Safe Travel Tips: Traveling Domestically this Spring and Summer

Travel is still looking a bit different this spring and summer, but it’s happening! While we wait for vaccinations to roll out across the world, keeping our travels domestic is still the safest way to get a change of scenery, refresh after a long winter, and boost our sense of well-being.

Whether you have been vaccinated or not, here are a few tips to help you travel mindfully, in a way that helps keeps you, your family and those in the communities you visit safe.

How to Travel Safely in 2021

1. First and most importantly: abide by the health and safety rules in the places you visit. Wear a mask when asked, keep the proper physical distance, and sanitize your hands. For those unlikely to be vaccinated for a while, like teenagers, this is particularly important. The many people working in the service, tourism and retail industries thank you!

2. Select a destination where the focus is on outdoor activities. Maybe this is a cottage by the lake, a national park, or a coastal vacation rental. As we all know, transmission is far less likely to happen outdoors. And after a long winter inside, who doesn’t want some sunshine and fresh air?

3. It’s a good idea to minimize touchpoints, so if you can travel to your destination by private vehicle (road trip, anyone?) that’s great. If not, studies are showing that air travel is by and large a safe way to travel, with minimal infection risk if you follow the protocols. Do your best to book low-volume, direct flights at off-peak times. Maintain distance when you can, wear a mask, and sanitize your hands! Always have multiple masks with you: a cross-country flight is a long time to be wearing a single piece of cloth on your face.

4. Consider getting a vacation rental with cooking facilities so that you’re not reliant on dining out at restaurants for all your meals.

5. If/when you do eat out, consider enjoying the warmer weather and dine outdoors on a patio, rather than eating in a potentially crowded indoor space. While some places still have capacity limits and require restaurants to spread out their seating to ensure social distance, other places are back to operating at pre-pandemic capacity. Exercise your own level of caution.

6. Take a private tour! You’ll be able to safely enjoy the guidance of a local expert, while staying within your travel bubble. Guides take all health and safety protocols seriously, and are happy to drive you in their roomy, sanitized private vehicles, or caravan with 2 vehicles. And of course in smaller, walkable cities, no vehicles are necessary to enjoy a tour outside in the fresh air.In conclusion: avoid crowds, prioritize outdoor activities, and follow health and safety guidelines! Stay smart and thoughtful about the health and safety of yourself and others while traveling this spring and summer, and hopefully we’ll be able to cross borders soon. ToursByLocals guides are waiting to welcome you as you explore your own country, and around the world.