Traveling During COVID-19

The one and only time that I’ve been on a plane this year before COVID-19 happened was when I flew back to Seattle after celebrating New Years in San Francisco. My brother moved from San Francisco to LA last week, so I decided to fly down to San Francisco to help him pack up his belongings and help with the move down. We drove down from San Francisco and after helping him settle in, I flew back to Seattle directly from LA.

Flying during a pandemic is stressful and I was wary about how safe I’d be. From my experience, it wasn’t bad, but I planned it out and took precautionary measures. Flying has definitely changed for the foreseeable future - make sure you plan ahead to protect yourselves and others.

A Week Out From Flying:
1. Research your nearest COVID-19 testing site and schedule your COVID-19 test for when you return home and be prepared to quarantine
2. I stocked my freezer and fridge with some basics and enough to last me while quarantining and waiting for my COVID-19 test results for when I returned from my trip
3. I like to come home to a clean house, so I vacuumed, did all my laundry and tidied everything before leaving

What to Pack:
1. Multiple face masks - I packed KN-95 ones specifically for flying (double-masked) and a few cloth masks for the duration of the trip. Note that masks with valves are not allowed on the flight.
2. Ziploc bags to hold your masks (separate clean vs. dirty)
3. Sanitizing wipes (buy these early, the stores I went to were consistently out of stock) + alcohol sanitizing spray (1/2 alcohol, 1/2 water)
4. Mini hand sanitizers
5. Latex gloves (your phone can still detect your fingers with gloves on)
6. Glasses or goggles to minimize wanting to touch your face
7. 2 outfits specifically for flying and separate plastic/mesh bags to store them in after flying
8. Have all of this together and easily accessible so that you don’t have to dig through your backpack or luggage

Prior to Arriving at the Airport:
1. Plan to arrive 1-2 hours earlier than normal, even if you have TSA pre-check. You never know how long security lines may take with social distancing in place, especially during peak hours
2. Eat your meals/snacks prior to arriving at the airport to minimize contaminated food
3. Change into your flying outfit and make sure you have your sanitizing kit with you

At the Airport:
1. Keep your mask/face covered at all times (I double masked)
2. I wore latex gloves to minimize touching things and to serve as a reminder to not touch my face
3. Check-in with touchless options (bar code on phone)
4. Avoid eating, drinking and using the restroom. I also stood the entire time waiting to board the flight vs. normally finding an empty seat and making myself comfortable.
5. Be kind to the TSA officers or any employees who are working and helping you get to your destination

This was the most empty I have ever seen SEA-TAC and LAX airports. I made sure to put on all my gear after getting out of the car. I have TSA pre-check and the regular entry lines were just as empty.

During the Flight:
1. Make sure you are spaced far enough apart from others, if you can. I had an entire row to myself and sat in the window seat on both flights.
2. Wipe down your seat, seat belt, arm rest, tray tables, window/wall, vent knobs and handles with sanitizing wipes - don’t be shy about this, I spent a good 5 minutes being extra diligent and OCD about sanitizing.
3. Avoid eating, drinking and using the restroom while on flight
4. Keep your mask on at all times
5. Be kind to the pilots and flight attendants for making sure you are comfortable and arrive safely to your destination

Arrival:
1. After leaving the airport, dispose gloves and masks, sanitize hands
2. Sanitize and wipe down phone, luggage and shoes once you are home
3. It’s best if you can have family/friends who can pick you up (and you know are COVID-19 free). If you are Ubering/renting a car/taking public transportation, make sure to take the same measures and wipe down as much as you can.
4. Immediately take a shower, wash your hair and throw airplane clothes in laundry for wash
5. Go to the COVID-19 test you scheduled, quarantine yourself while you wait for results and let your friends know. Thankfully, I tested negative and only had to wait 24 hours for my results.

Hope this helps! Try not to fly unless it’s something of priority. Safe travels!