Ciao! Right now, when I am writing this, I am in Rome having a fabulous time. I’m super grateful that the European borders have opened up, so that I can travel. I know most of you are still stuck in quarantine, and I can only say how much I am hoping that all of this will end quickly, so that everyone can go back to normal again.

Having said that, I also realize that there are lots of people out there wondering what life will be like after corona. What is gonna be our new normal? Especially during travels, what can we expect? With this post, I hope I can take away some of your worries or questions, sharing my own experiences traveling during covid19.

So what can you expect? These are the things I have encountered:

Health tests, disinfectant and facemasks

It is obviously not smart to travel if you have symptoms of covid19 and to make sure no one does, there will be simple tests or questions. At the airport, we had to fill out a form on which they asked if you had any symptoms, if you had been in contact with anyone who was diagnosed with covid19 or if you had been in any risk regions. They also checked our temperature and if was higher than 37,5, we wouldn’t have been allowed to board. Luckily it wasn’t!

Same goes for museum trips. There are sensors that will check your temperature. Nothing to worry about, it is quick and simple. Sometimes you have to stand in front of a screen or the metal detectors will be able to check your temperature.

You will also need to disinfect your hands regularly. In every museum, shop or other public place, you will be asked to disinfect your hands with the provided pumps.

Lastly, and this is something you will need to take care of, if you haven’t done so already, is the facemask. They are required in every public space so make sure to keep one with you at all times. I would advise to have a couple of them, so you can wash them between travel days. Of course you can also buy disposable ones but for the sake of the environment, its better not to.

Last tip, of course restaurants are also public places, but eating with a facemask is, of course, impossible. You can wear them if you’re not eating but its just not ideal. So just dine outside, that way you dont have to worry about the masks!

Reservations

If you want to visit museums, you will have to buy tickets beforehand, since there are only a selected amount of people allowed inside the buildings at the same time. I would advise you, if possible, to plan ahead and buy tickets when you are still at home. We wanted to buy ticket for the colosseum but we had so many technical difficulties that we eventually had to call my mother-in-law to buy the tickets for us, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to go.

So to avoid unnecessary frustrations and delays, make sure to buy them beforehand. Restaurants, on the other hand, often don’t need reservations so just wander about to see where you can have dinner. Since there aren’t a lot of tourists around, they’re usually happy with every customer they can get…

Other tourists

The key is to just use common sense and keeping track of your surroundings (it’s like Pokémon Go!). However, there are a lot of people that are so done with the whole situation that they don’t do this. I found that a lot of tourists felt free as birds and just did as they pleased. Sitting right next to me, not stepping aside if I ran into them on the sidewalk, or just standing really close. Rude tourists are everywhere, including during covid19. Mind, there are not a lot of tourists, but between the ones that are there, many of them just don’t care.

So keep track of them, step aside and let them be.

Overall, I do feel safe. Like I said, it’s mostly a matter of using common sense even if not everyone got that memo. At least in Rome, it’s a whole lot quieter than it normally is, so you won’t be in big crowds of people, which makes it easier to keep distance.

Is it safe to travel right now?

I would say that yes, it is safe to travel. But only to countries that are declared to be safe and if you yourself are not in any risk region. Always keep track of the latest news, use common sense and don’t be a rude tourist. And you will be fine!