Traveling During the Pandemic: 6 Things you Should Know

AHHH, the year 2020. Too bad we couldn’t have foreseen the literal sh*t show it would be. A little heifer named COVID shut down everything in a matter of days! After months of being trapped in our home, we can truly say the cabin fever was real enough to make us escape to Tulum, Mexico during a pandemic.

Some of you will probably find this post controversial because, “we should be staying inside our homes until this is over.” The truth is, no one really knows when that will be. To be quite frank, the coronavirus is everywhere, and can be contracted anywhere.That being said, here are a few things you should know & expect when traveling during the pandemic.

1. Flights are A lot Cheaper AND More Flexible

By cheap, we’re talking standing room only prices, especially if you’re flying throughout the U.S. We have seen flights as low as $25 on our favorite app for flight shopping, Momondo. For our flight to Tulum, we only paid $300 per person roundtrip. (This is cheap considering the fact that we booked this flight a week before we left, it was the shortest flight, AND we could modify it for free.) With that being said, understand that you are not the only ones itching to travel during this pandemic. Being on an airplane means being around other people, cheap or not!

No need to fear, though, airlines have many safety protocols in place for travelers. These include: requiring all passengers and flight attendants to wear masks, handing out alcohol wipes to sanitize your personal area, and when possible, skipping rows between each row of guests. If a flight happened to be full, instead of skipping rows, they would skip the middle seat for social distancing.

2. Get Ready to Have a Gun Pointed at Your Head…A lot.

A thermometer gun, that is. Because of COVID, we were subject to temperature screenings pretty much EVERYWHERE. It’s strange, yes, but it’s one of those new “normal” things you’d better get used to if you’ll be traveling the world during a pandemic.

We decided to stay in an airbnb instead of a hotel. Though there weren’t many occupants, our hosts were required to take our temps each time we left and returned to our place.

Unlike our home away from home, restaurants were definitely a bit more crowded. But before they would allow you to enter the restaurant, they would DROWN your hands in germ-x, and then…you guessed it – take your temperature.

3. Expect Mostly Private Tours (and the Expensive Cost of Them)

The tours that are operating have a significantly decreased number of participants. This is great, but in turn, makes the tours a bit more expensive in some cases. In Tulum, most of the popular tours like Chichen Itza & the Mayan ruins were not operating due to it’s usually heavy traffic.

Because of this, the only tour we did was something a little less sought after: whale shark swimming. It would usually cost about $170 per person to go swimming with whale sharks, but some companies were charging as steep as $1,200 per person thanks to COVID. That may seem absurd, but you have to remember that the cost to run the tour remains the same, no matter how many people participate. On the bright side, instead of the usual 100+ boats, there was only our boat. This made the experience a million times better!

4. Do Yourself a Favor and Rent a Car!

For safety measures (and getting around quicker), we rented a car for about $30 a day. This prevented us from having to be super close to other people, and being on someone else’s time. In addition to that, because Cancun is the closest airport to Tulum, having your own car is an easier and more comfortable way of making that 1.5 hour drive.

*Speaking of rentals, be sure to book AND pay for your car beforehand when possible. Some car rental companies will try to add on more fees when they realize you’re American or not a strong speaker of their language!

5. You’re Traveling During a Pandemic… Pack Extra Errr Thing

When traveling during a pandemic, you can never have too much!! Pack extra masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, and wipes in your carry ons. Not every place looked the sanitary part, so it’s good to have your own handy.

6. Do Your Research!

Make sure you travel responsibly while COVID is still on the loose. Even though we are done with COVID, COVID is that crazy ex that isn’t quite done with us. 

We encourage you guys to get out there ONLY after you’ve done your research on safety precautions. Some countries have different restrictions than others, so it’s best to be prepared for them all.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of the coronavirus, PLEASE STAY HOME. To keep up with the latest travel updates, visit the CDC‘s website.

Planning a trip during the pandemic? Comment below and tell us where you’re off to!