Travel Tips in the Time of Covid

At the risk of being berated for encouraging travel during the time of Covid when we are all supposed to be social distancing within our little corona-bubbles and stopping the spread, here is what I learned on leg one of my cross-country road trip from New York to Cali.

There is still fun stuff to be found.

One of the many small reminders for patrons to wear a mask before entering the Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.

One of my big concerns about traveling in the time of Covid was that most of the cool shit would be closed and I would really end up getting a sub-par experience of each place I was planning to visit. To my surprise (and pleasure), I was able to find lots of fun open things to do along my journey. Most of the big cities seemed to know that tourists would continue to come even though it was ill-advised, so they did things like putting workarounds in place to keep people safe while taking selfies with the Bean in Chicago, having a designated hand sanitizer spritzer person at every entrance into the Spam museum, and using touchless payment methods like Toast Tab so you don’t have to be concerned that your credit card has been contaminated with the ‘rona.

Supermarkets are the new bathroom rest stops.

Within the first four hours of my drive I had to pee. I followed the signs off the highway to a clearly marked huge rest stop, which was completely closed. Immediately I was concerned that I would need that roll of toilet paper that I brought with me just in case stores in my final destinations were clean out like New York circa mid-March. Luckily however, there was a supermarket just down the road that was open and guess what, all supermarkets have bathrooms! Remember: supermarkets are essential businesses these days. Even trusty Starbucks which was my bathroom stop of choice while I drove around Queens for hours and hours as a sales rep was hit or miss as most of the locations I saw were open, but only for to go mobile orders and with no restroom facilities for guests.

Mask up or leave.

Masked up and ready to explore. (Just don’t be one of those people that cuts a straw hole into your mask…)

With the notable exception of South Dakota, where literally every bar was open and there was scant a social distancing sight to be seen (except for at Zandbroz Variety store, who literally had to have a sign out front stating that mask wearing is not a political statement because, well, it is in South Dakota), lots of places found creative ways to advise those passing through to wear a mask or politely gtfo.

Twitter is your friend.

I’ve never been a Twitter fan. It was always annoying and too political and who really cares what the fuck this famous person ate for breakfast this morning. However, in the time of corona, Twitter has been a godsend. It has been an incredibly helpful tool to figure out what exactly is open in each state, county, city, etc., especially in times of an uptick where things change and new closures are instituted on a daily basis. From what I’ve seen, most official government accounts have been great about posting Covid-related updates on their accounts - even the super tiny towns with a single sheriff in charge.

Be prepared for anything.

Bring snacks with you in case you get to a new city and realize they have instituted early closing times for restaurants and food stores and anything that’s not a fast food place because of Covid (like in Napa, for example). A roll of paper towels is your friend when you accidentally spill coffee all over the center console of your car. Don’t forget extra face masks for when you accidentally drop yours into a dirty puddle while it’s pouring and you don’t have an umbrella and your feet are already soaking wet and the place you’re trying to go into requires the use of them. Basically, just expect to fuck something up or for something to go awry.

Hand sanitizer pumps work well in cup holders.

Subtle mask-wearing reminders were everywhere, even in Jackson, Wyoming.

This was one of my more solid packing decisions. It is so easy to get in the car and remember to use hand sanitizer if it is literally open and available and in front of your face every time you close the door. Honestly, it made me wonder why even in pre-corona times I never had something like this before in my car, especially after touching gas pumps or Tesla chargers that literally a million other people probably touched who didn’t wash their hands. Pro tip: keep some hand lotion nearby as well - after a full day of using hand sanitizer after every pit stop your hands will get hella crispy and will thank you for giving them a little hydration.

Just assume you will lose WiFi.

This is a given on any road trip during the time of corona or not, but figured it needed to be said. Pre-downloaded Google Maps with directions to your hotel or the next Tesla supercharger or a place you 100% know is open even though the rest of the area is pretty much on lockdown will seriously save your life and make you so incredibly grateful that you took the time to do a little extra prep for the trip. The Notes app too is something that I cannot live without when I travel. This is where I list out everything that I know / want to do / was recommended in each place I visited and again, is ridiculously helpful when you find yourself in a new city with one bar of service.

Happy travels! (Yes, only if you absolutely must and are staying safe and maintaining appropriate distance from everyone you come across and not coughing in other people’s faces, etc.)