How to travel safely and responsibly in 2022 and beyond

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Wondering how to travel safely during COVID-19? Many of us are longing to travel again, but only if we can do so safely and responsibly.

We’ve put a lot of thought into the safest ways to take a vacation right now. And we plan to continually update this post with safe travel ideas and tips, as travel restrictions change and Coronavirus travel advice evolves.

In this post, we cover:
– Safety tips to help you travel again during COVID-19
– Safe trip ideas for 2022 travel in the United States
– What to pack for pandemic travel
– Places to visit and travel restriction resources by destination 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of our links, we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.

How to travel safely and responsibly right now

Step one: Follow CDC travel guidelines

You should already know and practice hand washing, physical distancing, and wearing of face coverings in public.

Responsible travel right now also means being as self-contained as possible to avoid unnecessary interactions or depletion of supplies in the communities you enter. For this reason, consider bringing your own food and supplies when possible.

Be sure to research and obey local restrictions, especially when visiting a destination outside of your home community. Infection rates, hospital capacity, and testing vary widely. Some communities may not have adequate resources in case of an outbreak.

Please respect if a city, State, or county is discouraging non-essential travel.

The following travel activities are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 by infectious disease experts according to risk of exposure to the virus (first number from Fall 2020*, second italicized numbers for fully vaccinated people as of April 2021*):

Low Risk:
– Going camping (2, 1)
– Getting restaurant take-out (2, 1)
– Pumping gas (2)
– Grocery shopping (3, 1.4)
– Going for a walk with others (3)
Moderate risk:
– Staying at a hotel for 2 nights (4)
– Going to a beach (5)
– Swimming (6)
High risk:
– Eating inside a restaurant (7, 3.6)
– Playing contact sports (7)
– Traveling by plane (7, 2.7)
– Going to an amusement park (8)
– Attending a large event (9)
– Going to a bar (9)

Consequently, we’ll focus on local camping road trips and staycations as the best way to travel safely right now.

Safe trip ideas

After researching safe travel ideas during Covid, we came up with three trip recommendations. These trip ideas were chosen because they:

      1. Avoid exposure to crowds and public spaces in transit
      2. Allow you to cook your own meals or order take out, like you would at home
      3. Avoid being in vehicles with others outside your group
      4. Let you control who and what enters your living space
      5. Provide access to no-contact activities like hiking, scenic drives, and lounging

1. Take an RV Road Trip

New Zealand road trip with a Jucy Cabana campervan - video tour, review, pros and cons | Intentional Travelers

Camping or taking a road trip in an RV allows you to social distance and be self-contained as you travel. With your own kitchen, you have control over what comes in and out of your space, just like at home. And with your own bathroom facilities, you can avoid using public restrooms. 

The only difference from staying home vs. a socially distanced RV road trip is that you’ll need to fuel up with gas. By wearing a face mask, watching what you touch at the gas station, and washing hands or using hand sanitizer, this risk can be minimized fairly easily.

Whether you’re driving to reach a destination without airport crowds, or choosing a single stop for a staycation near home, an RV road trip is a great way to get a change of scenery while still maintaining your home safety routines.

Read: How to rent an RV (for beginners)


rent a travel trailer, motor home, rv, airstream, or campervanNeed an RV or camp trailer?

Outdoorsy is like Airbnb for RVs. It’s where RV owners rent out their RVs when they’re not using them.

If you’ve always wanted to try out a motorhome, or want to upgrade your National Parks road trip with a cute Airstream, consider renting through Outdoorsy. Their customer service and reviews have outranked the other top RV rental companies. You can search listings by vehicle type and location. Some owners will even deliver the motorhome to your door!
*Take $50 off your Outdoorsy rental with coupon code: intentional

Browse and book RVs, motorhomes, trailers, and campervans on Outdoorsy here


2. Escape with No-Contact Tent Camping

Camping is rated one of the lowest risk travel activities for Coronavirus transmission. Being outdoors with plenty of space not only limits exposure but it’s good for the soul.

With a little prep, you can bring food to cook your own meals. See our camping road trip packing checklist.

But what about using public restrooms when camping? If you don’t have an RV with self-contained bathroom facilities, the essential business of “eliminating waste” becomes your greatest exposure to indoor, pubic facilities where you may need to touch doors, faucets, etc. 

By adding a few new camping items, it’s possible to avoid public bathrooms on your camping trip.

See our socially distanced, no-contact camping packing list for the pandemic


3. Staycation in a Vacation Rental

Why you should use Airbnb when you travel (with examples of our Airbnb rentals) | Intentional Travelers

With vacation rentals like Airbnb, you can book an entire guest house or apartment. This way, you can keep similar safety practices that you have at home. For example, you can cook at your vacation home, ordering take out or curbside grocery pick up for meals.

You can book your getaway within driving distance from home, or along the route of a socially distanced road trip. Staying near home is a great way to enjoy a change of scenery while avoiding crowds in airports.

Compared to a hotel stay, you’re like to have fewer interactions with staff or other travelers when renting a vacation home.

Read: What safety precautions to take when renting an Airbnb


What to pack for safe, responsible trips

😷 Face Masks β€“ Cloth face coverings are required in public places.
Find N95 masks at Bona Fide > or designer options at Vida >

🧴 Hand sanitizer β€“ Bring enough for your entire trip, as alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be in short supply.
Shop hand sanitizer >

πŸ’Š Medicine β€“ Bring enough prescription and over-the-counter medication for your entire trip to avoid trips to the clinic.

πŸ’³ Vaccine Card Holder β€“ Protect that paper CDC card when traveling abroad (if your country doesn’t offer a digital version).
Get a simple plastic protector > or Vegan leather clippable > or Leather passport + card combo holder >

πŸ‘ƒ Covid self-test β€“ The most studied rapid antigen self-test with FDA emergency authorization. NOT valid to enter countries. Use for your own peace of mind.
Order from CVS > or Walmart >

πŸ’§ Sealed water bottle β€“ Make sure your reusable water bottle has a lid that’s not exposed to the air. We use one of each of the following:
Shop insulated water bottles with protective lid >
Shop water bottles with purification filter and protective lid >safe sealed waterbottles

✈️ Travel insurance that covers Covid – We’ve started using Nomad Insurance by Safety Wing for affordable evacuation, international medical, and trip coverage.

 
 

 

Travel restrictions by destination

As travel restrictions change around the world, we’re tracking the travel guidelines for specific destinations in an effort to help you make informed decisions about where to travel and when.

 

Let us know in the comments below what questions or ideas you have for traveling safely during Covid-19.

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