I just returned home from an amazing two week vacation to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Glacier National Parks. This is the first and only trip I have taken since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Like many of you, I have received numerous emails and notifications about policy changes and new guidelines from airlines, airline parking shuttles and other travel organizations on how their battling the virus. But here is my personal experience on traveling during COVID.
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I will admit that I was worried about traveling during COVID but not worried enough to cancel my plans. So I armed myself with a mask and hand sanitizer and forged on. If you are considering traveling and are wary, hopefully this post can give you more insight on what to expect.
My Travel Plans
On the afternoon of June 20, 2020, I flew United Airlines from Houston (IAH) to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with a layover in Denver. I drove my car and parked it at the FastPark parking lot and rode their shuttle to the airport. After arriving in Jackson Hole, I visited Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks. Each park had its own way of handling COVID-19. On July 5, I flew home from Kalispell, Montana with a layover in Seattle via Alaska Airlines.
FastPark Parking Shuttle
My first clue that times had changed was when I arrived at the FastPark parking lot. It was basically empty. The parking attendant, who usually greets you and pushes the button that deposits your ticket, stood at the far back corner of the booth and yelled the row to park in. She did tell me that there were fewer shuttles than normal, so I may have to wait up to 10 minutes. Since I did not know what to expect, I arrived to the airport extra early. Therefore, the extra wait time for the shuttle was not a big deal. When I boarded the shuttle, I noticed every other seat was marked with an “X” allowing for space between each passenger.
IAH Airport
I only had carry-on luggage and electronic boarding pass, so I did not need to visit the United check-in line. I am TSA pre-approved; however, the TSA pre-approved line was not open. So I had to use the regular security line, which was not a big deal since there was only one person in line ahead of me.
The IAH Houston airport was the emptiest I have ever seen. I am talking eerie empty. The airport should have been bustling with summer travelers, but it was not. The only gate I passed that had people was the one I was flying out of. Apparently, everyone in Terminal E was flying to Denver. At the gate, about half of the people were wearing masks. But every group was separated by at least 3 chairs, so they were following social distancing protocols.
However, that changed as soon as they announced the plane was about to board. The passengers all gathered in a crowd by the gate entrance anxiously waiting to board the plane.
Boarding the United Flight
Before boarding, the United employees announced that masks were required for the duration of the flight unless you were eating or drinking. United provided masks to passengers that did not have their own. They also announced the boarding process would be different than their normal “board by group” process. First to board were people with disabilities and families with small children. Next were Group 1 passengers, which are first class or high-ranking rewards members. Finally they boarding by rows from the back of the plane to the front.
On the United Flight
Prior to the flight, United sent an email detailing the new cleaning procedures, so I felt fairly safe that I would not contract the disease due to a lack of cleanliness. However, if this was not enough for you, the flight attendants handed each passenger a cleansing wipe upon boarding the plane. If you felt the need to wipe down your own area, they gave you the tools to do so. To find details on how United is trying to keep you safe while traveling, visit their website here.
The plane was mostly full. I thought I had read where airlines were not filling middle seats. In fact, when I tried to pick my seat, the middle seats were blocked. I guess United filled the seats themselves because most middle seats were occupied on the plane. A few days before the flight, United did send an email stating that the plane was full or mostly full. The email gave passengers an option to change or cancel their flight with no additional cost.
The regular food and beverage service has been suspended on United flights. Instead they hand out a prepackaged sealed bag with a small bottle of water, pretzels, and a stroopwafel. Side note – If you have never tried a stroopwafel, you are missing out! It is a wafer cookie made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel layer between. Yummmm!
De-Boarding the United Flight
After landing, the flight attendants asked all passengers to remain in their seats until it was their turn to de-board the plane. The de-boarding process was similar to that of the boarding process, by rows from the front to the back. For the most part, everyone complied with the requests. But there was one man in the back that de-boarded the plane while the first group in the front was supposed to de-board. There is one in every crowd!
Denver Airport
I had a very short layover in Denver, so I did not have time to explore the airport to see any differences traveling during COVID. However, I did notice the airport was more crowded than Houston’s airport. I can only assume this is because people are traveling to the great outdoors for vacation during the pandemic. Outdoor activities mean automatic social distancing and no mask requirements.
The National Parks
While visiting Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and Glacier National Parks, it was obvious that changes had been made to accommodate concerns of traveling during COVID. All parks increased their cleaning procedures, asked that you wear masks while indoors, and had closed many services. It was very difficult to find an open visitors center or get trail advice from a ranger in any of the parks. Most people did not wear masks while outdoors hiking, swimming, or for any other outdoor activity.
Yellowstone closed all public showers in their campgrounds (gross!) but allowed the laundry services to remain open. The gift shops at Old Faithful only allowed a certain number of people inside, and the rest had to wait outside at a 6-foot distance. However, none of the other Yellowstone gift shops followed this rule. Read Visit Yellowstone During COVID for more details on what to expect in this national park.
The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, which controls the land east of Glacier National Park, closed for the remainder of 2020. This means the east entrance to the park was closed. Combine this with the Going to the Sun Road still being closed due to excessive snow, only half the park was open to tourists. Because of this, lots of tourists could only explore a small part of the park causing the park to shut down areas through the day due to traffic congestion.
Return Flights
Two weeks later, COVID is getting worse. However, it is July 4th weekend. Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, Montana is a very small airport and was not crowded. But the Seattle airport, where I had a layover, looked like a normal travel day with big crowds. The Seattle airport required wearing masks as well as Alaska Airlines.
The process and procedures for cleanliness, mask-wearing, and boarding/de-boarding were mostly the same as the Houston IAH airport and United Airlines. There were only two differences I noticed. Firstly, Alaska Airlines did not offer a sanitation wipe as you boarded the plane. The other was Alaska Airlines did not fill the middle seat unless your party consisted of at least 3 people. Then, they would seat groups together in the same row.
General Observations
- Most people abide by the rules for masks or social distancing if the store, plane, etc. requires it. However, if there is no set rule in place, most people do not wear masks nor social distance.
- All 4 of my flights left 5-10 minutes early. I do not know if this was a coincidence or somehow COVID-related. But I would think loading the plane back to front may have been a big help!
- I may be a baby but having to wear a mask for an entire 8-hour travel day is treacherous. I feel for people who must work in them all day.
- Washing hands and using hand sanitizer so much severely dries out your hands. You should also carry around lotion, so your skin does not crack.
- It seemed like people working were not as friendly as they used to be. My mom and I both commented on it from separate experiences. But wearing a mask all day is depressing, so I get it.
My Traveling During COVID Advice
If you are looking to get out of the house and go on a vacation, just remember to pack your mask and hand sanitizer. Put on your patient pants and know that you will not be getting the full travel experience. If you have a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list type vacation planned during this time, I would recommend cancelling or rescheduling. You will not be able to get the full experience while traveling during COVID. Above all, travel responsibly.
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