How to travel during COVID-19: Planning a safe road trip

Anybody else out there longing for traveling after months of homeschooling kids while working remote, or working on the front lines? While COVID-19 is become part of our new normal, it is important to get a break to keep our sanity.

We did a short road trip to Oregon for business in May 2020. Here are tips from our experience to stay as safe as possible from COVID-19:

1. Avoid traveling if you are sick
2. Look up the spread of COVID-19 in the area you will visit
3. Check what is open there
4. Book your hotel or vacation rental last minute
5. Take your own cleaning products
6. At the gas station
7. Bathroom breaks
8. Hotel check-in
9. Clean your phone and other devices
10. Order take-out or bring your own food
11. Follow the state/county sanitary rules you are visiting
12. Wear a mask
13. Stay away from crowded places
14. Rediscover the outdoors

1. Avoid traveling if you are sick – More than ever, avoid any travel if you are not feeling well. Your immune system would be weakened, and you could be at risk of catching COVID-19. Or you could have COVID-19 and may infect countless people during your trip. You will feel better faster if you are recovering at home with friends and family nearby who can take care of you.
2. Look up the spread of COVID-19 in the area you will visit – Thanks to all the data collected, this information is available online with a quick search. If cases are surging, you likely want to reconsider the location or postpone your trip. If the area has the epidemic under control, read about the local COVID-19 rules. For example, hotels may be closed to visitors from out of state. If wearing a mask is mandatory in public places, make sure you have enough masks with you for the length of your stay. You want to make sure you are getting there knowing what to expect.
3. Check what is open there – If you want to go to a public location (National Park, zoo, museum, etc.), research online if it is actually open, opening hours and any specific COVID-19 rules to follow on site. Many things have changed since the pandemic started. If you are planning to go to a National Park or monument, check out the National Parks Service website.
4. Book your hotel or vacation rental last minute – If you book ahead of time and COVID-19 is spreading in the area you are visiting, you may end up canceling you trip and losing your non-refundable booking. Even if your booking is refundable, read the small prints to make sure you will be reimbursed if COVID-19 cases surge again. The pandemic has made traveling much less predictable and hospitality services have been highly impacted by the crisis. You can look at the availability for hotels or rentals ahead of time and consider booking at the last minute to keep some flexibility. Note that traditional free buffet breakfast offered by many hotels have been suspended temporarily.
5. Take your own cleaning products – We brought with us our disinfectant wipes, cleaning gloves and hand sanitizers. We packed them in a separate, easy to spot bag and made sure they were handy in the car so we could reach to them anytime we needed. Keep them away from children though!
6. At the gas station – While getting gas at the pump, use disinfectant wipes on the digital screens and use a paper towel sheet or rag when touching the pump handle. Once done, toss the paper towel in a nearby trash can and apply hand sanitizer after filling your tank and before touching the wheel again. If you stop at a full-service gas station, using hand sanitizer after getting back your credit card.
7. Bathroom breaks – Chose a place as clean as possible. No matter how clean it is, bring tissues and your own disinfecting wipes in a small sealed bag. The disinfectant wipe is to use on every point of contact in the bathroom in this order: doorknobs, light switch, faucet lever and spout, the toilet handle and seat. Toss in the trash. When you exit and no paper towel is available to open the door, use a tissue and toss in the next garbage in sight.
8. Hotel check-in – Use your own pen to sign documents. Apply on your hands sanitizer before and after doing your check-in. When entering your room, put on your cleaning gloves and use a disinfectant wipe on every points of contact: your key/keypad, doorknobs, light switches, tv remote, hotel phone, microwave buttons and handle, fridge handle, flat surfaces you will use like the top of your nightstand and around the bathroom faucet, faucet lever and spout, toilet handle and seat. Once done, toss the wipe in the trash. If you want, you can also keep the door open for 30 min to allow fresh air to get in.
9. Clean your phone and other devices – Smartphones are dirtier than a toilet seat. When traveling, it is important to keep your devices clean. Do a quick swipe with a disinfecting wipe on your phone, tablet and computer regularly.
10. Order take-out or bring your own food – Restaurants have had to adapt and scale up their take-out options because of COVID-19. If you want to eat local, look at what restaurants offer for take-out on their websites. You can also bring your own food or get what you need at the local supermarket. If you plan to do that, it is usually good to bring your own silverware, plate and cup. I always pack a sponge, dish liquid soap and a hand towel to clean up afterwards. For more tips, check out our road trip check list here.
11. Follow the state/county sanitary rules you are visiting – As the pandemic is coming in waves, some locations may have more restricted laws than others. For example, wearing a mask in a public place may be mandatory in one State or county but not another. A quick search online ahead of time will allow you to follow local rules as closely as possible.
12. Wear a mask – Even if a mask is not mandatory, the CDC recommends wearing one in public places. The pandemic is still going strong across the country and you can help contain it with a mask.
13. Stay away from crowded places – Keep some distance between people and yourself – 6ft is the standard recommendation. If a place is too crowded, particularly indoor, consider visiting later or another day when it is less busy. It will likely be more enjoyable too.
14. Rediscover the outdoors – If you are antsy, enjoy doing an activity outside in a place that allows enough social distancing. A walk in nature is fantastic!

Tell us how your trip went and what tip would you add to this list. Safe travels!