Traveling During a Global Viral Outbreak

At the best of times, traveling can be tough. You’re just deep in the swell of humanity. You witness the best and the worst of people and everyone collectively tries to get through it while running on insufficient sleep. The golden moments are small, but beautiful. There’s the adorable toddler with the long eyelashes and soft curls who insists on being held by his baba as he observes this odd environment and grins knowingly at other passengers who meet his gaze. There’s the young man next to the elderly gentleman, who takes time, patience and care to make sure the elder can delicately land in his seat without too much pain or injury.

The not-so-golden moments tend to be more glaring and abundant. Babies don’t get it and cry at the most inopportune times. The grumpy lady behind you is frustrated that you’ve reclined your airplane seat and decides to make a big show of getting in and out of her own, brazenly giving your chair a few deliberate shoves. The young man who has never flown before can’t sit still and is peering over you constantly for the slightest change in the view outside the window. The conversation being held by two older women who can’t hear each other very well above the plane noise and so they speak at an elevated volume that all the rows in a 6 foot radius can hear. The larger gentleman who constantly spills over the delegated real estate afforded by his ticket price into yours.

Really, it’s not easy, even in good times. Now, there’s an added element to be wary of. With COVID-19 on the rise, travel takes on a whole new meaning. This virus is highly contagious and it’s hit many nations across the globe. I told a handful of people about my plans to travel to Europe and was instantly met with questions like: “Are you sure? What about the corona?” To be fair, it’s a little unnerving at times. Certain parts of the world are pretty much on lockdown as health officials try to wrap their brains around how to contain this thing. The conspiracy theories are alive and well, folks. I just got a message today about it being linked to 5G data networks.

Here’s the thing, it’s a serious health issue, just like any serious health issue. There are standard precautions we’ve all been advised to take well before this particular strain hit. These practices of washing your hands properly and not touching your face constantly go a long way in preventing transmission of the illness. Wearing a mask in crowded, public spaces is also a helpful practice. None of these things are a 100% defense and of course it’s important to make thoughtful decisions about the places you go and the way you manage your own health. What’s not helpful is resorting to panic and fear-mongering. All the doomsday preppers are ready to say “Told ya so” but I don’t think we’re ready for that yet.

So I did it. I took the trip. I made it to Europe and I’m settled comfortably in my hotel. I took extra precautions. I made sure there was sanitzer in my bag. I washed my hands often while singing “Happy Birthday”. I did my best not to touch my face with my hands. I have to admit that I noticed the coughs and sneezes around me much more than I normally would. And I’m definitely getting a few disposable masks for the trip back. Meanwhile, I’ll get back to teaching this week from my hotel room, talking, playing, laughing with and educating my students, as I always do. But I get to do a bit of sightseeing as well and see what another corner of the world has to offer.

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