10 questions to help you decide whether to travel this summer

Home might not feel so sweet anymore after you’ve spent the better part of the year there.

Now that summer is here, you might be eager to get out, especially if you live in one of the communities easing lockdown restrictions.

“We’re definitely not out of the woods yet. COVID-19 is still spreading and in general, travel isn’t recommended, because travel increases the odds of us getting and spreading COVID-19,” says Bhanu Patibandla, MD, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at PeaceHealth in Vancouver, Washington. “At the same time, we recognize that people can’t stay at home all the time.”

Consider your risks

If you’re thinking of traveling, Dr. Patibandla offers some key questions to ask yourself to see if it’s the right time to travel.

1. Is COVID-19 spreading in your community?
   Check map here.
2. Is there high incidence of COVID-19 in the place you’re planning to visit?
   Check map here.
3. Do you have concerns that you and your fellow travelers will have trouble strictly following key preventive measures to limit your exposure?
   1. Keeping at least 6 feet of physical distance from others.
   2. Wearing masks correctly.
   3. Adhering to proper hand hygiene.
   4. Avoiding high touch surfaces and touching your face.
4. Are you or is someone you’ll be traveling with at increased risk of developing critical health issues should you or they get COVID-19?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, consider waiting. Above all, do not travel if you are sick or with anyone who is sick or if you have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.

“We are all hoping to get back to our routines, such as summer travel,” notes Dr. Patibandla. “But as COVID-19 is still a major concern, I’d suggest that we stay patient and do our best to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

Consider your comfort

If you answer “no” to most questions above, you might feel more comfortable with the idea of traveling. Catherine Kroll, the director of infection prevention at PeaceHealth, offers some additional considerations to help you decide:

1. What are the travel restrictions at your destination?
   Some places, such as Hawaii, require you to quarantine for 14 days before you are allowed into public areas. Do you have enough vacation time (and budget) to allow for that?
2. What activities do you plan to do when you get to your destination?
   Can you do those in physically distant ways? Will they make the trip worthwhile?
3. Does your employer require you to quarantine after you get back from being away?
4. How confident are you that rest stops, gas station restrooms and restaurants will be open along your route?
   If not, what is your back-up plan?
5. Are your reservations refundable?
   A community’s case count might be low when you make the arrangements but could spike shortly before you arrive.
6. What is your game plan if you get sick?
   How and where will you self-isolate?

“I would really encourage people to look for staycation opportunities,” says Catherine, an avid traveler herself who has postponed personal plans until the overall outlook is better.

However, people have to make up their own minds about what works for them and their families while following state and local laws and other guidelines intended to lessen the risk for everyone.

“Bottom line, if you are going, control as much as you can around your exposure to you and the others you’re traveling with,” she says. 

Stay safe at home or wherever you may roam.

For more tips on travel during the pandemic, listen to this McKenzie River Broadcasting interview with Catherine.