It seems like everywhere you look, any channel you flip through, and really any conversation you have, Coronavirus somehow makes its way into the conversation. Even a year after the world was put on lockdown, we have yet to find a solution. Luckily, we have found ways to slow it down, and with some states beginning to open back up, there are new guidelines that come with traveling. It is very frowned upon, but what about the people who travel for work, college, and even needing mental health breaks?

The past year it has been recommended that everyone stays home and not travel. With the fast spread and states going into lockdowns, it was really hard for anyone to be able to catch a flight, some flights were even banned. The CDC recommends getting tested one to three days before your flight and three to five days after your trip. In addition, when returning from a trip, stay home for seven days and if you are Covid free, you are good to go. If you don’t get tested after coming back, it is recommended you stay ten days quarantined. But what about those who travel for work?

Something that airports have already begun to offer are rapid Covid tests that begin at $120 and will give you results within 20 minutes. For those who travel for work, and even those who work in medical care and have to miss events such as weddings, this could be a good sign. If airports are offering Covid-19 tests, they may be able to receive a negative test and not have to lock themselves down for two weeks without pay upon traveling in and out of states, and countries. This can really benefit workers and allow them to proceed back to work immediately.

Executive orders are being issued as the pandemic continues. There are new rules and future possibilities being spoken about as the virus continues its rise and fall. In section five, under letter “B” number one of the Executive Order on Promoting Covid-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel, it states that U.S. citizens as well as people entering the United States must now provide a negative Covid-19 test result. With this beginning, it is also being discussed that even traveling in the airlines between state to state may require a negative Covid-19 test, which can make it harder for those who want to travel for vacation.

Recent traveler Katie Pfefferkorn relays some issues she had faced while traveling. “Covid messed up my traveling due to flying, we wanted to fly but instead we had to take a car which was way more expensive,” says Pfefferkorn.

She visited Florida which at the time didn’t have a mask mandate, but even within the state there are still places that do require masks which makes it difficult to keep up with the rules making traveling that much harder.

“When we swam with the dolphins for the first time, we all had to wear our masks which was an awful feeling because nobody could see our smiles and laughs,” says Pfefferkorn. Traveling may seem easy for states opening, but private owners can still have their rules when it comes down to it. Even with some of these rules being put in place, you can’t account for every possibility that may take place.

With the interesting development that has been going on is the different rules among different states, it may be easier or harder for one traveler compared to the next. It is more complicated as Pfeferkorn mentioned, you almost have to research not only the states, but the counties in order to get an understanding of what you can and can’t do. With states beginning to open, it’s an invitation to get out and try to live a normal life again, even if it is just limited capacity. Long time traveler Kendall Klos discussed how having limited capacity is a better experience rather than having the places completely open.

“Covid has made traveling difficult in that it placed many more hoops to jump through when planning a vacation. On the other side of things, National Parks were opening at limited capacity so when my family and I went to Yosemite National Park during what is known as ‘peak season’, there wasn’t even one-quarter of the population that would normally be there. Less people in the park allowed for the more popular hikes to be more enjoyable.”

Klos also mentions something that is very serious, especially in the time of having to be locked down in quarantine by yourself. It may not be apparent to some, but frequent travelers like Klos, being told that you have to stay within your state, let alone having a mandate to stay home in the beginning was not easy. Traveling is a way for people to get away from their stress, but now they are confined.

“Traveling was my escape to letting go of all the stresses that were on my shoulders. Having stricter guidelines in regards to traveling only slowed me down but did not stop my desire and drive to see what is beyond Illinois,” says Klos. Being that states are opening up, and Covid numbers seem to be making a positive turn, Klos hopes to continue traveling the world.

While rules and regulations are a continuing development as the worldwide pandemic continues its rollercoaster, travelers are beginning to become more optimistic as these airlines are trying to find solutions and states are beginning to open up. This has been a battle for everyone to face, that nobody knows how to handle, but slowly the bits and pieces are starting to come together to somehow find solutions while the pandemic continues its reach. Although each state’s rules are changing, you can find rules and regulations on the CDC website. Visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html