If you are a family who loves travel, the Coronavirus pandemic has probably played havoc with your plans this year. People all over the world have had to cancel or postpone trips because of the outbreak.
While it has been understandable, it has been incredibly frustrating, for both travellers and the travel industry. Everyone is eager for the industry to open back up as it was and for things to return to some sort of normality. While there is light at the end of the tunnel, with news of vaccines, it is almost certainly going to be a long time before we get back to how we were.
In this post, we are going to explore some tips to help keep you and your family safe while travelling by air during the pandemic.
Protect yourself before you go
Of course, there is nothing you can do to guarantee that you will be free from the virus before you go unless you completely isolate yourself and don’t have any contact with anyone whatsoever for at least two weeks prior to heading off on your trip. It is not possible for everyone to isolate either – work and school commitments may stop that. However, reduce social contact as much as you can and order pcr test to make sure that you are clear before you go.
Embrace social distancing
We all know the drill by now: stay two metres apart from other people as much as possible. However, in a busy airport, or indeed when you arrive at your destination, it can be much, much harder. It may involve strategic planning – taking your own books or snacks so that you do not have to enter busy airport queues, for example, or making your luggage REALLY distinctive so you can spot it from a safe distance away from the carousel.
Listen to instructions
Everyone involved in getting you to your destination is under huge amounts of stress at the moment – it is quite possibly the most challenging time of their working life. Make sure you show them the respect that they deserve and remember things are operating differently, and sometimes slower than normal. It is also essential you listen to instructions, especially by flight attendants whose entire role is to keep you and your fellow flying passengers safe and comfortable.
To protect them – and other passengers – wear your mask for the entire flight, and make sure that you are wearing it properly. It should be covering your nose and your mouth. You should only remove it for eating and drinking. You also should reduce the amount of contract you have with surfaces and use hand sanitizer and sanitising wipes where possible.
Make sure your kids know the score
Kids have really had it tough, but they understand more than we could ever know. However, it is important to run through the process with them. Children over a certain age should be wearing masks and they need to be on top of hand washing and social distancing. Travel by air can be daunting enough, but add in a global pandemic and it can be downright terrifying!
Earlier on I wrote about my experience of London Luton Airport during Covid-19, have a read through this if you want to know more about air travel.
