Tips for Holiday Traveling during a Pandemic

If you do plan to travel to visit loved ones this holiday season, please be aware that safely doing so requires some foresight. Planning is critical to reduce your changes of bringing or taking the virus with you on your journeys.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re visiting people during COVID-19:

1. You should allow enough time to self-quarantine and get tested before traveling. It’s important to note that recommendations for how long you should self-quarantine vary among experts: Some say at least several days ahead of traveling may be adequate, while others have suggested 14 days for maximum safety (Washington Post).

2. Get tested for coronavirus beforehand. Before you leave, you should get tested for COVID-19. But don’t let a single negative test lull you into a false sense of security. You should take care to isolate after your test to ensure you don’t have new exposures.

3. Consider self-quarantining after you arrive. Depending on how you decide to travel, some experts say you may want to self-quarantine again after getting to your destination. In the event that you were exposed somewhere along your travels, self-isolating helps diminish your chances of spreading the virus.

4. Know your state’s travel guidelines. These are great indicators of whether or not you should travel outside of your state during the holiday season. These guidelines will also influence your quarantine and testing plan, so be sure to educate yourself early on in the planning process.

5. Get a flu shot beforehand. The CDC also recommends that holiday travelers get their flu vaccine before embarking on holiday getaways.

6. If you have college kids coming home for the holidays, these tips could be useful:

   1. They should drive alone if possible. A solo road trip or driving with people who are known to be low risk, has been said to be one of the safest ways to travel. When driving, they should be careful anytime they are outside of their vehicle.

We hope you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy this holiday season! Please note that this article is intended to provide general knowledge about the safety risks of traveling during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and should be used only as a guideline.