Health and Hygiene: How Has My Travel Itinerary Changed Post-COVID in 2022?

One of the things that COVID has made us acutely aware of is our hygiene habits. Sanitizing hands, wearing masks, and dusting shoes before entering the office. Though sanitising my hands more often made them rough, I guess it did kill some germs. Post-COVID lockdown, travel rules also changed drastically, including mandatory vaccinations and informing authorities about precise travel destinations. Hotels and restaurants mention that their establishments follow COVID rules strictly. Maintaining cleanliness and space between seats is also taken into consideration.

While traveling, especially to a location with a very different culture, concern over different weather, food, drinks, and local transfers is natural. All these things affect our health.

For those who prioritise exercising while traveling, gym rules have also changed post-COVID. The confusion regarding gym hygiene has also diminished. People try to maintain hygiene around their gym equipment and clean their gym shoes, socks, bag, and yoga mat more often.

This year, I travelled from Delhi to two different locations. Goa, which is located in the south of India, and Jharkhand, my village, which is in the east of India. Though I travelled to Goa in December for the New Year, I came back to Delhi in January, so I would still like to count it as travel in 2022. Living in Delhi was challenging during COVID because of the high cases of death from COVID and pollution. Compared to Delhi, Goa and Jharkhand had fewer COVID cases. In fact, Jharkhand was one of the states with the lowest COVID rates.

Now that we have embraced the new normal post-COVID, do we still think about COVID rules? How cautious should we be to follow or unfollow COVID hygiene while traveling? Do we neglect some COVID rules during festive and holiday travel?

This post will discuss how preparing a post-covid travel itinerary has changed for me.

Packing according to the weather conditions post- covid

There was much confusing and contradictory information spread about COVID. The effect of weather conditions on COVID was frequently discussed on news channels. Many people believe that COVID cases increase in cold weather. One of the primary reasons could be that COVID symptoms were very similar to seasonal flu.

While traveling, the weather conditions in a location may vary, which changes the travel itinerary. Before making a list of things to pack, I always check the weather of the place I am visiting. If I am travelling during a seasonal change, like recently in November, I check the weather prediction for a week before packing.

When I was packing for my Goa trip in December, I checked the weather because I was travelling from a colder to a hotter area. Delhi experiences all four seasons, but it never snows. Goa has a rainy season only from June to September, but hot weather the rest of the year, including Christmas and New Year. And I was going by train, which is an overnight trip. So, I packed my warm jacket and gloves as well as my bikini. I packed socks as well as sunscreen.

For my post-COVID travel itinerary, I wasn’t sure if I should still carry my mask or just wrap a scarf around my mouth. I decided to carry a mask anyway, just in case it is still required in public places or while visiting a tourist spot. I still decided to carry my small sanitizer bottle. I kept my beach slippers in a separate poly bag because when visiting the beach, you never know when you’ll need an extra bag to use as a dustbin or for carrying a wet slipper. Another addition was definitely my red heels which I rarely carry but this time I was going to New Year parties.

What I forgot to pack was a fancy purse for parties. I bought a colourful one from a Goa flea market that could easily fit my mobile, lipstick, ID, sanitizer, mask, wallet, pepper spray for emergencies, etc.

Traveling to Jharkhand was easier because it is in the north of India, and the temperature between Delhi and Jharkhand is almost similar.

Shoes and bags are the most exposed to germs during post-covid travel

I watched a YouTube video where Japanese apartments have a small space at the entrance to change shoes into slippers before walking into a house. It’s a very good habit that keeps the house clean, but it may not be possible when you are traveling. Maintaining hygiene is important to being healthy. We often forget to keep our nails clean, and this is one of the places where germs can enter and make you sick while traveling.

No matter how clean and beautiful your shoes are, they will be exposed to dirt and germs. Dusting our shoes is the most we do during travel. However, on my recent visit to Goa, I thought of carrying my pretty white sneakers that matched my dress. I clicked some great pictures, but the path from my hotel to the beach was spread with crushed red brick sand. So before even visiting a cool restaurant, my white shoes were all red from the base.

Thankfully, our hotel room had a terrace that blessed us with good sunlight. Whenever we came back from the beach, my friend and I would wash our slippers or shoes and keep them in the sunlight to dry. A lot of sun was definitely beneficial to us. There were no strict COVID rules on the beaches, but families travelling with kids were still careful.

Likewise, travelling to Jharkhand was very simple. We were staying at our cousins’ place, and only a few public places required us to wear masks. In the village, people had abandoned masks, and we were clearly pointed out by locals as weird people from town. Villagers are so simple that wearing slippers at home and to the market is normal. Working barefoot in fields and on farms is okay, as is climbing trees barefoot.

Impact on food and drink habits in post covid travel

My mom always insists on carrying something edible during travel by flight or by train. But I don’t. I like to eat light meals and avoid snacking during travel. It’s always good to take care of your digestion and eating habits while traveling. It also keeps the bag lighter to carry. What changed post-COVID is that I started carrying and drinking warm water instead of cold. Yes, even in summer, I drank warm water. Another myth about COVID prevention was avoiding cold drinks, which could cause coughing and make you sick. It is a myth but may be worth keeping while traveling.

I forgot a lot of COVID myths in Goa because I was having so much fun. Strict rules always make you more insecure about the way you are living your life. Alternatively, you could replace the word insecure with carelessness. But after COVID, people like to return to living a normal life. During festive or holiday travel, you only adhere to strict rules if it is a state advisory that is followed strictly by locals.

Goa is a beach place, and I enjoyed having lots of seafood. My friend is a vegetarian, so she still has the staple snacks of chole bhature, biryani, and masala dosa. I also enjoyed a lot of cocktails without any concerns.

In Jharkhand, our village house is surrounded by four huge trees: two jackfruit trees, one tamarind tree, and one mango tree. The shade of the trees cools the sweat in summer. Eating fresh vegetables grown on our farm is always healthy, and cooking in a village is kept simple with fewer spices. Unlike Delhi, which is surrounded by states that love sweets made from milk, Jharkhand is not heavily dependent on milk. The average person in Jharkhand is not obese and has good stamina. The soil and water of Jharkhand have a lot of iron nutrients.

The post-Covid difference in traveling by flight and train

I don’t know what the travel rules are in other countries, but in India, every time you travel, whether on an international or domestic flight, you need to be vaccinated and submit a vaccination certificate online. You also need to mention the exact address to which you are traveling. Though India appears to be out of the COVID era, travellers should still follow the rules as a precaution.

Traveling from Delhi to Goa by train in December and January was comfortable but not very different. We found empty seats in trains because India’s travel and tourism industry was still recovering at the time. Families were happy to be travelling again with their noisy kids. After so much time spent covering the mouth with the mask and staying indoors, the noise of cars and kids seemed pleasant for some time.

However, IRCTC, or the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation, had made a few changes. The curtains in the second and first a/c units were removed. Who needs curtains over windows while travelling by train? The train was not providing sheets or blankets for sleeping. My friend slept, covering herself with her warm shawl at night, and I tried to keep myself warm in my bomber jacket, which was an absolute nightmare. The menu was also reduced to instant food items that could be warmed easily in a microwave. The stopover stations provided us with hot, freshly cooked breakfast and lunch. Our saviors were the local vendors, who kept coming with hot tea or coffee.

Traveling to Jharkhand by flight or train was still easier because the COVID restrictions were relaxed by March 2022. In February, the flight attendants were still wearing masks and strictly telling passengers to wear masks and sanitise their hands. But in August, even when the air hostesses were wearing masks, it was not mandatory for passengers. The flight tickets are still reasonably priced and convenient for economy-class passengers.

Trains have given up on curtains altogether in all compartments. In the summer, food is served hot and fresh after it has been cooked. Fresh bed sheets and blankets are also provided. No one’s wearing a mask, though people still use hand sanitizer to keep themselves safe.

Changes in my first-aid bag while traveling post-covid

I always keep a small first-aid pouch in my bag while traveling. Standard medicines for digestion, constipation, and diarrhea. I also keep easily available tables for fever and headache tablets, as well as bandages, Dettol, and cotton. During COVID, there were so many known and unknown WhatsApp messages circulating suggesting the names of the most effective medicines. It was a time of heavy insecurity.

Post-COVID, people have forgotten about medicines. I do not keep any special medicine for fever. Checking online for a pharmacy or hospital near the booked hotel is a must for me. Since we travelled to Goa by overnight train, we slept in our warm clothes. My friend had red rashes on her legs from the warm tights she was wearing, and we had to search for a pharmacy as soon as we arrived at our hotel. People with sensitive skin should be extra careful while travelling to a location with different weather conditions.

Traveling to Jharkhand post-COVID was comfortable because we were staying at our cousin’s place. But there are things that one quite unexpectedly bumps into while traveling. And the sudden side effects of periods are always difficult. I have never experienced excruciating pain during my periods, and I have travelled extensively on my own. But this time in November, I was feeling a bit dizzy and nauseated. I was feeling weak; I did not feel like reading, writing, or exercising, and I couldn’t eat anything fun.

If you have any tips or medicines to manage period health conditions, then let me know in the comments section.

Exercising during post-covid travels

I travelled to Goa just once, but I had to travel three times to Jharkhand because of some property and legal matters. In November, I faced health issues, but not when I travelled in March or August. I always change my exercise schedule and exercise type while traveling. While travelling to Jharkhand in March, I walked after meals for 30 minutes. I also helped my uncle on his farm, carrying heavy stuff in a wheelbarrow from the fields to the storage area. I chased goats and hens around the house. I played hide and seek with my nephew, who is an active, fun-loving, naughty 8-year-old. I challenged him to do pushups and handstands.

In August, I did 30 minutes of flow yoga every morning. It was a challenge because it was the rainy season, which means nice weather and mosquitoes. My nephew joined me in performing yoga but couldn’t keep his patience for very long. Every day, we competed in rope skipping.

In Goa, of course, I enjoyed the sun, sand, and beaches. I swam a lot and partied hard. I danced a lot at parties. It was a welcome change for me and my friend after feeling suffocated and trapped in our homes during COVID.

Final Thoughts

COVID has changed us physically and mentally. A change in the travel itinerary is obvious when faced with a worldwide calamity like COVID. It’s easier to be careless about health and hygiene, possibly due to frustration at not being able to live as comfortably as we did before COVID. I hope 2023 proves to be a year of less war, more dreams coming true, and living a healthy and happy life.

How has your travel experience changed in your country post-Covid? Do share your thoughts and ideas.