Six Tips for Travel During Covid-19
Please be aware information is constantly changing, and this page may not reflect those changes.
Tip #1 — Know That Nothing Is Set In Stone
This is probably obvious, and a little hard to hear, but this is the most important thing to remember when travelling during the pandemic. No matter how long you’ve planned, and toiled over your schedule, and made sure you had the most affordable flight… REMEMBER THIS. Things can go south, and your hotel might be cancelled. Your flight might be cancelled. The country might not let you leave. These are all possibilities. However, heed some of the information below, and you may just succeed.
Tip #2 — Check Airline Prices Using Google Flights
“Google Flights” is is one of my personal favourite tools to use when I have found a flight I like with my regular carrier, but I want to double check and make sure it’s a good deal. Visit the Google Flight console and enter your dates, departure, and destination. It will scour the web and with the calendar view, you can see how much flights are costing on certain days. Because of the pandemic, it is even more handy to use this tool than ever before — the closer it gets to your date of departure, there is the chance that multiple flights get cancelled, and demand for seats increases, which increases airfare (supply and demand, you know the drill). More than ever, it is sometimes more affordable to book tickets further in advance.
Did you know? Statistically, the best time to buy flights is 3 months before the departure date.
Tip #3 —- Consider Travel Insurance With Covid Coverage
Let me offer you a scenario to consider. You are a Canadian, visiting Florida. You had a wonderful time and are ready to return home to the Great White North… but you test positive for Covid. You hunker down in a hotel or AirBNB and you wait it out… it’s expensive, but you have insurance, right? You are thankful you don’t have to go to work for a week still (phew!). But as you wait it out, you feel the shakes and the headaches and the breath weighing down on you. You need to go seek medical care. You have travel insurance, like you always do. But your travel insurance does not cover Covid related expenses.
Wow. That would suck.
Your hotel isn’t covered. Your hospital visit isn’t covered. The medications and the ventilator they put you on are all costing you a fortune. You can’t even return to Canada for care because you can’t board the flight home (because you have Covid, obviously).
This is all a worst-case scenario. But it’s a scenario that is very possible, and thus it is super duper recommended that you get yourself some insurance that is specially made to consider Covid-19. Personally, I have used Manulife as well as Blue Cross. I ended up just getting an annual coverage because I travel so much, and it’s well worth it. Don’t let your health cost you.
Tip #4 —- Carry Your Passport, A Printed Copy Of Your Vaccination Status, And A Power Supply
You need your passport to travel internationally, this is a given.
But you now also need your vaccination records. Most people have a hard copy (printed paper) with their status on it, but as those have been denied in the past — I advise you make sure you have the country approved QR code on your phone, as well as a printed version of the QR code just in case your phone breaks on you. If your phone battery gives out, make sure you have a power supply that you can plug it in to and keep it charged. You will need this proof to show the airline, the customs officers, and any establishment that requires it that you are fully vaccinated.
Not all QR codes are readable by all countries. For this reason is it also recommended to bring a hard copy of your vaccination form that includes type of vaccine, the date of the vaccine, and the batch number. Carry these with you and keep them safe.
Tip #5 —- Check for Approved Tests
Molecular tests (PCR, NAAT), Antigen Tests… what’s the one you need?
Not all countries want tests. Not all countries want the same tests. Make sure you know what your destination requires… and you could save yourself a lot of money.
For example!
Canada requires a NAAT or a PCR test to enter the country pre-departure. It must be from a sample taken within 72 hours of the departure time of the flight that carries you to Canada. Not the arrival time, but the departure time. What’s more? Some tests are quicker than others. Some tests cost more than others. Make sure you do your research in the area you are departing from to find out the cost, and the time required, for each test.
Countless times I have seen people flying abroad only to be denied because they needed a PCR test to enter, and all they had gotten was an Antigen test.
The USA will let you enter with an Antigen test. These are quick and can give you the results in 15 minutes.
Certain European countries will let you enter if you are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine and are arriving from an approved country, and do not require tests. If you are not vaccinated or you are arriving from an unapproved country, however, you must show proof of a negative test and may even be required to quarantine.
Every country has its own rules. Every country has a list of ‘OK’ countries and ‘NOT OK’ countries, and that list is continuously being updated and changing. Make sure you check the rules of the country you are going to before you leave.
Tip #6 —- Carry Multiple Masks
When travelling within airports and on airplanes, you will need to be masked at all times (the exception for this is eating and drinking).
I admit, I don’t like to wear masks. They are uncomfortable when worn for long periods of time — it gets hot, and humid, and I get a pressure headache. My piece of advice for you is to carry multiple masks, so that when the one mask starts to collect damp from your breath and becomes almost unbearable… you can change it to a fresh one. This is very helpful when you need to wear a mask for 12+ hours straight. Another tip? Prep them with essential oils so that they keep you alert and calm, and smelling oh-so-fresh.
I could go on, really. But these are six tips to help get you started and hopefully succeed getting around (when necessary) during the pandemic.
