Is it safe to travel on the Central Coast during COVID? Here are some tips
It was 3 a.m., and I was standing at the sink in a motel room bathroom, trying to be quiet while I ate some milk-drenched cereal, with a fork.
Why, you might ask, was I doing that? That’s what son Brian, my slightly cranky traveling companion, wanted to know.
“Because I was hungry? I didn’t want to wake you,” I replied. “I’m eating my leftover stuff from the motel’s breakfast because I couldn’t sleep,” because my digestive system was being disagreeable.
Eventually we both went back to sleep, him out of exhaustion and me because, thanks to the soothing snack, my tummy had finally forgiven me for the truly terrible dinner we’d endured eight hours earlier.
Yes, we were on vacation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Have you been out of San Luis Obispo County since COVID-19 precautions became a required way of life?
Before we took short trips to the Monterey Bay and Solvang areas in late February and mid-March, respectively, we hadn’t traveled in years. In fact, those were the first getaways we had experienced since my husband, Richard, had a major stroke more than seven years ago.
Richard couldn’t travel long distances after that. Since Brian and I were Richard’s caregivers, we couldn’t travel either.
Nor did we want to. Our lives and our hearts were at home.
However, as part of our grieving process after Richard’s death in December, Brian and I were adapting to the lonely “new abnormal” in the Tanner household.
Grief can be very wearing, and eventually we realized that we really needed to give our lives and emotions a breather, a timeout and a fresh perspective.
Experts tell us that travel planning is good for mental health, and so is travel itself.
So I researched COVID-19 precautions for travel, and we planned accordingly. Then we took a giant leap of faith and hit the road.
Yes, we left the county, but we stayed on familiar Central Coast turf for both of our mini-vacations.
We steadfastly observed all the COVID-19 guidelines except one: Stay home.
We figured, if we were very careful, we could travel safely and still not contribute to a possible increase in coronavirus cases.
We’d just take our well-learned pandemic habits with us to a different location.
We modified our usual lifestyle slightly, but for a while, we got to live it somewhere else.
Tips for traveling safely during COVID-19
So how do you travel safely during a pandemic? Here are some tips we followed.
Just like when we’re home in Cambria, we didn’t mingle. We didn’t stay in crowds, or even wade into them. We didn’t party. We didn’t hang out around the motel’s fire pit at night, or at the beach, the pier or a busy pool during the day. We didn’t go to an airport, get on a plane or ride a bus.
We did our sightseeing from our van, and cozily ate our takeout meals there or back in the motel room.
If a takeout line was too long or not socially distanced, we went someplace else. If we actually ate sitting down at a restaurant, it had to be outside.
We took walks in uncrowded, outdoor locations, or not at all.
As usual, we wore face masks when around other people, religiously observed social distancing, immersed ourselves in hand sanitizer at every turn and practiced all those other precautions we’ve either done for years, learned during the pandemic or made up along the way.
We used disinfecting room spray and wipes wherever it seemed wise, including in the motel room.
I got really good at using my elbow to press the elevator’s buttons.
Waiting for the elevator to arrive, we quickly learned to stand back at least six feet from the door to give any departing occupants plenty of space.
Likewise, when we were on the elevator, we stood in the far back corner, in case somebody else came in. If there were already too many people in the elevator, we waited for the next car.
And those inevitable stops at public restrooms or gas stations? They were no different in Monterey than they would have been during errand runs in San Luis Obispo or Paso Robles.
The same habits apply anywhere, on home turf or away: Social distance, wear masks, wash hands long and well, and, if necessary, use sanitizing wipes.
Lessons were learned, including the fact that I don’t think I’ll eat cereal in a motel bathroom again, no matter how cranky my tummy is. That was just one step too far into the traveling twilight zone.
Sorry, Brian. If my chewing wakes you, we’ll just play cards.
Travel rules change for vaccinated people
As of April 2, federal health officials say that Americans who are fully vaccinated can travel “at low risk to themselves,” both within the United States and internationally.
However, they must continue to take the precautions we did on our trips — including wearing masks in public, avoiding crowds, maintaining social distancing and washing hands frequently.
