Has COVID-19 changed the way you travel (maybe even forever)?

[Gigi22]

Definitely. I usually travel with friends. We are all over 65 and fully vaccinated. None of us has been on a trip since March 2020. One of my friends has a cottage on a lake about 30 minutes away and he goes there regularly during the summer. Not sure how I feel about travel right now. It’s more of a wait and see approach these days. We are still being discouraged from unnecessary travel.

 

[tvguy]

I think it depends where you are from. We did all our normal vacations last year and this. We also did amusement parks, fall festivals, carnivals, and fairs. Our kiddos never stopped baseball, soccer and swim lessons either. Maybe as I said before because most of our whole family are health care workers we wore more comfortable being out.

Yes, it depends on where you are from AND where you work. I retired in July but traveling more than 100 miles from home likely would require a two week quarantine before you could return work for all of 2020 and most of 2021. If you were vaccinated, starting in 2021, it was cut to a 10 day quarantine, and then about June, it was at the whim of HR if you needed to quarantine, BUT you travel had to be reported or you could be fired.
As for youth sports, baseball, soccer and swim were all closed down for the 2020 seasons here, and did not resume until April, with restrictions, so that wasn't an issue here because the state shut them down.

 

[Dakota731]

And I guess another factor is age and health risks. If you’re young and healthy odds are pretty good for you to travel.

 

[CallieMar]

We haven’t left the house for even an overnighter since late 2019! Currently planning an international trip for 2022. We are all vaccinated and never stopped wearing masks in public even during the short time we were allowed to. We are picking a destination (Greece) where almost all of the sightseeing is outdoors, as well as the restaurant seating, so I feel more comfortable about that. I’ve read many successful trip reports so far and hopefully it will be an even easier process to travel next year. It actually seems like this would have been a really good time to go, with lower prices and lower crowds, but I’m just not quite ready to get on a plane yet. And having an actual trip to look forward to and plan for has actually really helped my mental health. It’s gotten me excited and I don’t feel like I’m stuck in limbo anymore.

 

[cvjw]

No differences for us. We have been traveling since august 2020 when Disney opened back up. Boarding the fantasy for an 8 night cruise in 3 days.

 

[npatellye]

Covid has absolutely changed how we travel. Pre-Covid, we were a Disney every 12ish months family with 2 other trips (usually 1 would be a 4-7 night cruise and 1 would be a weeklong international trip overseas). Covid has changed that for us and we took two “real” trips post-Covid: WDW in November 2020 and again in May 2021. We simply do not feel comfortable returning to cruising or traveling internationally right now with our children (now 6 and 8). We do spend time doing other smaller trips right now to VT, NH, etc. and to Cape Cod, Block Island, VA, etc. this past summer. We also took day trips to local amusement parks and to LegoLand NY.

However, our only major upcoming trip in December is to Disney for now. We don’t know when we will feel ready to travel internationally again with our children or to cruise again with them.

 

[happiestpoe]

Yes, I think the way I travel will be changed for the foreseeable future. I know it can be a touchy subject on this board, but I'll wear a mask in the airport for the next few years, if not forever. I want to protect myself, and the children I teach, who are very young. I wear one all day in school, so it's no imposition for me to wear one while travelling.

 

[tvguy]

And I guess another factor is age and health risks. If you’re young and healthy odds are pretty good for you to travel.

And if tourist destinations will allow you in. Sounds like Australia has told cruise lines they aren't going to even think about letting them dock there until 2023.

 

[tline35]

My travel habits are pretty much the same.

I need to define "travel habits" first.
In terms of frequency of travel ... no change at all. We did 4 trips during covid 2020 and did a full relocation out of state in 2021. We were cautious and careful, avoided people who were not being careful, and we never encountered a cold, flue, or covid the past 18 months.

In terms of traveling and sanitizing, I no longer leave it to others to sanitize shopping carts, and hand rails. I will probably forever use sanitizing wipes on shopping carts, escalator hand rails, airport shuttle hand rails. I will probably forever enter a hotel room or condo, and spray high touch areas with Lysol. If its a fast-food establishment, we use sanitizing wipes on the tables before we sit down. (yeah i don't trust the teenagers, shocker) There is nothing in traveling that we encountered, that we don't also encounter in our local stores and restaurants.

The one exception is standing outside in a packed hub waiting for MK Happily Ever After. I don't encounter that at the local store.

 

[markbyrn]

It will definitely change where I travel to as I'm not going to travel to places where you can't (e.g. Australia), are too restrictive, or they don't really want tourists around. For example, the Governor of Hawaii stated that tourists should stay away. So it's not a matter of not traveling and I'm fully vaccinated but will pick alternative destinations that are welcoming to tourists.

 

[SteveH]

Did 8 days in Hawaii, had no real desire to fight the Disney 50th crowds. Already working on plans to return to Hawaii in 2022. Beyond that we have a motorhome and continue to go camping.

 

[tline35]

ight the Disney 50th crowds.

The good news for us fans, there wasn't really much 50th Crowds. After 4 days, the weekdays were very lite crowds again in Oct. It was busy this week and next week due to school fall breaks, and maybe the 50th influenced some people to take the fall break at Disney. There's essentially two new night time shows and Remy. The rest is just decorations and merchandise.

 

[BingoJoe]

Nah, just same. Can't stop living your life, especially for kids, you only have one childhood.

 

[kanerf]

Nope, but while the mask policies are in place I will not travel overseas. Too far to go wearing a mask all the time. Also, little or no service for such a long flight.

 

[HeatherC]

We've been doing road trips instead of flying.
We just did a 15 night road trip and have a 10 day road trip coming up this winter.
We won't return to Disney until the mask mandate is lifted and entertainment is back to normal.
Just not worth the increased price for a reduced experience to us.

‘We love road trips! Where did/and are you going?

 

[Pooh2]

‘We love road trips! Where did/and are you going?

NH to South Dakota in August. So many fun little towns along the way!
Doing NH to Hilton Head this winter. Still planning that one with where to stop.

 

[georgina]

Travel not permanently changed for us. While we didn't do any traveling from March 2020-May 2021, we did do a trip to a resort in St Lucia end of May/early June this year. We were both fully vaccinated, had to get tested, stay within the resort (no shopping in the little nearby town), wore masks almost everywhere except the beach and dining, but the scuba boats were operating.

Drove to a family reunion in Sept (kids all flew in), flew to Orlando end of Sept also. I expect we will resume our regular travel within the next year. DH's Cayman trips still getting cancelled, they are not letting Americans in even in Jan! He is heading to Turks & Caicos this year though (will spend the entire trip on a dive boat). Niece getting married in England next summer, I have scheduled a river cruise for spring 2023. Gave up large ship cruising 15 years ago, never doing that again.

 

[HeatherC]

NH to South Dakota in August. So many fun little towns along the way!
Doing NH to Hilton Head this winter. Still planning that one with where to stop.

Awesome! We were in SD a couple years ago on a cross country road trip. And we LOVE Hilton Head!
We try to go twice a year and drive from Massachusetts. We break that drive up by stopping for the night in Lumberton, NC. Long first day but the next day you only have about 4 hours to drive. Have a great time!

 

[ChanaC]

A few years ago I read an article about how planes aren't really cleaned between flights, at least as not as much as you would expect. I started even noticing little stuff, like crumbs on the floor and coffee stains on seat trays. After that I started bringing sanitizing wipes with me and wiping down every potential surface I would touch on my seat. I noticed in the "before" times people would give me weird looks, but the last few times I flew during the pandemic I noticed a lot of people doing the same thing! So I will always bring wipes with me on planes. Also, I really don't mind wearing masks at all, and I honestly think I will continue wearing them on flights. I don't know where the stranger sitting next to me or behind me has been, and I rather not get sick on my vacation because I caught someone else's germs on a plane.

Side note - that article also mentioned how gross the water tanks on planes are. Not related to Covid at all, but seriously reconsider drinking "tap" water or ice on a plane. Apparently they never clean out those tanks and mold is often found in them. Apparently this also includes hot teas and coffees.

 

[tvguy]

And I guess another factor is age and health risks. If you’re young and healthy odds are pretty good for you to travel.

Not so sure. I retired 3 months ago as my employer was starting to bring employees back into the building. About 25 our of 130 worked in the building throughout the pandemic. No cases of covid in the building. I retired July 16 and by the end of August they had 6 cases of covid in the building. The common denominators.......all under 30.......all healthy.......all vaccinated.