As you may hear, most of the time planning for a trip is as joyful as you are going on a trip. Hence, what are you waiting for? Do not waste your time stay-at-home and plan for future trips. We help you with some tips to have a good journey during the COVID-19 pandemic!
You may follow some websites and accounts on social media that provide virtual tours. A great opportunity to explore the world from your sofa! But if you wish to step out of the house, you should do this as a smart traveler who cares about the current situation of coronavirus in the world.
Believe it or not, some of the new protocols, which we observed during the COVID-19 pandemic is now a part of our everyday life. Wherever you are you should observe some principles.
Here you can find some tips to have a safe and sound journey during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find about accommodation, transportation and different things you might encounter during your trip in this article.
Read also: Travel to Iran: Tips for First Travelers
Do COVID-19 research!
Read and learn about the policies about lockdown and travel restriction of your planned destination, even if you want to travel to the city next to you, it may observe different travel policies.
In different countries, there are different types of travel restrictions in different destinations. If you want to journey during COVID-19 pandemic, you should be aware of their rules and regulations.
In ‘blanket ban’, a country denies entry to all citizens of a specific country. The second type is entry subject to quarantine upon arrival for up to 14 days and the last is entry upon clearing medical screenings.
The medical screening may be done at the destination or you need some health certification to enter the country.
Some countries need proof of a negative COVID-19 test; other destinations test passengers on arrival. Bring your vaccination certification with you is a wise decision. You can find the latest news and updates about COVID-19 in Iran on Exotigo.
Read also: Iran COVID-19 Travel Advisory
Staycation in the time of Coronavirus
You can choose staycation or domestic trips during the time of the pandemic. Most of us ignore the attractions located near us. It is a great time to discover your environment and have a journey during COVID-19 pandemic as well.
What is good about that is you are more acquainted with your surroundings and you can observe the hygiene protocols more. You can easily set your time to avoid rush hours or crowded days.
Read also: Some 15 Best Things to Do in Iran
Observe the health protocol, anywhere anytime!
Wash your hands like Lady Macbeth! 20 seconds of intensive cleaning protects from all viruses. Do not forget to take your hand sanitizer everywhere with you.
Cover your face in public and be careful about physical distancing. No matter where you are, you must observe these protocols to be safe and sound.
Don’t forget your cellphone. Clean the screen and buttons with alcoholic pads since they always cover with bacteria and viruses. If you want to have a journey during the COVID-19 pandemic, you can check pages like Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the website of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Read also: Some Tips for Going to Toilet in Iranian Style
Be more cautious on journey during COVID-19
May be removing your shoes upon entering the place you want to stay helps you not to transfer virus! In this way, you keep dirt out and also minimizes the risk of bringing in germs and viruses.
Another thing that you can do is to use scarves and gloves to control your contact with dirty surfaces. However, you should keep them away after using outdoor.
Be more cautious about eating and drinking during your trip. Use filtered or bottled water for drinking and brushing your teeth and avoid uncooked foods like lettuce, unpeeled fruit, and sushi since you never know where they originated.
If you want to have a journey during COVID-19 pandemic, avoid elevators if you can. Go up and downstairs to do sport, keep physical distancing, and avoid germs!
Hit the road during the pandemic
Maybe using your own car seems safer during the pandemic. Since you can decide about who accompanies you during the trip, where to stop and what to bring with you.
However, stopping on the road is the matter you should keep in mind. Using the public restroom, the risk of spreading virus at gas stations and eating meals at restaurants are the points that you should decide about them before you leave the house.
Bring hygiene pack including toilet paper, sanitizer, face mask, disinfecting wipe, and gloves with you on journey during COVID-19 pandemic. Maybe it is better to make some snacks to eat on the road and open the car’s windows now and then for proper ventilation.
COVID-19 in the sky
If you decide to jump on a plane for your journey, we have good news for you!
Joe Allen. An assistant professor and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health told the National Geography that “air quality on an airplane is actually really good—high amounts of clean outdoor air and all recirculated air passes through a HEPA filter”, Allen explains that you’re more likely to pick up a bug standing in line at airport security, at the boarding gate, or on the subway at your journey during COVID-19.
However, clean the high-touch surface like tray tables, seatbelt, and armrests with a wipe. Covering your face is a wise decision during the flight. You can also buy the seats beside you in order to keep the physical distance. Some airlines check the traveler’s for fevers before they enter the airplane.
Read also: All Things You Should Know About Domestic Flights in Iran
What about long haul train journey during COVID-19?
If you decide to travel by train for a long trip, the best way is to book private space. In this way, you close the door and keep your physical distancing from others.
You can bring disinfecting wipe with you to clean the high-touch surfaces and be careful about the hygiene of your hands. Wearing a face mask helps you to decrease the risk of viruses in your interaction on journey during COVID-19 pandemic.
Bring your own food onboard the train and avoid the foods of the restaurant. Be cautious about using the restroom on the train. You can use disposable gloves for touching faucets, doorknobs, and flush buttons.
Rental accommodation or hotel, this is the question!
During the pandemic, accommodation is one of the points that concern travelers.
If you want to stay in a rental house, first of all, be sure about its vacancy before you arrive. Make sure nobody stays at the place for one day before your arrival or more.
Clean high-touch surfaces like faucets, doorknobs, and other with disinfecting wipes.
At the hotel, room service may be safer than the restaurant. In this way, you can keep physical distancing and you don’t have contact with high-touch surfaces of the restaurant.
The hotel may be a wiser option on your journey during COVID-19 pandemic. Since it has more regulation and observes the protocol more precisely.
However, check the website to determine how they’re responding to COVID-19 and you can ask the manager about their health protocol.
If you book accommodation via a travel agency, you can ask them about their monitoring. Most travel agencies care about the hygiene protocols of accommodation they introduce. At Exotigo, we care about hygiene protocols at accommodation introduce on our website.
Flexibility matters for the journey during COVID-19! If you book a flight or hotel, check if they have flexible cancellation and their rebooking policies. Since the flights and traveling may change day by day, it is important to observe these issues for your trip. On Exotigo, you can change or cancel your booking without any charge for your journey to Iran during the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out about our flexible travel options.
Avoid crowd at tourist attractions
Practice physical distancing and avoid group activities that involve close contact at tourist attractions. Try to visit attractions in less crowded hours. Leave the place when it becomes crowded.
You can also enjoy swimming in the sea. Up to now, there is no evidence of catching COVID-19 from the water.
However, at the beach, be careful about physical distancing.
Read also: Some of Best Iran’s Tour Packages
How COVID-19 affects traveling to Iran?
In Iran, the tourism business already back to work to a large extent. Hotels, tourism attractions, parks, and theaters are open now. However, they should meet the health protocols.
At the moment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran has suspended visa applications and an online visa does not issue anymore.If you decide to take a journey during COVID-19 pandemic to Iran, the embassies of Iran in other countries are the places where you can apply for a tourist visa right now.
On the other hand, Iran has already weekly flights from European countries and there is hope that the flights back to normal in the near future.
However, hotels and accommodation operated under the ministry of tourism are allowed to provide their services to the tourists and locals observing health protocol since April.
The government monitors the proper implementation of hygiene protocols in tourism facilities to ensure the safety of guests and staff and to build the trust of tourists.
Domestic flights, buses, and other public transportation are working in the country. However, officials supervise the health protocols in a different section.
Do not hesitate to plan for travelling to Iran! The country is ready to be a great host for you! Check the latest news and updates about COVID-19 in Iran.
Read also: Tips You Wish to Know about Iran Culture
Last but not the least
In recent months, going out to run errands was an odyssey, let alone traveling! However, if you are worried about going on a trip, just dream about it! Since it shows that you are ready to venture out.
If you miss going on a trip, you should observe these tips and some hygiene protocols to be healthy and happy during your trip. Being a smart traveler is what we need these days for discovering and exploring the world.
1 Comment
Thank you so much for your helpful guidelines and information.