How to safely take a road trip during the pandemic

With quarantine fatigue pressing in on us, many people are forgoing their plans to travel to a foreign country and taking a road trip instead. Road trips limit the number of people you are exposed to, since it may be just yourself or your family in the car with you versus a busy airport, and yes it can be done safely. Here are a few tips to get you started. 

Plan on using a lot of hand sanitizer

Remember that greasy gas station bathroom you were afraid to even touch the sink on? Well now touching even a clean bathroom is potentially dangerous, as coronavirus can spread through feces. There's also the danger of touching gas pumps, keypads, and other high contact surfaces. Use hand sanitizer liberally and well.

You should also still use soap and water when ever it is available, just use a tissue or gloves to open that door and turn off the tap on the sink.

Plan carefully

It's not just a matter of avoiding hotspots, but also making sure that where you plan to stay is even open. Book your hotels in advance so that you're not sleeping in your car overnight due to the hotels you thought you'd be crashing in being closed.

It may be wise to pack a tent just in case, so if your lodging falls through you do have something you can use in a pinch.

Maintain basic safety

While it may seem like everything is normal while you're singing road trip songs in the car, as soon as you stop at a gas station, Coronavirus is a real threat once again. Wear your mask when ever you leave the car, maintain at least 6 feet of social distance, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before getting back into your car.

Drive Safely

Even if you're always a safe driver, everyone else around you might not be driving as safe as they once were. Stressed essential workers who aren't getting enough sleep, people who think they can be more careless because no one else is out on the road, and moms trying to juggle home from school children can all have a lapse in attention. Be extra careful on the road, since the world may not be as careful as you are.

The pandemic is still out there, and there are still risks involved in going on a road trip. It's best to avoid hot spots, and you should still quarantine if you have been in contact with someone who has Covid. If you're generally healthy however, and are keen to get out of the house, a road trip is likely safer than bar hopping or airports at this point.