Blog - Laina Florio

Traveling Safely During Covid

When Covid began, I was in the midst of a travel year and then everything just stopped. For 7 months I worked from home and took advantage of the quality time I was given. But I missed traveling. Then, this summer one of my coaching clients who lives in Hawaii asked if I could do a Coaching Intensive with her. A Coaching Intensive is when a client and I meet somewhere (either a desert or beach location) and spend a full week experientially deepening into what they are learning. This devoted time helps clients anchor the learnings into their consciousness to become their way of being. Typically, we would meet somewhere away from their home to avoid any distractions, but my client lives in…. Hawaii!

Who says no to Hawaii?

Fortunately, this client is retired and has the time and space, so our intenstive took place in Oahu, Hawaii. Once I decided to go, then fear kicked in. Fear was saying: “Is this careless? Selfish? How could this possibly work during a pandemic?” Then, Hawaii announced their Pre-Testing Program effective Oct 15th, 2020 which would allow visitors to travel to Hawaii if they test negative within 72 hours of arrival. Still, I would need to book my flight and take a risk that if I was positive, I would need to quarantine for 14 days in Hawaii. Plus, since I was traveling all the way from Hawaii, I decided to stop in Los Angeles for a week to see friends which turned into a mixed combination of excitement and…. more fear.

Here’s the thing about fear….

Fear is not our enemy. Nor is fear something to ignore or hide from. It’s natural to feel fear and try to avoid it, but when fear keeps presenting itself, it’s time to slow down and listen to what it wants to say.

Fear is always trying to tell us something.

When we understand our fear, we can manage it. When fear is in the future, that is anxiety. A simple way of explaining anxiety is: fear of the unknown. So I decided to make it known and discovered I was afraid of hurting myself and others by not knowing the assurances that could make traveling feel safe. Instead of letting the fear consume me, I explored how the trip perhaps could work, plus remembering the bigger lessons of Covid.

I don’t believe COVID wants us to shut down, it wants us to Rise Up.

I believe COVID is filled with lessons, in part to show humanity that we can’t live like we used to - with the hectic pace and unwavering demands of life. When we live this way, the energy this creates is overwhelm, exhaustion and causes all kinds of mental, emotional and physical illnesses. Now, we are learning to slow down, be more intentional, live with more awareness, and take care of ourselves and each other. For me, I take comfort in knowing that most airlines and people are being careful. And now, we are 10 months into Covid and scientists are quite confident that Covid will be with us until at least 2022, with or without a vaccine. I don’t want to stop living, I want to live differently, and right now that means being careful.

So I used the fear to understand and decided that if I travel, I would only do so with lots of precautions and steps to keep myself and others safe. Here’s what I did:

Wore a mask everywhere, social distancing, and disinfecting with wipes on planes, in car rentals, Airbnb, etc.
Got tested 4 times during the trip - once before I left, twice while traveling, and one after my return home.
Instead of hotels, I stayed in Airbnb’s to both limit anyone coming in and touch my belongings, plus to avoid having to leave for every meal. This saves money too!
My client worked primarily outside. IF we went inside a house or car, or anywhere for that matter, then masks on. We did this for 3 days, then felt comfortable taking masks off.
For any friends I see in Oahu, Maui and Los Angeles, I made sure we were in agreement about safety and shared any boundaries we had.
Took extra vitamin supplements before and during travel. Best supplements for immunity are Zinc, Vitamin D3, Vitamin B complex and Turmeric.

Fortunately, I sat next to a doctor on one of my flights, he shared a few tips and points:

Wearing a quality mask is key. The Envo Mask is a new N95 where you can switch out the filter, and get your money’s worth OR the Jaanuu Mask is anti-microbial and more fashionable. Of course, the N95 and KN95 are also great.
Put either Neosporin or Bacitracin around your nostril to help trap and kill any virus and to avoid inoculation. Any anti-bacterial ointment will do.
It’s really OK to travel as long as airlines and passengers are compliant.
Masks and social distancing are our best defense, plus wash hands!

Bottom line is… If we don’t face and confront our fear, it will only come back again. The longer we ignore it, the worse it gets and over time it can become debilitating - and turn into anxiety and/or depression.

I truly believe the world can keep going, just slower and with more tender, love and care. I also realize not everyone will feel safe and we all have the right to make the best choice for ourselves. For me, I’ve accepted that this is going to be our new normal for a while so I plan to keep moving, just slower and with a lot more self care and awareness.

Again, isn’t this what 2020 has forced us to see and do?

Mahalo