Things You Need to Know to Travel Safely This Holiday Season
With Christmas coming up sooner than we think, I wanted to update everyone on our Christmas plans this year and share some tips on how to travel safely with coronavirus in mind.
This year, Jourdan and I will be traveling to London to spend the holidays with his family!
3 years ago Jourdan’s parents moved to a picturesque village called Thursley, just outside of London, England. Think Cameron Diaz in (!!!). It is an hour south west of the city by car, and with each winding road you take, the further back in time you seem to go.
They will be retiring within the next year and it was really important to the family to spend one last Christmas together in this dreamy winter wonderland. Despite the challenges and obstacles this year has brought, we are still able to fly and make the trip! We would love to explore more of Europe and discover additional parts of England, but keeping safety in mind, we will be sticking pretty close to home.
Out of precaution, we both registered our travel with work and upon arrival to the UK will be tested immediately with a rapid response test just to be safe.
If you are someone who will be traveling this holiday season, it is ever so important to be safe and take every precaution possible.
As someone who works in health care, I feel it is important to remind everyone of the following (you have probably/hopefully heard this before, but I can’t not share):
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First and foremost: Wear a mask. This is so important and is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have been wearing the Vera Bradly face masks- not only are they super cute, but they come with filters when most cute masks don’t!
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Avoid close contact with individuals not in your household by staying 6 feet apart. Cue the Luke Combs song!!
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Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer often.
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Avoid anyone who is sick (hopefully you know this!).
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Avoid touching your face mask, eyes, nose, and mouth.
Outside of the standard information (again, it would go against everything I’ve been taught to not share it), I wanted to share a few tips and tricks that have come in handy when traveling during coronavirus that you wont find on the CDC website.
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When on an airplane, keep the air vent open. This might be one of the most important tips to take away from this. I know you might be chilly (I always am), but ventilation is key in this situation so keep that air vent open and flowing! Most airlines have a high efficiency filtration system, and it is best to keep the vents above you open to allow for clean air to circulate. Be sure to bring a jacket!
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If you are flying (or using any kind of public transportation), pack disinfectant wipes and wipe down your seat and every surface you might touch. If you don’t have a travel packet of wipes, its easy to make your own! Just pull however many wipes you might need (most travel packages have about 10 wipes) out of the larger container of wipes and neatly fold them and place in a ziplock bag for easy access. Throw these in your purse or backpack and you are off!
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Limit contact with frequently touched surfaces such as public door handles, handrails, elevator buttons, and gas pumps. This might be one you have heard before, but you can use an anit-touch tool to cut down on your contact with these surfaces. I got mine for free when volunteering, but here is where you can get yours!
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Bring your own snacks and water on your trip. I am allll about travel snacks, but this will save you from going into stores and gas stations unnecessarily. Some snacks I like to pack are granola bars and nut mixes to keep you full and energized and then I throw in my favorite candy as a treat.
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If its possible, board the airplane last! This goes against everything we normally do when bustling through the airport, but if you can board last, or towards the end, this will hopefully allow you to limit the amount of people you crowd up with to get to your seat.
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Use clear plastic bags at security. Instead of throwing your keys, wallet, phone, etc. into those commonly used bins at the airport, place your items in clear plastic bags. This will limit the surfaces your personal items will touch. Just think- you put your phone down in the bin. Once you make it through security you grab it and call your mom to let her know you made it through okay and you’re heading to your gate. That phone just went from the bin right to your face…
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Pack your own headphones to avoid using the ones provided by airplanes. They may not be as hygienic as the ones you bring from home. Don’t forget to wipe these down periodically though!
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Pack your own pillow and blanket to avoid using the ones provided by the airplane. Jourdan and I use these– not only are they comfortable, but they are space savvy!
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Try not to touch the video screen on planes! To all the movie junkies like me- download movies and shows to your personal tablet ahead of time to avoid this completely, or use a stylus or the anti-touch tool when using the screen.
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Upon arrival to your destination, change clothes as soon as possible and wash the clothes you traveled in.
I hope these tips help and keep you safe this holiday season. Merry Christmas everyone and safe travels!
– Kate
hi there!
I'm Kate! I'm obsessed with life and set out to make every day magical. I love all things fashion, am a self proclaimed food-ie, continually seeking the next travel adventure with my fiancé, and love a great merlot!
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