I traveled within the country some days ago and it wasn’t bad at all. I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first but thank God everything worked out well. I left from BWI and didn’t see the usual crowd because of everything going on. I don’t think most people are comfortable with the idea of flying during times like this. I checked in online, only carried a hand luggage and arrived at the airport 45 mins before my flight. Inserts **kids do not try this at home!! Thankfully, everything worked out well because the lines weren’t long. I wouldn’t recommend this, especially if you’re traveling from a big airport. The TSA check was pretty fast, I probably spent a total amount of 3 minutes there. The only change I experienced there is that they don’t physically take your ID. There is a machine where you insert your ID and briefly take off your mask so that the agent can identity that you’re indeed the person on the ID. You and your items are scanned and off you go!! I also loved that I traveled with this crossbody bag because I was initially going to do a smaller option. This size was perfect because it fit everything, especially when I bought food and drinks and had to walk almost 1o mins to catch my next flight. I literally put everything in my bag until I reached my destination.
What is the difference between traveling before and after Covid?
I didn’t really notice a huge change but the two things that stood out to me were:
- Everyone over the age of two must wear mask at all times unless you’re eating or drinking. I’m sure the airlines would make exceptions for little children because I can’t imagine Ire wearing a mask and she’s turning three soon. She doesn’t like anything touching her face and I’m almost certain wearing a mask would irritate the life out of her (lol). Hence one of the reasons she doesn’t go anywhere lol. I know during these times parents may need to fly with children for one reason or another and after my experience I feel comfortable flying with Ire, if I have to.
- Social distancing is encouraged. This was announced many times at the airport and there were also many signs on the walls and floors promoting this. Adhering to social distance rules were much easier to follow at BWI and Duluth airport than the Chicago airport because of size. BWI did an awesome job with the social distance rules, even while standing at the TSA pre-check line we had to stand six feet apart. Chicago was a different ball game because it’s a much bigger airport so everyone was in close proximity with each other. There wasn’t much they could do in my opinion because they have a very big airport and had many people present at the same time. My flight from BWI to Chicago was jam-packed, I didn’t have anyone next to me but it wasn’t the case while going from Chicago to Minnesota.
Precautions that I Took While Traveling.
- I used mobile boarding passes instead of printing them out, so before boarding my flights, I scanned the code via my phone. This limited the amount of physical exchanges between me and the individuals who checked my boarding tickets. Most airports allow mobile boarding pass, look under airport details to see if it’s available at the airport you’re traveling through.
- Wipe down seating area: I suggest cleaning your seating area the moment you board the aircraft. As soon as you enter, you’re given a disinfectant wipe- so I used that to wipe my tray, seating and window areas.
- I wore my mask the entire time and to my understanding, this is the rule for all airports. I wore surgical masks because its breathable and comfortable, I’ve noticed that wearing clothe mask sometimes becomes uncomfortable after a period of time for me. Like I mentioned already, everyone over the age of two is required to wear a face covering that covers their mouth and nose. I wore my mask until I had to eat in Chicago- I covered myself with the blood of Jesus and ate.
- As soon as I got off the plane, I went straight to the bathroom to wash my hands with soup and water. I also took a tiny sanitizer with me that I used to wipe both my hands and phone. I considered wearing gloves but concluded that as long as I had sanitizer I would be fine and probably be more conscience of surface touching.
- Prior to leaving the house, I made sure I didn’t drink too much water to limit me from using the bathroom on the plane.
- I prayed!!! I did my part and left the rest to God. Honestly, we can only do much but at the end of the day we have to do what we can and have faith that God will take care of the rest.
Yes to covering yourself with the blood of Jesus. That part got me. Lol. This was such a great read. I’ve been wondering what it’s like traveling during these times. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Great read! Thank you for sharing your travel experience.