Traveling During the Pandemic to the Riviera Maya, Mexico
As many of us are tired of staying home, we often think about traveling but have concerns about travel safety.
As a travel advisor, we want to ensure our clients are safe when they decide to travel, so we packed our bags and headed to the Riviera Maya, Mexico for three weeks to our favorite resorts that our clients love the most.
A mask is required when you fly on all airlines.
When you are ready to travel, you will need to get comfortable wearing a mask for a long period of time, as it is required by all airlines. Masks are now mandatory when flying and if you choose not to wear your mask, airlines have now implemented a ban on passengers who choose not to wear one during flight. We had to wear our masks for almost five hours on a flight from Miami to Cancun, just to give you an idea of how long you will need to wear one. Your mask will need to be on as soon as you arrive at the airport, while you wait for your flight at the gate, during your flight and up to the time you check in your hotel. So I recommend we get comfortable wearing a mask on your next vacation wherever it may be.
Upon arrival in Cancun, as we are avid visitors to the destination, we rented a car so we could get around more easily. Also to prevent sharing transportation with others arriving from other countries as there are protocols required for a PCR test to be taken prior to arrival in Mexico.
As a travel advisor, we schedule our hotel stays at various resorts so we can see first-hand how each resort follows the protocols that they have implemented for our guests prior to their arrival. We wanted to see for ourselves so we can advise our clients the facts of how each resort protocols are for vacationing at the resort during COVID-19.
Most resorts will require you to wear a mask in their public areas such as the lobby, resort shops and to enter the restaurants on the resort before you are seated. All the resorts will have the rooms sanitized at least 24 hours prior to your arrival and the best news is, hotels are only required to be at 30% occupancy during your stay. During our stay, most hotels were at less than 30% occupancy. Just to paint the picture, if the hotel has 100 rooms that will accommodate 200 guests, then only 60 guests total will be at the resort that would usually have 200 guests when the resort is at its full operation.
Here are a few tips I recommend for you when you decide to travel:
– Check destination entry requirements as some destinations will require a PCR test for specific labs; no testing is required for traveling to Mexico.
– Check airline protocols as some airlines are operating at full flights while some are blocking the middle seats to offer social distancing. Some airlines will board from the back to the front of the plane to prevent passengers from passing each other in the aisle and will do the same for deplaning (row by row when you are coming off the plane).
– Opt for private car transportation instead of shared transportation for your hotel transfers as it is much safer as you can control others in your surroundings.
– Check with your travel advisor on the facilities that may not be available at your resort during your stay as some hotels have closed their swim-up pool bars, night clubs, lounges and they also rotate their restaurants based on hotel occupancy.
– At your resort, on the day of check-in, ask which restaurants are opened during your stay so, and make reservations as some restaurants may be closed during your stay.
– If you should book an excursion, ask for private transportation and also inquire how many persons will be on the tour with you.
– Some hotels will provide masks at the restaurants but we recommend bringing more than one mask with you, just in case. Throughout the resorts, you will see sanitization stations at the restaurants, lobby, and at the elevators but always feel free to bring your own.
As borders open and close, please contact your travel advisor for the latest travel protocols before booking your next trip. For the latest COVID-19 live update, you can visit https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
We hope the details provided will help you decide where to travel for your next vacation.