TRAVELING DURING A PANDEMIC

We know you are ready to resume travel- but probably have a lot of questions and concerns about even just getting to your destination. Marlena Simon, Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters Packing Specialist, recently traveled to Jamaica with her family. We asked her to make a list of things she noticed while in the airport and on the flight. These are her observations:

I have to say that despite my concerns we had an amazing time and felt just as safe or safer on our trip than here at home. In many ways, this is a great time to travel. Places that are normally overrun with tourists are magically serene, a throwback to years ago. And locals are thrilled to have people supporting their struggling economy. The people of Jamaica know how important it is that people feel safe while on the island and are doing their absolute best to maintain strict guidelines. 

• The airport makes it difficult to maintain distance and there will always be people who cannot seem to grasp that the mask goes over your nose and mouth. We chose to double mask for our trip with a K95 mask underneath a cloth one. I also recommend carrying a pouch with extra masks. We carry all shapes and sizes of pouches and in this case, one with an antimicrobial feature would be a top pick.
• Washing masks while on vacation can be a bit more difficult but Sinksuds or any soap plus hot water work just fine.
• The HEPA air filtration on the plane is cleaning the air frequently, but it leaves the plane feeling even colder than the normally frigid temps. The attendants also leave the door open until the last possible moment, which made me thankful for my blanket scarf. Even with this clean filtration, the connecting planes did not seem like they got a thorough cleaning between flights. The attendants hand you a wipe when you get on board, but I was happy to have some extra supplies in my bag to wipe down our space and to take with me to the bathroom. There are plenty of hand sanitizer stations throughout the airport, but it is nice to have a small amount with you.
• Depending on where you are going and the COVID-19 regulations, you may have a lot more paperwork than usual. Many countries require a negative test result and/or a travel approval form. There are Apps to have these things on your phone, but we recommend carrying a paper copy as well.
• The requirement of these forms means you can’t check-in online the night before your flight. Checking in at the counter means paper boarding passes. I used a document pouch to keep everything organized in one place.
• Traveling with a credit card has always been necessary but now more than ever. Many establishments are not taking cash. Also, check to see if your card is currently being accepted where you are going. In Jamaica, most places that typically take American Express were avoiding that card’s higher fees and asking for a different card.