Traveling during a Pandemic: My Experience

Recently a friend reached out to me and asked if I would like to attend an event she was managing.  It was a private concert in Idaho, and the entertainers were long time friends.  I hadn't seen any of them in months, and in fact this would be their first performance since March when this whole coronavirus event became a "thing."

My first thought was an absolute YES!  I was tired of the months of confinement to my house, tired of being told what to do, tired of missing out on everyday pleasures that we all now know we have taken for granted.  The world had turned itself upside down, and I, like most others on the planet, didn't like it one bit.

As I was trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on the trip, doubts kept creeping into my head.  I'm over 70 years old; should I worry about that?  The singers would be traveling on a plane; should I worry about their exposure?  I would be in an airport for the first time since December; how big a risk was that?  How full would my plane be?  What about the Uber ride to the airport?  Would the hotel be clean?  How much interaction would I have with the guests at the event?  Wouldn't it just be simpler and safer to stay at home?

The answer to the last question was probably "yes".  But ultimately, I decided to go for one important reason:  Locking myself in my house for an indefinite period of time is neither healthy, nor my nature.  I can't, and won't,  be afraid to live my life until this miserable virus goes away.  It may never go away.  And the research I have done and the statistics I have seen, once stripped of all the politics and hysteria and panic, tell me that my chances of getting it are small, and the chances of dying from it even smaller.  I could get hit by a car, or have any number of untold things happen to me just as easily.  So I booked my ticket and packed a bag.

After dropping the dog at my daughter's house, I hailed an Uberand headed to the Phoenix airport.  The driver was wearing a mask, and I was required to wear one as well.  There was plexiglass separating the driver's seat from the back passenger seat, but that was it.  I did not see any special sanitation measures.  I declined his offer to put my bag in the trunk, electing to keep it in the back seat myself.  It was an uneventful drive to the airport.

Upon arriving, I immediately went to the restroom to wash my hands.  The airport was relatively empty on this Friday morning, and the line for TSA short.  There were markers every six feet distancing travelers from each other.  The only hiccup for me was that for some reason my TSA precheck didn't work, so I had to go to another line, remove my shoes, liquids and iPad.  That line was a little longer, and there was no distancing waiting to go through the X-ray machine.  That prompted another quick trip to the restroom to wash my hands again.

The flight itself was quite nice.  I flew Delta Airlines and they are still blocking all middle seats through September.  They also capacity control the number of passengers on each flight.  I ended up with an entire row to myself on the one and a half hour flight from Phoenix to Salt Lake City.  Flight service consisted of a sealed bag of snacks with a small bottle of water.  We were asked to put all our trash into the snack bag when  finished to help the collection process.  When we landed, we were all asked to remain seated until the people in the row ahead of us had moved six feet down the aisle.  After debarking, I went straight to the restroom and washed those hands again.

My friend was waiting for me at the airport, and we drove to the hotel in southern Idaho, about 2 1/2 hours away.  We arrived to find the desk personnel wearing masks and gloves, and were handed plastic keys in cardboard holders.  Our rooms had stickers sealing the doors, indicating that they had been sanitized before our arrival.  The rooms were spotless, and we had the option of declining maid service to avoid unnecessary contact if we preferred.  The hotel (a Hampton Inn) still served a buffet breakfast, but all utensils were wrapped in plastic, and there was a masked attendant available to help.  Guests self-distanced themselves, and no once seemed particularly worried.  It should be pointed out that we were in rural southern Idaho, where there have been few cases of coronavirus.  They are taking precautions, but they are not consumed by worry about it.

The event itself was small, outdoors and well thought out.  Tables were set at a good distance from each other, with only 6 chairs instead of the 10 that would actually fit.  Servers took care of the food and drink, and masks, hand sanitizer and chlorox wipes were provided by the hostess and event planner, although few wore the masks.  I felt perfectly comfortable and safe.

Dinner both nights was at a local restaurant, and here I would say there could have been more precautions taken.  None of the staff wore masks, none were required of the patrons, and there was no social distancing between tables  or booths.  My friends and I had hand sanitizer with us, and used it frequently.

My return flight on Delta was without incident.  The Salt Lake airport has taken one additional step that Phoenix Sky Harbor did not have in terminal 3, and hat was to block off every other seat in the waiting area.  We were again served a snack and water in a sealed bag and again asked to wait until the person in front of us was 6 feet away before deplaning.

Would I travel again?  You bet!  This little weekend getaway was a test for me.  It gave me a sense of normalcy, allowed me to spend some time with people that mean a lot to me, and gave me hope that we might just be able to get through this.  A little common sense, and a few simple adjustments here and there is all we really need to start to live life again. In fact, next week I am heading off to Indiana to get some long overdue hugs from two of my grandchildren, and watch my grandson pitch in a Little League game.  Life goes on, and masks and sanitizer in hand, I plan to enjoy it.