Post Pandemic Travel is a mixed bag. I’ve heard from some people that they haven’t had any problems, but my and many other’s experience is that it isn’t like 2019 travel!
After staying home and hardly leaving my house for over a year, we have started venturing out! Thank you COVID-19 vaccines! I thought I would share what you might want to consider when traveling right now!
Post Pandemic Travel
#1 Most Important thing to take with you
Be sure to pack your patience! I recently met my daughter in Chicago for a long weekend. It was the weekend that Chicago first fully opened. It was a bit crazy!
I was meeting up with my daughter at the airport to share an Uber to the condo where she is staying for the month of June. When I found out that her flight was delayed, I thought- No Worries- I’ll grab a bite to eat and then go get my bag. The problem was that many of the restaurants a Midway were closed. I’ve heard this is because of worker shortages. Since so many places were closed, the places that were open were extremely crowded!
Just have patience to stand in lines amongst a lot of people!
#2 Pack Snacks
Be sure to pack snacks- especially if you are traveling with children. Long lines mean long waits for food, bathrooms, even baggage claims.
I waited at least 45 minutes for my bag at Midway airport in Chicago. There were so many tired kids waiting along with me! A snack sure could have helped!
#3 Don’t have your heart set on any one specific thing!
My husband and I recently took a road trip to Durango, Colorado to celebrate 6 years of marriage! Friends there wanted us to meet them for dinner our first night in town. They tried to get reservations at their favorite restaurant in town several days ahead, but the only available time was at 4:45. It was no problem for us because I like to eat early and really didn’t eat lunch that day. We heard we got the last reservation to that restaurant for the evening. Not the end of the world if we had to miss, but it would have been a disappointment for sure.
If there is someplace you really want to go, plan early and get your tickets or reservations as early as possible. There are no guarantees that anything will be available.
#4 Expect Crowds
Hey- We’ve all just lived through a (hopefully) once in a lifetime pandemic! We are all tired of being cooped up at home so we all seem to be out! I’ve recently taken two short trips, and both places were CROWDED!
We have a wedding in Colorado at the end of July. It’s a midweek wedding so we decided to spend the weekend in Vail. I was shocked at how booked up hotels are there. We did find a reasonably priced place to stay, but we will go knowing that it is going to be crowded!!
My sister just got back from a week in Tiburan, California. They took the ferry into San Fransisco one day, and she said Fisherman’s Wharf wasn’t crowded at all.
I just watched stories of someone I follow on IG. He was trying to fly out of Destin, Florida yesterday, and the line to get into the airport was massive. He had heard it was a 2 hour wait just to get to security.
I guess you just never know!!
Also, Uber— it was my experience in Chicago that Uber drivers are in short supply. The wait time was longer than usual, and my daughter could not believe the prices! I guess it’s supply and demand, but I just always thought it cost a certain price to go so many miles. M said prices were about 3 times the norm!
I’m sure it’s like everything else. It will all settle down. We aren’t going on any big trips this summer just to give things time to settle down. But I do have multiple small trips I’m dreaming about!! How about you?
My favorite way to travel for long trips? Carry on everything! This is all I took on a long trip to Europe. I don’t want to risk losing luggage so we always carry on for most important trips. The trick is having the right luggage. This suitcase is TUMI– you can find links here. You can find carry-ons HERE. Someone who worked in a luggage department reminded me that most large airports have TUMI stores or kiosks in case you have an issue while traveling- SOLD. I was also sold after the first time I traveled with mine!! I love it.
How about you? Do you have any tips, tricks or advice for traveling right now? It’s a jungle out there now!! Be safe. Be careful. Oh, and, don’t forget your mask!! You still have to wear one in the airport and on planes, and some businesses still require them!
Past Post from Now Choose Life– Amsterdam
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