What you need to consider when planning for summer vacation

As with all things COVID-19 related, planning a trip right now is complicated. If ever there was a year for a staycation, this is it. Travel restrictions and quarantine requirements have made non-essential international travel impractical or impossible for many.

Domestic travel may be a more palatable option but is still not as straightforward as it was pre-pandemic. If you are planning to travel outside of your home province or territory, you’ll need to do your research first. Many provinces and territories are discouraging domestic travellers.

Some, such as Ontario, are simply advising against interprovincial travel. Others, such as New Brunswick, currently have a mandatory 14-day self-isolation in place for all visitors and returning residents who leave the province for nonessential travel. If you’re living in a province/territory with such a measure in place, this could mean that you will have to self-isolate upon return from your vacation.

Staying within your home province/territory can simplify matters, but again, be sure to plan ahead.

There are regional differences in re-opening plans, and throughout the pandemic, travel to certain regions has been restricted as a way to limit spread.

No matter how far afield you travel, be sure you are informed about the current public health measures in place at your destination.

If you’re visiting from somewhere that’s currently a COVID-19 hot spot, there’s a risk you’ll introduce infection at your destination, which may have lower disease activity and consequently, less restrictive measures in place. If that’s the case, you might be tempted to relish the relative freedom at your destination, but as a responsible traveller, you’ll want to ensure that you continue to behave in a way that protects those around you from possible infection.

Similarly, if you’re travelling to a COVID-19 hot spot, think about continued protective measures upon your return, to protect those around you who may not be exercising as much caution due to lower perceived risk.

Finally, be adaptable. The situation is very fluid right now and circumstances can change rapidly. If you do travel, you need to be OK with the prospect that your vacation may not turn out exactly as you had imagined. Activities may be cancelled, restaurants may not be able to accommodate you, and businesses may be operating on restricted schedules. Be willing to embrace that uncertainty.

Importantly, just because you’re on vacation, COVID-19 has not gone away. Continue to practise behaviours that minimize risk wherever you are. Remember the 3 Cs: closed spaces, crowded places, and close contact situations, and try to avoid them.

If you decide to travel this summer, plan ahead, spend as much time outdoors as possible, continue to do your part to minimize COVID-19 spread, and be adaptable. No matter how far or close to home you travel this summer, it’s likely to be a memorable one.

Ashleigh Tuite is an assistant professor at Dalla Lana School of Public Health at University of Toronto.