Our family just returned from our summer vacation, traveling across multiple states. So, I thought I would share with you some travel tips during COVID-19 that we found helpful. If you plan to travel over these next few months, these are great tips to keep in mind. 

We had a lovely week in the mountains of Colorado with my entire family. My parents, siblings, their spouses, and all the nieces and nephews. I’ll share a few pictures from our trip just for your enjoyment. Definitely some beautiful landscapes out there. But for now, those tips. I’m sure some you’re already thinking of, but others might give you some ideas you hadn’t thought of before that will help you have a safe trip while also enjoying your time.

Travel Tips During COVID-19

Masks

This one is number one on my list of travel tips during COVID-19 for a reason. Even if the area you live in does not require masks, taking a mask (or two) for you and everyone in the family is a must. You may travel through or to states where this in mandated in all public areas, or to specific stores where this is a requirement. 

I won’t get into the sides of those that agree or don’t agree with masks here. Just know this. If you plan to travel outside your area, make sure you have masks.  There are plenty of places you can pick up cute, soft or personalized masks these days if you don’t want to use the disposables. A few suggestions are Etsy, Amazon, Old Navy, Target, eShakti (use code: JENNIEMAYES for special discount) or from a friend!

Hand Sanitizer

And, hand sanitizer is number two on my list of travel tips for COVID-19 for a reason. All the others are excellent tips, but these first two are definitely most important. I would tend to assume this one is a given and that you are already using this on a regular basis, but one can never assume too much. If you don’t have any hand sanitizer, now is the time to pick some up and make sure to carry it with you. When you are out and about and traveling, you are sure to run into multiple instances when you will want that sanitizer.

We kept some with us at all times and used it most any time we had been in a public place and any time we couldn’t get to soap and water. Washed your hands in the bathroom but then had to touch the door handles in the store to get back out to the car? Hand sanitizer it is! You know those door handles are full of germs… always.

Bleach Water spray bottle

This was a new one for me, introduced to me by a friend. And now I will be using it forever and always. Dump some bleach water in a travel sized spray bottle to carry with you. You can use it to spray down bathroom door handles, toilets, sink handles, etc. I even got my 7 year-old hooked. This option is WAY better than those paper toilet seat covers. Spray the toilet seat and wipe down with a little toilet paper, and you’re good to go! Like I said, I will be carrying this with me now forever and always, specifically to use in public bathrooms.

If you can’t find a empty spray bottle in the travel toiletries section, see if there is a filled option. All I could find at my local store was a mini spray bottle filled with fabric softener. I dumped the softener, washed it out, and filled it with bleach water.

Making your own bleach water is super simple.

1 Tablespoon chlorine
1 Gallon water

Make the large batch for disinfecting at home and poor a little into your travel bottle, or split the recipe to make a smaller amount.

Lotion

Because your hands may be dry from all that hand washing and hand sanitizer. My new favorite is from The Naked Bee.

Pack your own snacks & drinks

This is not completely COVID specific and is a great travel tip at any time, but especially during these times. Packing your own snacks and drinks for a car trip saves money, helps you eat healthier, and keeps you away from more people in the gas station.

I have a thermal lunch bag for each of my kids that I pack beforehand. Then they have easy access to their own snacks, and no fighting. 

Make bathroom stops at truck stops or large gas stations

You might need to do some research on this one to take a look at the route you’ll be driving and what options might be best in those areas. From our experience, bathroom stops at truck stops and large gas stations were the best option. At some of these spots there were more people, however, the bathrooms tend to be cleaned much more often. I will opt to keep my distance the best I can in a busier location in turn for clean bathrooms. Also, in larger locations like this you often find large bathrooms without doors to touch with germs, more stalls so no standing in line, and conveniences like automatic soap dispensers and sinks. All of these bonuses add up to less direct germs from others.

A member of our mom’s Facebook group suggestion from her experience to stop at rest areas as they are tending to close multiple times per day for cleaning and disinfecting. However, on our trip that was not the case, and our one rest stop was less than optimal. So, as mentioned before, it is a good idea to do some research in the areas you will be traveling to find out what might be the best option for you.

If you have small children, a great option might be to get a travel potty like one of these. With one of these you can stop whenever the little one needs, plus stay away from the busy areas.

Avoid locations with COVID spikes

Even if you’ve had this trip planned for a year, you may need to rethink things. Our family had originally planned (and booked) a place in a certain state that began to have COVID-19 spikes and was considered a hot spot. So, we did a last minute change, just 2 weeks before our scheduled trip, and went to a state and county with much lower case numbers.

 Whether it’s for a stop or just traveling through, make sure you research to find out where the current hot spots are, and my recommendation would be to avoid those places altogether.

Use a vacation rental property or research your hotel

As for lodging during your travel, my top suggestions would be a vacation rental property or camping. To be honest, camping is not a true suggestion from me as I don’t care for it, but it is a good option for those that like it! Even if you are camping, I would suggest choosing a location that is not allowing full capacity as to provide more space for campers to spread out and stay away from each other. A vacation rental property, like AirBnB, is going to have far less people in and out than any hotel would. Of course it doesn’t erase any risk, but nothing does unless you stay home at all times. 

AirBnB has a specific cleaning protocol for their hosts during COVID (as I’m sure others do). Hosts who agree to follow this enhanced cleaning protocol will have a special highlight on their listing.

Of course a hotel is another option, and many are choosing this option (as we have on our way to and from our destination). My suggestion for hotels would be to do some research. Call ahead and find out if the hotel is doing a lower capacity, how often they turn over their rooms, swimming pool regulations, and breakfast options. One hotel we stayed at didn’t even allow housekeepers into the rooms until 2 days after check out, so I would search for something like this that has lowered their max capacity for the time being.

Avoid locations with heavy traffic

Whether it be a hotel, a busy gas station, or a high traffic activity, if you plan to travel during this time, I would suggest staying away from high traffic areas. Look for activities that you can do just as a family. Call ahead to the location and find out their cleaning and capacity protocol. Relax and enjoy yourself in the comfort of your lodging. Take games you can play as a family.

We did a lot of outdoor activities on our trip, and while the spread of COVID-19 seems to be less outdoors, we did not research these places before going, and a couple of them were having their highest days of the season. I’m not sure that anyone could have predicted this even if calling ahead, as even the employees seemed surprised. But, it is something to think about and plan for. 

Order In, Eat outdoors, or Cook your own food

If you don’t want to cook your own food (and I totally get that if you’re on a vacation, we didn’t always either), or you are at a location where you can’t cook, consider ordering in. Order from a restaurant that has delivery, do pick up, or use a food delivery service that will pick up from any restaurant you like. Most delivery services are providing a “no contact” option if you like. Of course fast food drive through is an option also.

Our kids loved ordering in where they could have a special meal on vacation but still chill in the room instead of sitting in a restaurant.

Another option is to eat outdoors. Many restaurants are offering outdoor seating during this season.

Enjoy the outdoors

And my last of these travel tips during COVID-19. If you are out and about doing activities, choosing outdoor activities is probably a better option during this time. Hiking, biking, water activities, zip line. These are just a few ideas for activities you can do outside. You may want to check the location to see if it is a popular place that could have a lot of people. But, many of these can be done just within your family with little to no contact with others, depending on where you are.

I hope these travel tips during COVID-19 have been helpful to you. If you have other helpful tips to share, please leave a comment and let us know!

For specific health information in regards to COVID-19 (coronavirus), check the World Health Organization or the Center for Disease Control.

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