You can now travel abroad. Yay! However, while worldwide vaccination provides some promise of safety from the Coronavirus pandemic, it won’t happen overnight. In the meantime, there are some precautions that you could take to protect both yourself and others as you travel.
How to prepare and stay safe while traveling abroad
Check local travel requirements, rules, and restrictions.
If you are traveling abroad, it would be wise to check with local, state, and territorial governing entities on their travel restrictions, rules, and regulations before booking your ticket. Some of the most common rules may include wearing a mask, getting tested, or getting quarantined for 14 days.
By checking these requirements beforehand, you’ll be saving yourself lots of delays and unpleasant surprises when you arrive at your destination. Remember that restrictions may change rapidly regarding local conditions; therefore, it would be wise to keep tabs on any updates as your trip gets closer.
Travel and testing
For vaccinated people
If you have been fully vaccinated, you won’t have to be fully vaccinated in the UK before getting into or out of the country unless the destination you are traveling to requires you. If you are traveling to the UK, you’ll need to provide documentation of a negative test within three days or recovery from COVID-19 before you travel.
Unvaccinated people
If you haven’t been vaccinated, the ECDC recommends that you get tested three days before your trip and three to five days after your trip. If you test negative, reduce non-essential activities for five days, and if you’ve not gotten tested, stay at home for ten days. If you test positive, stay at home and self-isolate.
Stay safe when you travel
If you are traveling abroad, it’s recommended that you wear a mask that fully covers your mouth as well as the nose every time you are in public, even if you are fully vaccinated. If you haven’t been vaccinated, it would be best if you followed these recommendations to stay safe:
- Wear a mask
- Maintain a distance of six feet between you and others
- Avoid contact with any sick persons
- Limit contact with frequently touched surfaces
- Avoid touching your eyes and mouth
- Sanitize often
- Refrain from eating or drinking in public
Staying safe when using public transportation
Air travel
It’s hard to get infected in the plane because of how the air is circulated; however, crowded planes can make it difficult to distance socially. While the TSA has made it a point to clean and disinfect surfaces, there are measures that you could still take to keep safe during your trip.
- You should wear a mask at all times.
- Hold your passes directly to the scanner to be scanned and hold them up for inspection.
- You may carry one bottle of sanitizer of up to 12 ounces
- Place personal items such as keys and wallets in a carrier bag for easy inspection
- Place food items in carrier bags separate from personal items for easy inspection
- Sanitize your hands before and after going through screening
Car travel
- Make as few stops as possible
- Pack your face masks and sanitizer
- Prepare food and water to take on your trip
- Use a disinfectant wipe on handles before fueling your car and sanitize your hands after
- If you need to pick meals on the road, go to a drive-through or get curbside service.
Hotels and lodgings
Before booking your room in hotels and lodgings, it would be good to check on the administration’s steps to protect the guests and staff. Check if:
- There are any enhanced cleaning procedures
- If there are any social distancing measures
- If there are any contactless payments
- If the guests and staff use masks
- If there is a satisfying protocol in case any guest gets ill
Make a packing list
Your packing list should include:
- Tissues
- Sanitizer
- Face mask (60% alcohol)
- Disinfectant wipes (70% alcohol)
- Thermometer
Get COVID-19 travel insurance
Whether you are already traveling, need a coronavirus cover, or planning a stay-cation, it would be good to ensure that you stay safe during your travels. Globelink International provides you with travel insurance, ensuring that you travel safely and get medical attention should you get COVID-19. Getting our travel insurance will provide you with emergency medical attention, repatriation, cancelation, and curtailment.
To wrap up
If you have to travel abroad, it would be best to ensure that you have a safe trip by avoiding exposure to the coronavirus. Practice the safety precautions listed above, and you’ll have reduced the chances by a great deal. I hope you have a great trip, and be sure to stay safe.
