What to Do If You Get Covid While Traveling.
The COVID-19 pandemic end is in sight (hopefully?), but we’re not quite there yet. Even though we’re still navigating a global health crisis, you don’t need to stop traveling. In fact, there are a number of things you can do before and during travel to keep yourself safe and comfortable—even if you end up testing positive while you’re away from home.
Do your homework.
Before booking accommodations, inquire about your host’s COVID-19 precautions. Airbnb, for example, rolled out an enhanced five-step cleaning process in mid-2020. And hotels like the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts has a dedicated COVID Advisory Board that has established a Lead with Care Program to enhance ventilation and cleanliness, provide access to testing, make items such as masks and hand sanitizer readily available to guests and provide vaccination verification and symptom screening for guests and employees alike.
Once you’ve settled on a destination, research any applicable isolation and quarantine guidelines (should you contract COVID) and have a plan for what you would do if you needed to isolate or quarantine. Do you have flexibility with check-out dates? Will you be able to stay in your own room? Can you afford to stay on longer?
Get a handle on your health care options on the ground at your destination. Is there a local hospital or urgent care facility nearby? Will you be able to video chat with your doctor from home?
Consider getting “travel delay” insurance, which may cover your costs if you are delayed due to quarantine, or even the ultimate “cancel for any reason” insurance. Expect to pay a minimum of 5-6% of the total cost of your trip.
If you’re eligible, get a booster before a few weeks before your departure.
Be smart while you travel.
Bring the COVID essentials with you—just in case. We’re talking about a few rapid tests, quality masks like N-95 or KN-95s, travel size hand sanitizer, and over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You may even want to bring a thermometer and a pulse oximeter if you are at high risk.
Take the precautions that feel right to you, whether that’s wearing a mask, carrying hand sanitizer, being extra vigilant about hand-washing, dining outdoors only or avoiding crowded venues like stadiums and concert halls.
Be cognizant of any symptoms you’re experiencing and take a rapid test if you’re checking at least one box on the CDC’s list.
Don’t panic if you get covid.
If you see the dreaded double pink line on your rapid test while you’re traveling, don’t panic. And don’t immediately book a flight home, either. The best thing to do is simply follow the CDC’s isolation guidelines to the best of your ability.
Sharing a hotel room with someone? Get your own room.
On a cruise? Follow their protocols.
If you simply cannot isolate, wearing a mask (and having others wear one as well) and limiting exposure to others is the best way to prevent the spread.
While most people don’t need medication to treat COVID, anyone with risk factors should seek medical attention to determine whether they are eligible for Paxlovid or another treatment.
