while traveling. Most are obvious, but easy to forget.
- Many states are entering the phase two reopening. Keep in mind when you head out on the road that accommodations and restaurants are not running at full capacity. Even if it looks like a place is not full for a meal or a night, it might be at capacity given the guidelines regarding COVID-19 in place.
- Bring hand sanitizer & face coverings/masks – many places in New Mexico said, “mandatory face masks.” Just have a mask handy because you never know.
- When you stop at rest stops be extra sure to wash your hands. The CDC has said regarding travel it is possible to be exposed to or spread COVID-19 while traveling through rest stops and other transportation venues.
- Make sure you pack all your medicine, extra food, and water because store hours are sporadic depending on where you are. When we stopped in Abilene to buy provisions the store was closing at 7 p.m..
- Another germy place to be mindful of is the gas pump. You will have to get gas, just make sure you wash your hands and wipe buttons or handles you touch immediately.
- Inside public restrooms social distance and use paper towels to turn off faucets.
- When you arrive in your hotel room consider wiping down the surfaces in the room with disinfectant wipes just in case.
My colleague and I had a great time, we spent hours on the road listening to music. We stopped and took great photos because we didn’t have to be anywhere. For the most part we were “social distancing” in our car New Mexico bound. With our windows down, sunroof open and a feeling that reminded us both of why we love to travel.
According to SEMrush, a data, and trends analytics company the most Googled cities and countries where people want to travel most post-quarantine are below:
Where do Americans say they want to travel to now
Miami
New York
Las Vegas
Orlando
Chicago
Atlanta
Seattle
San Diego
Los Angeles
Denver
Where in the world do people go most?
Mexico
Italy
Japan
India
Thailand
Canada
Costa Rica
Greece
Vietnam
Ireland
