Traveling In 2020 And Why It’s OK To Be Nervous

Disclosure: Advertising and affiliate services, including Amazon Associates, help the cost of running my blog. Clicking ads or making purchases through affiliate links may, at no additional cost to you, earn me a small commission. I appreciate your support.

Not another one of those “I got on a plane and so can you” posts. That’s what you’re thinking, right? Well, yes and no. You see I did get on a plane, but some of the information I was looking for before I traveled I couldn’t find. So I’m hoping that not only will my feelings about the whole experience resonate, but the tips I can share will help you too. Because like it or not traveling in 2020 is weird. It’s a normal action that has been made completely abnormal by current events. Things that were just a regular occurrence before now seem like the most daunting thing in the world.

Traveling in 2020 is different

Like a lot of people I’ve spent 2020 working from home, cut off from social groups and attempting to quash the ever growing anxiety that every daily news broadcast brings. Although traveling is not something that is anywhere near considered essential, I still miss it. For me travel represents freedom, and without that ability to just hop on a plane somewhere or plan my next big international trip, I’m kind of lost. My family live in the UK and I live in Canada so for me lack of traveling in 2020 also means being separated by thousands of miles from my parents for who knows how long. That’s not easy to accept. I’m sure a lot of you are in the same boat.

A lot of countries have allowed some local travel which has been good for two big reasons. The first, it allows us to satiate that desire to travel. And second, it means we’re getting to know where we live a lot more than we otherwise would have. In fact I recently wrote about some travel ideas for where you live and how to enjoy traveling in 2020. But this post is not about that. This is about getting back in the saddle with those bigger trips. About the fact that this week I had to get on my first plane since COVID-19 began and how it was completely ironic for a travel blogger to be nervous about traveling.

It’s OK to be nervous about travel

Travel anxiety is a common thing for many even in the regular, non-pandemic world. Lots of people are afraid of flying, don’t like airports, worry about all sorts of things. But this is something different. The information we see daily on the news is making many of us wary about even going to the supermarket, so how are we going to get on planes? But in my opinion nerves are a good thing. They mean you understand that there are risks. That you understand there are things you can do to help the situation. Agoraphobia is rising even in those who never felt this way before. And the prospect of traveling is really making that real. It was for me.

I’ve been cautious about going out in public places, around large groups, and in confined areas. I have avoided public transport, busy bars, crowded markets even. So I’ve spent the last week agonizing over how I was going to get on a plane for 4 hours. I’m sure many of you would feel the same way. But we had arranged to visit our family in Toronto, a 4 hour flight from Vancouver where we live. Domestic travel is allowed so we weren’t going against any rules, but it still felt weird to be getting on a plane. While I don’t want to make this another post about “how to travel on a plane during COVID” I will touch on some of the things I learned and what helped me. But this is more about the nerves that you might have, and to reassure you that you’re not alone.

Traveling in 2020 – the year of domestic travel

I have done a couple of local trips since travel opened up again in June in Canada where I live. The first was a weekend away to Kamloops BC which was my first time away from home since this all began. A great weekend of sampling local craft breweries. It ended up being just what I needed. And since it made me feel so good to get out and about again, I wanted to explore other local travel ideas for the summer.

In August I planned a trip to the Canadian Rockies. My first time out of the province, over to Alberta. My friend and I planned a lot of hiking to make sure we would be outdoors a lot. We opted out of flying and instead took on the 10 hour drive as we felt more comfortable with that. Again, it was just so nice to get away and feel somewhat normal about travel again.

But since my boyfriend and I live in Vancouver and our families live elsewhere we had been missing being separate from them. My parents, as I mentioned before, live in the UK. Visiting them is off the table for a while since Canada and the UK each have a 14 day quarantine rule that means I’d spend more of my time alone than with my family. But Jeff’s family live near Toronto. A domestic trip and a much shorter flight, but a flight none-the-less. But it was what we needed to do, so we planned our trip.

Flying during COVID-19

While I can’t speak to all flights, I will tell you how my flying experience was and some tips that might help you. We booked with Air Canada about 3 weeks before we were due to travel. While tickets are non-refundable, they do give the option of delaying your trip to a later date up to a couple hours before the flight. This was a good peace of mind policy in case you check online and the plane is more full than you had hoped for. That said, there is no saving the middle seat anymore so you can expect a full plane most places that you will be going. But here are some helpful tips to make your journey more comfortable:

• Research before booking: Check airline cancellation/change policies and safety measures in advance
• Book seats in advance: If you are on a plane where there are two seats together, or three if you’re a family, then for peace of mind it might be best to reserve
• Take disinfecting (cleaning) wipes: Yes the planes are thoroughly cleaned, but I felt more comfortable wiping down the tray table and seat rests when I got to my seat. These wipes are also helpful for high touch points like bathrooms
• Pack snacks: In flight menus have been suspended on some airlines to limit the spread of COVID-19. On our flight we got a drink service, but no food, so pack plenty to eat
• Choose your mask carefully: You’ll be wearing it from the minute you enter the airport to the minute you depart. For me that was 5+ hours. So make sure your mask is comfy. I find adjustable ones to be the best, including this travel themed number with planes that I bought for the trip:

Traveling Air Canada in 2020

Overall my first 2020 flight experience to Toronto was good. I felt like Air Canada did a good job of making everyone feel comfortable, and explaining the rules and what we could expect. Knowing what to do or what will be different was part of the anxiety for me. Their usual water and pretzels drop was updated a bit. They provided a little handy flight pack filled with the essentials. Water, pretzels, disposable mask, gloves, sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer gel.

While I made sure I had these items before I got to the airport, it’s good to give extras out and provide items that people might need during the flight. Other than the flight where the seat next to us was occupied we managed to distance during the rest of the trip through the airport, security and baggage claim. The only thing that I noticed that we had to touch that was not cleaned after each use were the trays at security. After you use them they are piled up again for the next people to use. As such I made sure to sanitize my hands right after.

The best advice for traveling in 2020

Be smart and use common sense. That’s honestly the best advice I can give. We’ve all heard the rules and the recommendations over and over again. But traveling in 2020 is all about following these rules to keep both yourself and others safe. We don’t fully know how long the virus lasts on surfaces and whether we need to wipe everything down constantly. We don’t know if wearing a mask will fully protect ourselves or others. But if it’s the best information we’ve got, why take the risk. So use your common sense while traveling, the same as you would when you’re at home:

• Keep your distance from others (2m/6ft whenever you can)
• Don’t rush to get in line for the plane. As always, it’s not going anywhere quicker if you’re at the back of the line
• Likewise, don’t start pushing to get off as soon as it lands. Form an orderly (socially distanced) line to exit
• Wash your hands often with soap and hot water
• Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
• Rock that mask like Batman
• Carry hand sanitizer and wipes for when washing your hands isn’t an option

Will travel ever feel normal again?

Well, I certainly hope so. I long for the day when I can go on a plane and not worry about things as much. I want to be able to visit my family again. This situation is not going to get better over night so we do need to get used to it for a while. And maybe the additional cleaning and hand washing is not something that should ever go away. That’s just basic hygiene, we shouldn’t need to be told so often to wash our hands.

But for the next little while travel is going to be different. Plane journeys might be a little more stressful, and car journeys might be preferred. Domestic travel will continue to rule for now until some borders start opening. I for one though know that I can follow the rules to keep myself and others safe, and while I’m not going to be constantly traveling, my own sanity needs me to pick up and go on a short trip or staycation every now and again. To get away from my own four walls that is now both my home and my office. If you need to or want to travel to, just be COVID smart.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you been traveling in 2020? Where have you been and what precautions have you taken?