TIPS FOR TRAVELLING DURING COVID

I’ve been travelling since August 2020, usually staying in the same place for a few months at a time, and I’ve learnt a few things about moving around during these COVID times that we find ourselves in. In the grand scheme of things, I’ve thankfully been unaffected by COVID, however when I was in Athens in December, my boyfriend ended up testing positive for COVID, so I’ve learnt a few things about how to handle that and how we could have been more prepared.

My most important tip: have a plan for getting COVID

I think the most important thing I have learnt from travelling during these times is to travel as if you’re going to get COVID, and by that I mean, do your research and have a plan, as well as enough money to execute that plan. Look at what the restrictions are in the country you’re going to and what they offer if you get COVID. For example, Greece provides a free quarentine hotel, however it can take a day or two to get into a room, so you need to make sure you have enough money to cover that. If you’re staying in hostel, you will need to be prepared to get an airbnb with self check-in. If you’re already staying in a airbnb or hotel, I would still recommend having money for an extra few nights incase you catch it towards the end of your trip. To be honest, I think you should have the money for 10 day quarentine in a airbnb, regardless of where you’re going, should worst come to worst. You will also need the money for at least two PCR tests. And then there’s food. It’s a good idea to look up food delivery services where you’re going, do they have them and what are they called.

I know this can add up to a lot, but remember you are making the decision to travel during these times, so you need to make sure you can be responsible if something happens.

The Right Masks

If you’re in the UK, Ireland or America, you might be used to using fabric masks. However, many European countries and airlines require surgical masks. This is something I was unaware of before travelling around Europe. It seems some countries are more strict than others, in Germany they are very explicit on public transport about the type of masks you need, and I know people who have been refused entry into shops wearing a fabric mask.

Ferries and Trains

For the first year of my travels, I managed to avoid taking planes, using ferries and trains instead, however in the last few months, I have taken a couple of flights. They weren’t too bad, though one was more packed than I would have liked. On the other hand, I’ve really enjoyed taking the ferry from Dublin to Wales instead of flying, it’s just over-all a less stressful experience and there’s more space to wonder around. It can be more expensive and not always possible to avoid flying, but I would definitely recommend exploring alternatives.

Vaccination Cert

This is an obvious one but you need to have your vaccination cert ready to be shown at all times (in my personal opinion, you need to be fully vaccinated in other to travel at the moment). It’s also important to make sure that your certificate will be accepted in the country you’re visiting. If you’re in the UK, your NHS code will work in Europe, and I recommend downloading a COVID pass app and scanning your code into that so it’s easy to show to people (I’ve found some people get confused when I show my printed-out NHS code, however it does work when they ultimately scan it).

Cancellation Policies

This one is probably obvious but be aware of what the cancellation or change policies are when booking flights, accommodation and anything else. It’s just such an uncertain time and you never know what’s going to happen, so it’s good to keep on top on what it’ll cost if you need to modify your bookings. I find it really hard to keep up with all the different restrictions and changing policies in different countries, so I just make sure my travel plans are flexible and only look at the restrictions for the country I’m travelling to closer to the time I’m actually planning on traveling there.

Obviously when travelling, it’s also important to wash your hands regularly, use hand sanitiser, keep your distance where possible etc. Pay attention to the restrictions in each country and try and be as sensible as possible. It is definitely different travelling these days but it is still possible if you’re smart about it.