Disclaimer: this article provides practical suggestions to help your international air travel be more comfortable, it does not contain nor is it intended to be medical or public health advice.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have only travelled internationally on three occasions, although we have a fourth trip booked and coming up soon, along with others very much in the pipeline. There is no doubt that travelling during the COVID pandemic is different, and it is likely that travel may never be the same again.
If you follow our 7 top tips, your travel during the remainder of the pandemic can be more relaxing and less stressful.
Table of Contents
1. Regularly Check for Changes to Travel Regulations
One of the most frustrating things about travel today is the constant changes to travel regulations. If you don’t keep up to date your entire plans can be disrupted simply because of a last-minute change to the regulations of your destination or airline carrier. You don’t want to turn up at the airport only to be denied boarding because there was a certain test you had to take or a specific agency with which you had to register 24 hours in advance of your travel date.
There are three places we check regularly and, during the week immediately prior to travel, on a daily basis:
- Your home country’s official government website, which will usually detail the specific requirements for its residents and citizens to travel to your destination.
- The website of your airline carrier. If you are flying with multiple airlines, remember to check all their websites.
- The government website of your destination country. This is probably the most important of all. Remember to also check the website of any country you will transit through and the website of the state or province of your final destination.
Do this and you can prepare so that you are less likely to be greeted by a nasty surprise at the airport.
2. Watch Out for Flight Changes
The fact is that for a myriad of reasons there have been more changes to flights during COVID. Obviously, we expect our airline to advise us of any changes, but this isn’t always the case.
On a recent trip from Germany to Canada, Nick’s son and his girlfriend had their flight details change more than a dozen times. This included a change the day before departure which put them on different flights from Berlin to Zurich. This happened as they had booked separate tickets, as their return dates were different, although originally booked on the same outbound flights.
Fortunately, by taking swift action and arriving at the airport early, they were able to sit together on the same flight to their Zurich stopover.
We ourselves, experienced a situation where a domestic flight within Canada was brought forward to depart almost by an hour earlier. In this case, by checking as soon as we woke, we were able to skip breakfast and reach the airport in good time.
3. Have Contingency Plans in Place
Because of theses regular changes, you have to be prepared to handle unforeseen changes to plans, especially after you leave home.
If you have to be at certain place for a specific and important event or appointment, build in some extra time in case something happens, Then, if you are delayed it’s not a big deal. If you travel much in Canada in winter, you may already do this, but we now schedule our flight times so that we are due to arrive at least 2 days earlier than necessary. Doing this has already saved us significant expense recently.
You also have to be prepared to stay away from home longer than planned for reasons beyond your control. Ensure that you have a way for covering these costs or somewhere you can stay such as with family or friends. Similarly, what will you do if the cousin you had planned to stay with is forced to quarantine? Where will you stay and how will you cover any costs?
4. Get the Right Insurance Coverage
What will happen if you test positive just before you are due to travel home? What is your airline’s policy for flight changes in these circumstances? How will you pay for COVID medical treatment?
These and other questions can be answered if you have the right insurance in place.
Last year we purchased our regular travel insurance before flying to New York. Luckily, at the last minute, we noticed that treatment for COVID was excluded, and we were able to upgrade our policy just in time.
5. Make Sure your Masks are Comfortable
You will probably need to wear a mask for several hours: from arriving at the airport, during your flight and until you arrive at your destination. For this you need to ensure that your mask (and spares) fit well and can be comfortably worn for a prolonged period.
Nick has a large head (a 7 3/8 hat size) and he has to take particular care, otherwise he will have a miserable and uncomfortable journey.
6. Carry Wipes and Sanitizer
Frankly, this is something that we were doing long before we had ever heard of COVID-19. We used wipes to sanitize tray tables and arm rests and hand sanitizer whenever we felt like it. Now, whatever the potential hygiene benefits, just having plenty of these can give you a certain peace of mind.
You may also find that some of those sitting nearby by you will appreciate your efforts to remain hygienic.
7. Keep Kind and Patient
While we love going to new places, the actual journeys, at least those by air, haven’t been much fun for years. Since the start of the pandemic, it’s become even worse. This can lead to frayed nerves and short tempers for airline staff, other workers, your fellow travellers and, yes, you too!
We try our best to remember this and make every effort to be patient, kind and considerate. Of course, if you follow the six previous tips, you will find it a little bit easier to remain calm and serene whatever your journey throws at you!
Let me know what you think of these tips. Is there anything else you want to know? If yes, drop me a comment.
Author
Nick Abbott
Hi, I’m Nick. Visiting foreign countries has been an important part of my life since my parents moved to Kano in Nigeria in 1977. Since then, as both a military officer and in later jobs I have enjoyed the huge privilege of being exposed to many different countries and cultures.
I am delighted to be able to support my wife Monique and Yes2Yolo primarily by contributing travel articles, providing editing and proof-reading services and being a general sounding board.
Hey Monique,
As all my overseas travel was pre-covid, these tips are especially useful. Thank you!
Thank you Elizabeth! Glad you found them useful.