How to Travel Safely During a Pandemic

I am finally back from my recent trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and let me just tell you.... I REALLY NEEDED THIS! It’s so crucial that we don’t get so wrapped up into making a living...that we forget to enjoy LIFE.

I am beyond thankful for my amazing husband who always encourages traveling, whether it be traveling together, as a family, solo or with my girls (because all are important to me)... It's needed and I try to make it a priority! So thankful I have friends like my girl Erica who is always ready to travel at the drop of a dime, all she ever ask is, "send me your flight itinerary" she don't ask, "who's all going? ", she don't ask, "how much it cost?," she just be ready and she is such a great travel companion because we both like to travel and do our own thing and don't enjoy the pressure of feeling like we need to be together the entire time or need to do the same things when we're away. If one wants to sleep all day while the other go out and explore, that's what we do, we set our own schedules and move how we want and it makes traveling that much better.

Again, I'm grateful for my husband for holding down the fort. I'm also BEYOND thankful that almost 2 years ago I took a risk and quit my full time job--took on another SCARY opportunity, I got there and hated it after 6 months......decided one day while I was just sitting at my desk that I would walk into my supervisors office and put in a two week notice without even having a back up plan, but I wasn't worried, my husband has been asking me to quit my job for almost 10 years and I for certain know that he'll take care of us if I wanted to quit and stay home but I'm just not ready to do that yet ( I know, call me crazy). But with God's grace the employer I resigned from the first time asked me to come back with flexibility to work from anywhere and I can travel when I want. About 15 years ago I let go of all that fear, the fear of feeling like you would lose your job if you asked for time off (even when you have the time to take off). I told myself that I would not choose a career that took over my life and not give me flexibility to move around in my personal life like I want to. Everything was always about, "I need this job to take care of my family" or "what if I want time off and they find someone to replace me." Don't allow your career to take over your livelihood. You gotta Live! Don't be afraid to use those vacation days you've earned, they don't need to know your business, they don't need to know where you're going. JUST GO! Make traveling a priority if it's something important to you, even if it's only once a year. There is so much world to see, explore and learn about.

I stayed at the RIU Palace Baja California, it's an "Adult Only" All inclusive resort (this resort is only 2 years ago). This is a modern hotel, the hotel grounds and facilities are in awesome shape, and the staff at this hotel could not be more friendly and professional, Henry was one of my faves, would always stop and talk to us for a few minutes and always ensured we had everything we needed. The food at the buffets was decent and that had tons of options so you could always find something you like. My favorite at the resort was Pepe's Food by the pool, I think I had something from there everyday (i.e. fish, chicken, shrimp tacos), they even had ribs, burgers, buffalo wings, nachos, french fries, etc. I took an Uber when I wanted to leave the resort to explore or try more of the local food spots, make sure you check out "The Office" on Medano Beach if you want fresh-authentic Mexican food....So good!

At the resort I also booked a deep tissue massage at Renova Spa, staff was awesome and I'll just say this, I was on that massage table snoring hahahaha, it was that relaxing! We also did an ATV tour which was a lot of fun but it will definitely wear you out, be prepared to take a good shower and nap afterwards and I wouldn't recommend planning too many activities on the same day you do this.

One of the highlights of my trips was the "Sunset Cruise", whenever I have the opportunity to do this I make sure I make reservations, I just love the water and it's so relaxing, The cruise was about 2 hours, the views are amazing and staff was great. It included free drinks, chips & salsa. I had a great time and was able to take some amazing photos.

I must say that not once did I feel unsafe during this trip, my first time traveling out the the country since Dec 2019. We felt extremely safe with the Covid protocols they are following, while also providing excellent service. Everything was clean but of course I still carried masks, Clorox, Lysol and additional sanitizer to wipe and clean everything. It was not overly crowded (resort is only booking at 50% capacity) . Masks were worn by all staff and guests with the exception of eating or being in the pool area/beach. With all that's going on in the world it just felt good to get away and relax.

Whatever scary choice your facing today. Remember you’ve made it through 100% of your hardest days and YOU GOT THIS!

I want to share 17 tips on how to travel safely during a pandemic:

1. Your safest option.....Don't travel at all! But of course people are still living life, traveling for business, family or pleasure.

2. Wear your mask at all times! If you can avoid eating during your flight, do it! If you need to eat, remove mask, take a bite and immediately put your mask back on.

3. Upgrade to First class, it will give you a small buffer of extra personal space and potentially less contact with other passengers.

4. Try to book a flight with minimum to no layovers.

5. Choose a good airline (i.e. Delta) who are not booking flights to full capacity, and they are committed to leaving the middle seats open.

6. Once you land and get your destination, immediately shower and change your clothing.

7. Wash your hands regularly. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.

8. Keep Clorox/Lysol wipes or spray with you. Wipe down all surfaces around you on the airplane (seats, armrest, seat belts, seats in front of you, windows, table tray, etc.) Follow these same steps when you check into your room, if you are renting a car or taking public transportation.

9. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough, sneeze into your elbow and wear a facemask to protect your fellow travelers.

10. Pack light to reduce the number of people handling your luggage, consider taking only a carry-on bag. If you do need to check a bag, be sure to sanitize handles when you pick it up from baggage claim.

11. If you plan on staying in a hotel, Airbnb, hostel or motel, call them to to learn what steps they’re taking to protect guests. Try to choose those practicing extra precautions such as additional cleaning measures, hand sanitizing stations, face masks and contactless check-in.

12. When you check into your room wipe down all surfaces in your room, open windows for extra ventilation and try to decline housekeeping services to limit the amount of people in your room,

13. When dining try to choose restaurants with outdoor dining options, social distancing between tables and strict sanitizing measure. Note: Most hotels have stopped room-service.

14. When departing for your flight, arrive early to the airport (early morning flights are best), lines seem to be a little shorter and less wait time.

15. Seek out destinations where Covid-19 case numbers are low.

16. If you have any symptoms of COVID-19, or think you may have been exposed, do not travel. PERIOD.

17. If you've received the COVID-19 vaccine, great! However, you still need to wear a mask and social distance. We still don't know whether getting the vaccine prevents those who've been vaccinated from spreading the virus to others, even if they don't get sick themselves.

Effective: Jan 26th a Covid test is required before before returning to the U.S, this resort offered free testing and test must be done 72 hours before departure. If you test positive, the resort will cover your stay up to 10 days including those staying in the same room with you. I did not need to be tested since I left Mexico the evening of Jan 25th.

Before you leave for your trip, review the CDC's Covid-19 Travel Recommendations for the state (or country) you’ll be visiting. If traveling from an area with a high number of new virus cases, you may be required to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive.

If you have more safety tips for people who are thinking about traveling, leave them in the comments!