Hi guys! So, it’s been a long time since I wrote a real travel-type blog post. I just came back from a trip to Tulum, Mexico, aka my happy place. I have so much to tell you about — the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable of what traveling is like during COVID times!
Disclaimer: I will write about the places I loved during my visit to Tulum in a future blog post, but I wanted this story to focus on what one can expect when flying anywhere for the first time during the pandemic.
Getting to Tulum:
After purchasing my ticket to Tulum, I got a COVID test! It is important that you take this precaution to protect your travel buddy and also the people that will be around you while you are away (FYI: Mexico does not require you to test negative prior to entering the country).
I got a direct flight to Cancun, Mexico from IAD. The travel time was around 3 hours (I wanted to keep it as short as possible). I was as anxious as you can be for a person who hasn’t flown anywhere during this pandemic and did not know what to expect. Below is a list of items I brought with me to make sure I felt comfortable and safe during the flight.
3-Layer Facial Cover Mask: When 30,000 miles above, triple up on the protection!
Reusable Breathing Valve Black Mouth Cover with carbon filter: The airlines will not allow you on board with a breathing valve mouth cover, so make sure you have one underneath or buy one that does not have vents.
Clear Face Shield Visor: I found this very useful, when eating or drinking while you put down your mask.
Disinfecting Wipes: I used these guys to disinfect the surface of the area I was sitting on. And don’t be shy! The minute you walk on the plane, the flight attendant will also hand you some of their own.
Hand sanitizer spray: Keep this essential COVID accessory on hand at all times!
BYOP: Bring Your Own Pen to fill out a few health forms, etc.
When I arrived at IAD, my heart legit started to pound 100 miles per hour. I felt like an animal in danger lol. Thankfully, the person I was traveling with was a bit calmer than I was, so it was nice to have someone by my side who wasn’t as paranoid as I was feeling. She also required a wheelchair to move around due to a minor surgery she had a few weeks ago, so this truly made it breezy for us to get through security with a handicap pass. But the airport was pretty empty overall, so the check-in process was smooth and not as stressful as normal. Everyone at IAD was wearing a mask, along with visors, so it felt pretty safe. Boarding the plane was also a pretty easy process. Thankfully, our flight there was not too packed and our middle chair sat empty. I chose not to drink water or even snack until getting to Cancun, but I’m sure this would be a lot harder if traveling for longer periods of time.
Arriving in Cancun was definitely a lot more tense! The airport was packed, and even though there were signs of social distancing everywehre, not many travelers were following the rules. Because we had a handicap pass, we were able to breeze through customs in no time, but I honestly would have been a lot more worried if we had to wait in line. So out of the entire trip of getting there from IAD to Cancun, I want to say that I felt the most uncomfortable at Cancun’s airport due to how crowded it felt and the lack of social distancing. I would suggest that you do not check in your bag! I had to check mine in because I overpacked, and that made our stay at the airport a bit longer. I also highly recommend renting a car to get around to avoid taxi cabs (they don’t have Uber or Lyft drivers in Cancun or Tulum). We got our rental car last min and that was also a situation, so def rent yourself a car prior getting to the airport so you can have it ready right when you land!
Once we got our rental car we drove to Tulum for about an hour and a half, and the drive did not feel too long. We chose to stay in an area away from tourists. Last year I stayed at Zona Hotelera where you’ll find the coolest hotels, beach clubs, and restaurants in Tulum.
Airbnb/Hotel: I loved my stay at Kanan hotel last year, and the hotel was beautiful and brand new. Prior to traveling, my friend and I knew we wanted a nice place to chill and location was a major part of why we picked this boutique hotel. This year, I went with an airbnb option because it’s a cheaper option when staying longer than 3 to 4 days. Our airbnb had two rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a pool for $60 a night. The location is called La Veleta or Centro Tulum, which is about a 10-minute drive to Zona Hotelera with no traffic — but it can take as long as three hours during high season! The roads in Tulum are not the easiest to drive on, so make sure you get yourself a car that can handle bumps and potholes. A taxi to Zona hotelera can be from $150 pesos with no traffic or up to $500 pesos with traffic. Our airbnb was located in an area that has lots of cute restaurants and boutiques, but the walk to the closest restaurant was prob 10 min. The street was kind of hidden and by the beltway, so to be honest, I def did not feel safe walking anywhere during the evening (and even during the daytime, it felt a bit sketchy). So if you are staying in La Veleta area, choose a street that is not on calle 8! I did like we had a private pool so if we did not want to be out, we could have some fun under the sun without anyone around. The airbnb also has a washer and dryer machine which was nice. It had a few towels and also some kitchen utensils. I brought my own pillow case and towel with me, though, but that is a personal preference! They also had bikes to rent but during COVID times, but not sure I want to share anything right now. However, biking everywhere is def a common mode of transit around Tulum.
Taxi cabs/mask enforcement: This was the biggest shock of the whole trip! I was honestly so sad to see so many tourists not wearing masks. Most restaurants and boutiques that have indoor spaces require you to wear a mask unless you are eating or drinking, but the amount of people not following this rule was frightening. I took 3 taxi rides while there, and all of them told me that they’ve had issues with tourists not wearing masks and that two of the drivers had tested positive for COVID a few months back. Speaking of, getting tested in Tulum is not common or cheap, so you have to have high risk symptoms to get tested (that means the amount of locals who might have it and don’t know is truly scary). I did not feel safe taking a taxi for that reason alone, so when I did, I made sure my driver had his mask on properly (and I did too). I also rolled my windows down and did not take off my mask until getting to my destination and could wash my hands and spray them with some sanitizer. The biggest problem is that I think tourists feel that because Tulum has so many places with large outdoor places, they can just gather without masks and without social distancing, which is wrong. I was also there during an art festival, which had lots of private beach parties and exhibits that brought artists from all over the world along with tourists, who probably have missed fun outdoor events with DJs and dancing (aka Coachella vibes!). I went to one beach party but had my own cabana and there weren’t more than 10 people around me. It was fun, but I was constantly worried — so even though it was nice to feel a bit of normality, I was also constantly reminded of how risky is to be out and about in a setting where you truly don’t know if your new friend has the same COVID ethics that you do (more about that in another posts).
If you are a person who is paranoid and has high COVID ethics, I 100% recommend you pick a different first place to travel to — perhaps one that requires a test to get into the country, along with some quarantine time. Like I said, Mexico does not require you to test negative to enter the country. They do make you fill out a health form to disclose if you’ve had contact with someone who’s had it or has any symptoms, but let’s be real! I’m sure a lot of people, especially young adults, lie about that. Also, Mexico is so big! I hear Cabo is not as bad and high-end resorts also really go above and beyond to make sure you are safe, but who has that much money to stay at a five star resort for longer than a day?! lol So your better option is probably a nice and clean airbnb in a great location.
I’m now back and quarantining for two weeks, and I just ordered my test via Pixel By LabCorp. I’m trying to avoid being around people until I get at least two negative tests. Follow me on IG for more travel tips and feel free to comment with a question.
