It’s been a long year for the travel industry.
I had high hopes for 2020 travel. I came into the year with a checklist of countries I wanted to visit. From the vast mountainous regions of the Dolomites, to the sub-saharan African desert, to the unknowns of Antarctica, 2020 was supposed to be a year filled with adventure unlike my previous trips.
Then, the pandemic happened. The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 began to trickle down through each level of society. The travel industry in particular was one of the first and hardest-hit by the pandemic. Countries all over the world closed their borders, as billions of people around the world were placed under lockdown to curb the spread of this pandemic. The majority of businesses all ground to a halt. My family’s business, which operates in various airports along the east coast of the United States, was forced to temporarily close. The outlook for the industry I’m most passionate about suddenly became extremely uncertain.
my first international trip since the pandemic began
In early December, after an exhausting year of work combined with extended quarantines, I couldn’t resist any longer. I called my parents and told them “Hey, I’ll be splitting my time over the holidays this year. I need to get out of the country, even if it’s just for a short while. I’ve booked my flights (partially bluffing) so I’ll be going regardless, and you’re welcome to join if you’d like.” Without hesitation, they let me know that they were in, as they’ve been craving travel just as much as I have.
Thanks to Kayak’s handy-dandy travel restrictions map, we were able to quickly identify a list of about 72 countries that were open without quarantine restrictions. This was a hard requirement for me for two reasons -- 1) If anything happened I needed to be confident that I could get back to the United States in one piece, and 2) I wanted to see how far in the recovery process the tourism industry was in countries that have already began to “open up.” We chose Colombia since it was already on my list of 2020 destinations, and December is the best time to visit!
Courtesy of Kayak.com
For the sake of staying on topic, in this post I’ll specifically stick to covering my experience traveling during a pandemic, talking about different moments such as when I set foot on the plane, to check-in at the hotel, to dining in at restaurants around the city, as well as some future thoughts on 2021 travel. If you’re curious about Colombia itself, I've started writing a few posts about my the specific places I visited, beginning with Cartagena!
the flight
This was actually my first time flying Avianca, and I was impressed.
At the check-in desk in Washington Dulles airport, we were screened and asked if we had already filled out Colombia’s “Mig” immigration form. While Colombia doesn’t currently require a negative PCR test or quarantine on arrival, they do require that as a traveler you fill out this form prior to coming and leaving Colombia.
Boarding proceeded as usual with the new norm of ‘back-to-front.’ One thing Avianca does differently however is that they take it a step further and divide passengers into groups by row number, seat position, and which side of the plane their seat is located. For example, window seats for the back 3 rows on the right side board first, followed by middle seats, then aisle seats, then the same for the left side, and so on and so forth. These measures are among the many that Avianca has taken to minimize points of contact with other passengers.
Fun fact, there’s been a study conducted that this approach to boarding is the most efficient way to board an aircraft.
Snack bags were provided on the flight that contained a cold sandwich, chips, a juice box, and a water bottle. Coffee and tea carts went down the aisles as usual. Masks were required at all times.
Upon arrival, we were instructed to deplane by row from the front to the back, with the right side going first, followed by the left. An Avianca flight stewardess took care to stand by each row as we de-planed, opening up the luggage compartments along the way.
Overall a very positive experience! I definitely miss checking out lounges and potentially getting free upgrades with my Star Alliance Gold status, but this is the reality of flying at this point in time. I’m just happy to be back in the air :)
Entry to colombia
After de-planing, a few things stood out to me. The first thing we were instructed to do by the gate staff was to use hand sanitizer at one of their set stations, as well as a temperature check.
Sanitizing stations
placed all throughout the airport, and required upon de-planing
Escalators
marked with stickers to aid passengers in social distancing
Passport control was nothing new — other than the fact that everyone had masks on. After clearing customs, I had to go through security again to reach my connecting flight to Cartagena. The one thing that stood out to me here was the tray disinfectants that were installed at the beginning of the line to sanitize the trays before passengers use them.
Tray disinfectants
at each and every security line to sanitize trays before passengers use them
It’s amazing to see the the direction we’re headed when it comes to flying. It may not be perfect, and I’m by no means saying that Colombia should be a model for the rest of the world when it comes to implementing safer methods of flying, but this is a great start!
dining
For the most part, dining in Colombia, both indoors and outdoors is permitted with reduced capacity, to allow adequate and comfortable spacing for guests. Restaurant staff are instructed to wear gloves and masks at all times. Furthermore, at all restaurants (at least the ones I dined at) there are single-use menus and/or QR codes.
The one idea I haven’t seen implemented in any restaurant in the United States are the mask bags. At every restaurant I dined at in Colombia, the first thing the waiter would provide is a small envelope for guests to store their masks. It’s a subtle and small detail, but one that I was very appreciative of since it meant I didn’t have to shove my mask in my pocket.
Something that’s also worth mentioning is that prior to entering restaurants, guests are required to fill out a short form that includes name, email address, and passport number. These are for contact tracing purposes, so that the restaurant has a means of notifying individuals if they’ve been in close contact with an infected individual.
hotels
We stayed at a few different hotels throughout our stay, and in general we saw common themes across all of them. Touchless hand sanitizing stations being made available in strategic areas, hourly disinfecting of public and high-touch areas (think of elevators and restrooms), and limited capacity on elevators were among some of the new measures put in place. Some hotels also will sanitize the exterior of your luggage prior to entering.
Another measure I saw taken at many hotels, restaurants, and retail shops alike was the use of shoe disinfectants at entrances. Prior to entering any kind of place, guests are required to step onto a platform to disinfectant the soles of their shoes (usually done while temperatures are being taken.
Closing thoughts
Travel right now isn’t perfect. As exciting (and somewhat freeing) as my time was in Cartagena, other cities told a different story. I happened to be traveling through Medellín and Bogotá on Christmas Day and it was at this time that the local governments in those cities imposed a 36 hour curfew due to the Christmas holiday. No going out, no supermarkets, no gatherings. It could happen, and that’s a risk to keep in mind when you start planning trips for 2021. Circumstances could change on a whim - you could be out at a bar one day and in lockdown the next.
Despite this, I still believe that the travel industry is headed in the right direction. Given what I saw and experienced on my trip to Colombia, I have ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE that the travel industry will make a huge recovery next year. The words ‘excited’ and ‘hopeful’ don’t even begin to crack the surface of how I feel about it. My personal opinion - If you’re on the fence with traveling in 2021, whether it be for vacation or to visit family, GO! Just be sure to follow all the local rules and regulations put in place.
If you’re interested in Colombia specifically, be sure to check out my Travel Guide to Cartagena!