Traveling During a Pandemic: Less is More
As we surpassed the anniversary of the COVID lockdown it is safe to say the cabin fever is real. The idea of travel still seems to get a reaction divided. Some people are opting to continue to stay home until the risk of contracting COVID is seemingly obsolete. Others however are attempting to do their own part in returning their lives back to whatever level of normalcy they can.
Caught between wanting to avoid COVID like the plague and wanting to return to my usually scheduled programming, I decided to dip my toe back into the traveling pool before the surge of NYE travelers were sure to emerge. I normally travel with friends or family but opted to take my yearly ski trip sans company. This was my first leisure solo travel experience, so I planned my week between two ski destinations I had not yet been before. I planned two locales incase one ended up being a flop it would only affect half of the trip. Of course I ran the risk of both being flops since I was going to new places but I figured odds were that they would be fine.
Despite United not having any blocked off seats, everything felt as clean as it would have on a flight with middle seats blocked off. Granted I flew in First class except for one leg which I was seated in Premium Economy, but nevertheless the extra bodies on the metal bird didn’t seem to be as noticeable as I thought it would. All the passengers were very cautious and considerate, only removing their masks to eat or drink and promptly replacing them when done. Now that the airlines were several months in on their mask policy and practicing new boarding and deplaning strategies, everything seemed to be running quite efficiently and the passengers all seemed understanding and cooperative.
Everyone says the hardest part of traveling alone is the meals. They say, “if you can get over having to eat by yourself at a restaurant you’ll be fine.” While pre-pandemic this may have been true, I find the solo meals to be a catalyst for a great solo trip. Restaurants are operating at a lower capacity so even groups of as little as 2, 4 or more might find it difficult getting a spot a their preferred venue unless reservations were made well in advance of their trip. My trip was last minute – decided on a Sunday and flights booked the next day for same day travel. Premeditated dinner reservations didn’t happen. The entire week Resy, Open Table and other websites were showing venues to be completely booked. Being a party of one, I called to check their availability looking for last minute cancellations and each one accommodated me either at the bar top or at a small table. It is much easier to get squeezed in when they are looking to place one person rather than four. Many places were booked out well over a month in advance so having less in your party unequivocally meant more. I was able to snag a spot at every venue I had on my bucket list.
Overall I felt the social distancing guidelines the airports, airlines, hotels, restaurants and taxi services had in place presented no higher exposure to COVID than I had incurred being back at home. If anything I felt I had a great deal more of space compared to a typical grocery store run where people get uncomfortably close due to not much more than their lack of self awareness. Although I was hesitant at first, after experiencing a solo trip for myself I suspect I will be saying a lot more of “table for 1”.