How to Travel in the new world of COVID-19 / Coronavirus
Let’s face it. The world has changed. Long gone are the carefree days of blissfully walking through life, nary a thought to the thousands of germs we encounter every second of every day. No sir. COVID-19 has changed our world. Now germs are at the forethought of every step we take. Every trip to the grocery store and certainly, every potential road trip or vacation we may plan. Here are my best safety tips for traveling during the COVID-19 / Coronavirus times to help quell your fears and inspire you to get back out on the road to your next quilt adventure!
1) Travel with Disinfecting Wipes
If you’re like me, you travel with baby wipes. Yes, those time-tested cleaning sheets with the power of mom spit. Well, as powerful as they are, baby wipes just don’t hold up against COVID-19/Coronavirus germs. For this job we need alcohol disinfecting/antibacterial wipes.
You see, baby wipes were designed to clean our rear ends. And, unfortunately, if they had the power to also ‘disinfect’ we’d have all given our children (and probably ourselves) a few hundred nasty rashes by now. So, keep the baby wipes for our tears, ears and rears and carry a few disinfecting wipes for everything else.
*According to the EPA, 70% and above undiluted IPA, ethanol, and hydrogen peroxide will kill the Coronavirus.
2) Wash your hands often!
You know the saying “Everything I need to know, I learned in kindergarten?” Well, this one holds true. To this day, the best tested (and pediatrician approved) way to kill germs and stay safe is to simply wash your hands thoroughly. A good idea is to hum a verse from your favorite tune while digging those germ-killing soap particles in every single nook and crevice from tip to forearm. Seriously, sometimes you’d think I was preparing for surgery.
When you’re out on the road and don’t always have access to soap, carry a pack of these little guys. The Travel Hand Washing Soap Papers are kind of awesome, compact and you can use them with water from a sink, a bottle of water or some water you grab from a natural source.
3) Hand sanitizer
Ok, I almost didn’t put this one in here because well, ENOUGH WITH THE HAND SANITIZER! I get it. The stuff seems to work (although I’ve heard rumors), but can we refrain from using hand sanitizer 50 times a day and in enclosed spaces (like airplanes)? Just because you itched your nose does not mean you have to reapply. Now, if you itched someone else’s nose… blech.
Yes, hand sanitizer gel is great to carry around when you just can’t wash your hands or you’ve just nonchalantly run your hand down the entire railing of a New York subway staircase. However, when using before you eat, wait until the gel has dried completely before touching anything food related. If not, studies have shown you are actually ingesting some of that alcohol with your food. Personally, I prefer my food to stay sober.
4) Use this Cool Tool!!
A few weeks ago mom and I traveled to Las Vegas and stayed at the MGM Grand. Waiting for us on the nightstand was this great little bag of ‘health and safety goodies’. Along with the masks, pen and hand sanitizer was this nifty little metal thing. Admittedly, we had NO CLUE what it was or what it was used for. So, mom put it in her purse and we went on our merry way.
Flash forward to last week and I stumble upon an ad for that very device (Non-Contact Door Opener and Stylus) and about fell off my chair. This thing is awesome! It hangs on your keychain and you use it to touchlessly (is that a word?) open doors, push buttons and even use public touch screens. That’s right, all with no touchy! Since mom won’t give up hers from the MGM I’ve since ordered this full set. 😊 I’m pretty sure these things have been around for years but are just now taking off like gangbusters.
5) Travel Laundry Soap
Personally, I recommend traveling with travel soap for many reasons. But, in the new world of COVID-19 / Coronavirus I double recommend them. Triple even.
How many of you made your own cotton masks? Everyone, right? Well, did you know that they can actually do more damage than good if you don’t wash them after each use? When you breath out, the steam from your breath dampens the cotton just enough to start hording and breeding more nasty little germies. Gross, right? So, that’s where the Sink Suds travel laundry soap comes in!
You can also get them in 3 forms – tiny liquid packets, a nifty soap bar (a little goes a LONG way!) and cool little soap sheets. Each one can be used in the bathroom sink at any hotel or room share. I suggest washing your masks every night and hanging them to dry so it’ll be fresh and ready for the next day.
You can also get this cool travel laundry set that includes a sink plug and clothesline!
All in all, it’s a brave new world my friends and only the prepared will prosper. Or, something like that. For me, I’m not going to let a few germs stop me from my Quilty adventures! As long as you take a few basic precautions and stay 6 feet apart, we’ll all get through this together.
As always, my friend, Hoppy Quilting!
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Lots of neat products I was unaware of. I love the door opener thingy and laundry soap for cleaning masks. I clean mine when I arrive hope after a once or twice a week trip away from home.
Isn’t that no touch thing awesome? COVID or not I’m using that one on all my travels. I mean, just because people clean public places doesn’t mean they clean the door knobs. 😉