See our Advertiser Disclosure here.
Something is bugging me, and I have to get it off my chest.
Why is travel the scapegoat for Covid spread? Why is travel viewed as the evil, selfish thing to do during the pandemic when other riskier activities get a pass?
Let me explain. I’m in several local social media groups for moms. While the groups can have drama, I learn things from other members, and the good outweighs the bad.
Recently, a mom asked for some ideas for a spring break trip (check out my recent post on less-risky spring break travel ideas). Half of the responses to her question were quite snippy. “Um, we’re in a pandemic. You shouldn’t be traveling anywhere.” But in the same day, other people ask questions about where to have a baby shower or birthday party, and they aren’t met with the same condemnation.
On a similar note, before I can enter my kids’ dentist office, I have to answer a few questions.
Have you had any Covid symptoms in the past week?
Have you been exposed to anyone with Covid?
Have you traveled anywhere in the past two weeks?
But where are these questions:
Have you dined in an indoor restaurant in the past week?
Have you attended an indoor gathering with more than your immediate family?
Have you been to a public indoor place unmasked?
I’ve never been asked those questions, only the questions about symptoms and travel have come up.
Going out to dinner is supporting local businesses, and attending a wedding is supporting family members. But travel? It’s unnecessary, so says the court of public opinion.
What the Experts Say
The CDC warns of Covid spread from small, household gatherings. Of course, the CDC also warns that travel increases Covid risk due to exposure at hotels and airports.
The Texas Medical Association Covid-19 Task Force ranked activities from 1-10 based on risk.
Traveling by plane is listed as 5 out of 10. It’s not without risk, but it’s also not among the riskiest activities for Covid spread. Even the CDC says, “Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air is circulated and filtered on airplanes.”
Obviously, I am biased towards travel. I love to travel, and my business is all about travel. So, I tend to see travel in a more favorable light.
I admit that many times travel can go hand-in-hand with other risky activities. For example, people just traveled to Tampa to gather on an extremely crowded street before the big game. Or, some people fly across the country to attend a wedding. The flight isn’t the risky part, it’s the activities people do once they get to their destination.
But what about those of us who want to travel and also remain safe and distant at our destination? My family is going to a remote island to a stand-alone house with its own pool. How much more distanced can we get? Yet, we’re the irresponsible ones who will be shamed on social media?
Have you seen travel take the blame while other risky activities get a pass in your area?
CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Thank you to share this valuable information finally I found the best blogging website I am also sharing this website with my friends. visit directly https://hindihelpful.in/
Just remember that watching a fireworks display is more dangerous than travel, apparently.
Oh and don’t rely on other travel bloggers to agree, disagree or not be hypocrites. Like this blog post followed by other posts on awesome ideas on how to travel. https://travelingformiles.com/500000-dead-time-to-call-out-the-covidiots/
AdxVenture is the Best Web Development Company in Dehradun and we have experience of more than 14 years since 2006
Apparently AdxVenture isn’t very good at using the “Web” if they are spamming a travel blogger comment section or maybe that’s just me.
I agree. Travel gets an undeserved amount of shame because people immediately correlate it with what travel was like in the past. Of course it’s risky if you’re picturing resorts and restaurants and group walking tours, etc.
If only people would stop trying to stop those of us who choose to travel from doing so and spend the same amount of time strengthening their immune system so that it can better cope with Covid in the event they get it, we’d all be better off.
You mention several actions like weddings, eating out etc., but here’s the thing, there are those of us who are not doing any of those things and not traveling as well. I really have a problem with an argument based on,” but what I’m doing isn’t as bad as others” because they are all bad, they all contribute to spread.
I have multiple friends who work in health care, including one who was pulled away from her normal job to work in the Covid ward with people who are dying. These have included people who have traveled, including one who proved to be a super spreader. Took precautions, infected his family, he is now dead.
If you want to travel, that’s on you and you take on the karma that can come from it, but please just be honest and own up to the fact that you are doing something for your own pleasure that has a higher risk than staying home would and you have decided that, if you were to inadvertently catch and spread the disease and kill or hurt someone, you are ok with that. I know you don’t think about it in those terms and you will tell me about all the precautions you are taking, but there is still a risk period. I have decided to stay home period, even though I cancelled trips, even though I haven’t seen family in this year. Just say “I weighed the risks and personal responsibility and we are still taking this trip” and be aware that those of us not participating in these things are going to be less than pleased with anyone who takes part in them. Because it sucks to stay home, cancel trips, not do the things that we love, and all we can do is become more and more frustrating when people try to justify things that we know are not good.
@Beth I totally get what you’re saying, and I know that there are people who aren’t doing any risky activities at all. My point is that all travel is not equal, and my trip to an isolated cabin in the mountains where we literally did not have contact with anyone was deemed more risky for the dentist’s office than anyone who dined indoors or went to a wedding. That seems odd, and not a true representation of the risk that is entering the office.
I think some commenters are perhaps missing the point of the post. I didn’t get the impression that Nancy says travel is completely safe. She also isn’t encouraging others to throw caution to the wind and go for it. Of course travel isn’t 100% safe. No activity outside of your house where you mingle with strangers is safe. That’s a fact. We all need to be mindful when it comes to our choices. It can be exhausting, but the pandemic is real and we could inadvertently cause someone’s illness or even death. But there is definitely a double standard going on. Anyone who gets on a high horse about someone traveling for spring break and then gives suggestions on planning a large indoor party is being delusional.
USA has dropped the ball on managing this pandemic. Hopefully, the vaccine will mitigate further damage, but it’s becoming clear that we will have to live with this virus for a long time. My family has tried to be careful, to the point of pulling the kids out of school since last March. We don’t plan to fly until me and my husband are vaccinated. That said, I can’t tell everyone to do the same. My hope is that folks will wear KN-95 masks and avoid other people to the extent possible if they choose to fly. Plus, let’s face it, not all travel is for pleasure. I can’t tell someone they shouldn’t see their elderly parents for another year, that’s cruel.
Well said, Leana.
Thank you all for your thoughtful and insightful comments. I realize this is a controversial subject. @projectx My kids’ school district started publishing stats for close contacts of positive cases who test positive within 14 days–it’s incredibly low at 1.7%. I was shocked but glad it’s so low.
It’s crazy, isn’t it? Masks play such a vital role in keeping infection rates down.
This pandemic affect the traveler from all around the world. Hope for the situation get better in near future.
Transmission is not simplistic. Size of the space, length of exposure to an infected individual, proximity to that individual, masks, indoor vs outdoor… the variables are endless. Too many of us are applying far too simplistic anchoring bias arguments across the board (myself included, and I’m learning more and more where my biases are right, and where they are wrong).
The main driver of when my opinions were challenged were due to school. Close contacts of other COVID positive students were quarantined and tested. Time and time again, those tests of the close contacts (students sitting near each other in the classroom) came back negative. Masks make a HUGE difference.
There’s a ton of data on this. If you want to play around with some variables, check out this article and the tool linked in the text. Keep in mind this is based on ONE individual who is positive, but it’s fascinating stuff.
https://www.fastcompany.com/90580290/one-person-in-the-room-with-you-has-covid-19-heres-how-long-it-takes-to-get-infected
Regardless, the author’s point here is that travel gets the stink eye, while people host birthday parties indoors and hardly anyone blinks. For example, a friend of ours was irritated that an acquaintance of ours and her husband flew to another city for a funeral. Meanwhile, this friend has been hosting get togethers, sleepovers, sending their kids to sleepovers and indoor birthday parties, etc. The irony here is the person who traveled participated in a far less risky activity by a long shot.
Don’t get me wrong… travel does involve risk. I’ve cancelled three trips since this mess began. Hopefully these vaccines will get rolling and protect well against the variants and the infection rate will plummet. Time will tell.
Thank you Nancy, I agree. With the exception of a few people like my elderly parents who have been fully locked down, it seems like almost everyone picks and chooses, even among those who are generally masked up and aware. “I will complain that it isn’t safe to go back to school but I will let my kids play sports”. “I will complain that traveling is unsafe but I will go run errands each weekend”. “I will refuse to dine indoors, but I will go visit my sister”. And then everyone rationalizes why their priority is acceptable but yours isn’t. And projectx has a good point on anchoring bias. It reminds me of the same kind of faulty risk analysis as pre-pandemic where plane crash publicity makes it seems flying is less safe but in reality driving is far riskier.
“Going out to dinner is supporting local businesses, and attending a wedding is supporting family members. But travel? It’s unnecessary, so says the court of public opinion.”
From interactions with my social network, I can tell that the bulk of my friends and acquaintances are either doing all of these things or none of these things. Even though neither of us are working anymore, we are choosing not to travel during a pandemic. I do think it comes with increased risk for our local community, but at the same time, we are going nowhere and seeing nobody. I live in MN, where the first Brazilian COVID variant in the US showed up. Guess what? That person had traveled to Brazil. They introduced the variant to our soil through travel. While it’s probably true that the variant would have landed here through someone else just as easily, it doesn’t mean I’m overly happy about it.
We all need to make the best and informed choices for ourselves, our families, and our communities. Need to travel to literally preserve your sanity? Ok, I get it, I really and truly understand. Do it responsibly and share that you’re isolating ahead of time, getting tested, isolating upon return and retesting. I think part of the shaming is being contributed to by people who suddenly show up somewhere fabulous without showing all the responsible prep they’re doing before and after. I wish more bloggers and vloggers showed more of this unglamorous yet responsible side of travel today.
@cargalmn Great idea to write about the responsible side of travel. Last month I wrote about some things we’re doing to make our spring break trip safer, and I will follow-up with an “after” post. https://milesforfamily.com/2021/01/06/steps-im-taking-to-make-our-spring-break-trip-less-risky/
Hard disagree here with the article and most of the comments.
Y’all seem to completely ignore that it’s not just about being inside the airplane: the inside of the airport; using common areas like restrooms or food courts; check-in lines, if any; TSA lines; boarding area; then exiting the plane in a single file, or when everybody congregates in the aisle (I’ve read articles and seen pictures, everybody still does it). All of these places are bringing people closer and in groups where really nobody should feel safe. You’re all gambling here saying that “These people must have taken the same precautions just like I did, right? Since they’re all traveling!” but the truth is that no, you don’t know where they’ve been, who they’ve been in contact with etc. And remember that most are asymptomatic carriers, like Christian commented earlier.
That is exactly why “we can’t have nice things”. Do you really think you’re the only ones in the world who cannot wait for this to be over? Do you think that all of us who decided not to travel (for non-essential needs) are doing it because we love it? Then what makes you more special than all of us?
Or is this a form of entitlement and privilege?
Disappointed that you had to write an article about this. Sad to see this and you lost a few subscribers among me and my friends.
@reallove I think you missed the point of my rant. What I’m trying to figure out is why would my road trip to a cabin the mountains cause me to be a red flag for the dentist’s office, but attending a wedding or another indoor gathering isn’t?
If people would act like grownups, travel would really be no issue. Problem is, I can’t even go to the supermarket without having maskless people that I have to avoid, moving around to avoid them like I’m in a game of Frogger. If people fail at something so painfully simple, that makes something much more complex like safe travel all the more unlikely. Add in a large number of asymptomatic carriers and unfortunately travel becomes a problem. This doesn’t lessen the other circumstances you mention that are also problems though. I’m itching to travel too. Due to people acting irresponsibly, we end up paying the price. It’s not right or fair but it’s the way things are until summer.
Traveling might not be the major driver of community spread of this virus, but it is clear that it does contribute to spread of the virus from one location to another. Without international travel, it would have been impossible for this coronavirus to start an outbreak in the US and most of the world. Also, without international travel, we would not be seeing cases of people infected with the UK or South Africa mutants of the virus. And domestic travel is responsible for spreading these (present and future) mutant viruses from their airport of entry to various cities around the US.
I think the ideal approach is for everyone to use common sense to avoid unnecessary travel, and be extremely cautious when it is absolutely necessary to travel. And of course, get vaccinated when available, both for this coronavirus as well as other pathogens with effective vaccines (influenza, measles, and a bunch of others).
YES!!!!!! I have been saying this for weeks. Its the low hanging fruit for sure! dont even get me started..
Traveling gets a bad rap because of the number of potential asymptomatic people it can transport for long distances. While majority of people are unlikely to be spreading coronavirus, there are some that will likely get through. And when they travel to another area or region that did not have a number of cases, or that doesn’t practice safety protocols as rigorously, it can become a problem for that area.
Dubai is a perfect example. They now have huge number of cases because they continued to allow visitors. And what are they doing now? Shutting down air traffic.
There are places in the US that people didn’t believe coronavirus would impact, yet the infections do show up. How? Because someone traveled there.
Why did Hawaii have such extreme measures? Because they recognize that bringing people into the area without proper quarantine protocol will basically put their own people at risk. The challenge is to balance the lives vs the economic impact.
So it’s true that travel does encourage the spread, mainly because of the lax protocols in place for the people going to the location in question.
@Too Many You’re absolutely right, and I totally understand why places like Australia and New Zealand don’t want any visitors. But within the US where Covid is already rampant, I just don’t understand why recent travel is the barrier to entry for dentist offices instead of or in addition to questions about social gatherings.
Nancy,
At this stage in the US, it’s both local socializing AND domestic/international travel that are contributing to the continuing high level of infections and severe disease. The local socializing spreads the local/older variant, and the longer distance travel brings in new variants which are more infectious and resistant to vaccines too. THAT is why travel is the greater long term danger; the global nature of the pandemic was entirely generated through travel, and new variant spread uses the same method.
Since there seem to be quite a lot of local socializers and long distance travelers who won’t stop those activities despite the pandemic, and unlike you often don’t adhere to social distancing and masks when doing so, here we are in the US and most other countries.
Australia and NZ are the only countries that have shown the cultural and political fortitude to take the necessary painful measures, and their populations are reaping the benefits of a more normal life, albeit with the occasional (always imported) case generating brief shutdowns. Which the population seems to understand and accept without fear of a permanent loss of liberty.
I think it’s due to the cognitive bias phenomenon known as the “Anchoring Bias”. This is the tendency to be overly influenced by the first piece of information that we hear.
Back when the pandemic first started, air travel was considered to be extremely risky. And it made sense… A narrow medal tube packed with people, most of whom aren’t wearing masks? Hard pass.
Since then, we’ve learned a lot. In fact, air travel is not nearly the risk we once thought it was, provided all passengers are wearing masks. I’ve changed my views A LOT on this since last March, and even as recent as October as more and more research is released on this. Unfortunately, if you don’t follow the research, Anchoring Bias will play a large role in your view. Now, how that relates to airports is another story, but that’s besides the point.
Now, we’ve always known that intimate gatherings, especially indoors, are very high risk. They should be avoided. So why doesn’t Anchoring Bias play a role in this? Because it means people would have to make compromises in their DAILY lives. It means saying “no” to your kids who want to attend that sleepover, it means saying “no” to the families in your social network who want to have a party, etc. Many people aren’t willing to do that.
We have a trip booked to the southwest in June, and flying. If you would’ve told me this a year ago, I would have laughed in your face. However, I’ve followed the science. Flying isn’t the big risk. Hiking and sightseeing in our national parks isn’t the big risk. Rafting, horseback riding, etc… not much concern there. Navigating the airports however… that can be debated. That said, I seem to have little concern navigating the narrow aisles of the grocery store.
We’ll see where things stand come summer. The variants cropping up are concerning, yet the warmer weather, getting people outdoors, and the continued ramp up of vaccinations (now averaging 1.3 million doses per day) will hopefully make a big dent in the number of infections.
@projectx Your explanation is very enlightening. People don’t want to make compromises in their daily lives, for sure. I remember how nervous I was flying home from Costa Rica in early 2020 when the pandemic first started. But now, based on the facts, I feel that other activities are way more risky and I’m more comfortable with flying.
I learned to not post if I’m traveling which I guess would be hard for a travel blogger. LOL. What I do is my business, and I don’t care what others think. We went to Hilton Head Island for a week when it was considered high risk because we wanted to spend a few days with our son who remained at college all summer. I also flew out to meet him in December to drive home with him (20 hours). We spent a couple days in Asheville, NC and in looking at the license plates at the resort parking lot, I can tell you that many people are still traveling. I also drove back in January with my son and flew home. All considered, I’ve taken 8 flights, traveled through multiple airports, drove through 10 states, and stayed at multiple hotels in the last 7 months. Neither of us caught covid. We are careful but I feel I have just as much risk going to the supermarket as I do going to an airport. Do what’s right for you and ignore the rest.
@Michelle Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m glad you’ve been able to fly and see your son safely.
“What I do is my business, and I don’t care what others think.”
What you do is not just your business. Almost everything we do affects others in terms of travel and other higher risk activities, as far as this virus is concerned. If you do get sick, you may end up using the limited medical resources that are already stretched very thin. Even if you don’t get sick, you could be acting as an asymptomatic carrier. Yes, it is not illegal to travel, but as far as this outbreak is concerned, it takes everyone to act responsibly to beat this.
“We are careful but I feel I have just as much risk going to the supermarket as I do going to an airport.”
I think that is not correct. The chance of you contracting the virus and giving it to others is higher while traveling, especially by air because you are in close proximity to others for a longer time than when you are at a grocery store. And these fancy filters in the airplanes do not protect you from direct transmission, person-to-person. And air travel even complicated this more because airplanes are capable of carrying viruses further and faster than anything else.
“Do what’s right for you and ignore the rest.”
Ideally, we should rely on our best judgement to determine when it is absolutely necessary to travel. However, the virus does not recognize your “comfort level” or “what you think is right for you.” In fact, having a high tolerance for risk of exposure probably puts you at a higher risk of becoming infected. I personally am avoiding travel, especially in an airplane because it might be full of people who are much more risk-tolerant, i. e. more likely to be infected already and not know it.
I agree. Travel gets an undeserved amount of shame because people immediately correlate it with what travel was like in the past. Of course it’s risky if you’re picturing resorts and restaurants and group walking tours, etc.
I think travel can be low risk if you’re willing to think outside the box and put in the time/preparation required for driving and self-catering. Of course, that doesn’t sound like “vacation” to most people and it requires more work than some people are willing to put in.
@Becky Good points! Our past few road trips have been self-catering. It’s not my ideal situation, but to me it’s better than being trapped in our house forever. I’d rather be trapped in a different house for a change of scenery. 🙂
Agreed. My screening question when I test anyone is, “Have you been around anyone whom you don’t live with?”
@UK That reminds me of an SNL skit from this past weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8p0iDjAiwE