Travel During the Shutdown

I have a confession...over Memorial Day weekend, I flew from SEA-TAC airport in Washington state to LAX in Los Angeles, California.

In a pre-COVID-caused-shutdown world, that statement wouldn't be all that interesting, but in these unprecedented times, it holds a bit more weight. When the shutdown started, I followed the outlined regulations, swapping out in-person interactions for video calls. But now, with 66 percent of new COVID cases in New York surfacing in those who are sheltering in place, I see only harm from maintaining closures. If you see things differently, I am not here to judge. We are all handling this situation as best we can for ourselves, and I completely respect you and your methods of persevering through this. I also know that not everyone is going to feel comfortable with this type of air travel right now, but for me, the long weekend biking in the sunshine during the day and watching the sunset over the water, on the beach or with great company on a rooftop, was immensely restorative, and for those for which this is helpful, I wanted to demystify what the experience is like.

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Where to Go

Before flying--or even driving--anywhere, check what is open and what the quarantine rules will be at either end of your trip. I flew from Seattle to LA knowing that the beaches are now open and there is no mandatory quarantine period when traveling between these locations. Flying to Hawaii, on the other hand, at the time of writing this, would involve mandatory lockdown, monitored by the police, upon arrival to the island.

What Air Travel is Like

If you have been to a grocery store during the shutdown, I expect you will find being in an airport to be less stressful. Mask usage is expected, and social distancing markers are present on the floor, but airports are less crowded, both in comparison to airports pre-shutdown and also in comparison to grocery stores during the shutdown. Security is a noticeably faster process. The only thing that might come as a surprise is that you will be asked to briefly lower your mask when your ID is checked to verify your identity.

I flew with Delta, and they require mask usage for the duration of the flight. When you board, you'll likely be given a disinfecting wipe if you want to wipe down any part of your seat. Passengers are seated with the middle seat empty to allow for social distancing. Water and snacks are still provided, just all bagged together with a hand sanitizer packet included.

As an added bonus, at some airports, including SEA-TAC and LAX, Starbucks is open, with cream and sugar handled by the employees instead of being self-serve at the condiments bar. The in-airport bookstores might also be open, allowing for magazine and snack purchases. At both of the airports I went through, this was the case.

Why I Would Recommend It

I subscribe to the Kristin Newman belief that travel is helpful in part because it breaks us out of the loop of thoughts we typically cycle through. When you travel, everything is new, and that newness is especially essential to our minds right now. We crave fun and variety, and travel is how I satisfy that craving.

Beyond the novelty of the trip, traveling to LA was helpful because I had no expectations. I hadn't visited pre-shutdown, so I wasn't mourning the temporary closure of a favorite workout studio or the pause of dine-in options at a Mexican restaurant the way I do on occasion at home. This allowed the facts that many restaurants have fun delivery options and at least one had an outdoor dining setup to be exciting surprises.

Additionally, and very simply, LA was...sunny, truly, unapologetically sunny, which provided an instant mood boost. It is probably also a contributing factor to why there was an optimistic energy in the air, which made it feel like everything will eventually be okay.