It’s no secret that heading to an airport and taking a flight right now comes with its risks.

Whether you are checking a bag, checking in, making your way through security, or just finding your way to your seat in the plane, there are so many opportunities to come into contact with airborne molecules and other harmful particles that it is just not worth traveling by plane right now unless you absolutely have to.

But what about car travel?

Is now the perfect time to go for a road trip?

I just finished cutting short a road trip to Arizona due to everything going on so I felt a need to share some things to consider.

Let’s take a look.

Lack of exposure to passengers

Traveling by car will be inherently safer than traveling in a plane, train, or any type of public transportation from a contagion perspective.

That’s simply because you will not risk coming into contact from airborne particles from other passengers who could be carrying something. (Unless you are into picking up hitchhikers.)

But that’s only one consideration you would have to think about when traveling by car. Let’s take a look at some others.

Travel restrictions

The first thing you want to consider are any potential travel restrictions.

There could be orders that require you to stay home unless you have an essential need. Essential needs include things like traveling to an essential job or buying food and they do not include road trippin. 

So if your city, county, or state has issued an order to stay home, you should listen to the authorities in order to avoid fines and other penalties.

But even if you are free to roam, you still have to think about potential travel restrictions that could be put in place.

State wide lockdowns are being issued left and right. Then there are numerous city and county restrictions and do you think you really can keep up with all of those restrictions that will be along your route?

There has even been talk about domestic travel limitations and while I think it is very unlikely to get stuck in a state without a way to get back home, things could get tricky.

Getting sick in your destination or on the road

The next thing you need to think about is what would happen if you caught a virus at your destination or on the road.

We were visiting family during our road trip so I felt good about where we were in the event of something happening but if you are just joyriding you may not know anybody in that destination. It’s completely possible that you could be stuck in a rural area with substandard healthcare.

Getting proper care or testing for any potential disease could be problematic so that is something to think about. Also, you could be adding to the healthcare strain of a state like New York or California by traveling there right now so that should also be a major consideration.

Avoiding contact

If you are traveling far, you will probably need to take bathroom breaks and get some snacks and drinks along the way. This means that you will be going into a few gas stations where you will need to touch doors, products, and possibly bathroom sinks/door handles. You also may come into contact with others.

This was not a major problem for us as we just had hand sanitizer in the front seat and we used it every time we came back from a gas station. We also wiped down products that we purchased with Lysol wipes to disinfect anything. (We also chose to stop at less popular gas stations where the crowds were nonexistent.)

So while coming into contact with things/others should be something you pay attention to, I don’t think it is a major hurdle when doing a road trip.

You may have to stay in a hotel for one or multiple nights depending on your route. We stayed in a hotel in the middle of West Texas and this hotel was sold out both times we stayed there so while many hotels are running on record low occupancy rates, that is not the case everywhere.

Closed establishments

Many restaurants are going to be closed over the next few weeks. Some are still offering delivery or take out meals but many have decided to close all together. So not only will you not be able to enjoy many popular restaurants in the place you want to go but you may struggle to find a decent meal anywhere.

Places like gas stations and auto repair businesses should remain open as they are considered essential businesses so that is a comforting factor when it comes to a road trip.

You should count on any type of attraction with crowds indoors to be closed.

So if you were excited to visit certain museums or other entertainment venues like stadiums, that is not going to be happening for quite some time.

You still could get out and visit something like a national or state park, though. We did a few hikes at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona and it was a fantastic experience.

The crowds were nonexistent and it was an extremely refreshing and much needed escape. While out in those beautiful places, the last thing on your mind is the idea of a pandemic or economic recession and it’s quite calming. 

But you still have to avoid crowds in any places where other people would congregate. You need to keep your distance from anybody that comes into your vicinity and so that needs to be a top priority.

This should be easy to do in a park but you might be surprised.

I was reading an interpretive panel on a hike when a kid approached and started coughing right next to me before his grandmother reminded him to cover his mouth. (It’s actually really hard to completely isolate yourself in a popular national park unless you are going off the grid or backcountry.) 

Final word

So considering all that, I think a shorter road trip to a wide-open place in the outdoors could be a perfect trip for right now. But if you are trying to go on a very long trip requiring hotel stays or venturing into different states then things could get complicated due to rapidly evolving travel restrictions and I would advise against that — at least if you are traveling for the sake of traveling.

Also, avoid taking risks while traveling. Don’t venture into unknown off road roads or try risky hikes or anything that would potentially lead to you needing emergency assistance or hospital care. Our hospitals are already strained and I think we owe it to each other to play it safe at this point.