Traveling to Mexico during Covid-19: Here’s what it was Actually Like

Traveling to Mexico during Covid-19 sounds crazy to some and makes others curious. I made the decision to travel to Cozumel, Mexico to see what it was actually like so that I could honestly inform all of you. I chose Mexico because it is one of the very few destinations allowing American citizens in. They are not requiring Covid-19 testing at all. Traveling at any point and time is a risk. However, so is walking out your front door.

What You Need to Think about when Planning a Trip to Mexico:

• You will be required to fill out a questionnaire from Mexico prior to boarding. This is my travel day vlog with all this information and a link to the questionnaire.
• All airlines have different Covid-19 procedure policies. For example, American Airlines is not blocking middle seats while Delta is. Check out this video for my comparison of the two.
• Consider purchasing the middle seat if your airline is not blocking middle seats. Here’s how to do it!
• Airplanes are NOT tubes of stale air. The air in an airplane is actually recycled every 1-2 minutes through hospital operating room grade filters. 50% of the air is from outside and 50% is the recycled air going through the filters.
• Purchase Travel Insurance! I recommend going through a travel agent because this is a lifesaver. This has helped me with medical issues as well as same-day flight interruptions. It cost me about $60 for my husband and me for this particular trip for a week.
• Add some extra items to your packing list! Here is my list of items to travel safely with tips during Covid-19.

Is Mexico taking Covid-19 seriously? Is everything Sanitary and Safe?

I am shouting “YES!” from a nonexistent mountain top! Traveling to Mexico during Covid-19 has no cause for speculation in my opinion. The Mexican citizens are so cautious about safety and sanitation because their livelihoods depend on it. Tourism is how most of these people feed their families. Here is what I noticed and experienced in Cozumel and Playa del Carmen during this trip:

• EVERYONE WEARS THEIR MASKS! From the airport to the hotel, restaurants, shops, and even walking their dogs with no one around, everyone is in their masks.
• Every bar and restaurant we walked into took your temperature, had shoe washing mats, and a handwashing/sanitizing station prior to entering.
• There are QR codes everywhere! Even the small, hole in the wall bars had them. They’ve loaded their menus and specials all on these for your viewing.
• Housekeeping is on another level. Upon entry into our room at Secrets Aura, we were given a packet of information with QR code menus, the activities schedule, and information on their Covid-19 procedures. All the amenities and commonly used items like remotes were sanitized/vacuum sealed for each guest. You can also opt to not have housekeeping service in your room to minimize traffic to your room.
• The hotel will perform temperature checks on all guests upon their return to the resorts. Every time we came back from excursions off-site, we were temp checked.
• Valet sanitizes your car every time they bring it up for you at your resort.
• Your luggage will be sanitized at check-in. The bellhops will take your luggage and put it through a sanitizing process before you take it through the hotel.

Why do I Recommend Traveling Right Now?

I recommend common sense traveling right now. I’ve professionally grown up in the hotel industry over the last 13 years of my life. Watching my fellow hoteliers lose their jobs and livelihood over this pandemic has been devastating. I’ve made it my goal to find safe options for travel to save an industry that is on the verge of collapse.

We chose Cozumel, Mexico because we love stopping there via cruise ship. It was a comfortable destination for us and is less populated. This destination doesn’t get all the same attention that Cancun and Playa del Carmen does. This island is used to getting up to 70,000 cruise passengers a week and the lack of cruises has had an extremely negative effect on this economy. I would venture to say that 1/3 of the shops, bars, beach clubs, and restaurants were closed.

If you are considering traveling to Mexico during Covid-19 do your research. Work with a Travel Agent who can help you decide on good travel partners and purchase insurance. This will give you peace of mind when booking.

I personally felt safer traveling to Mexico during Covid-19 than I would be traveling to other states where people are not taking this pandemic seriously. Unless you are at extremely high risk (then you should be home anyways), I recommend looking to it. Remember you may have to quarantine when you get home but if you are working from home, you already would be upon your return.

Thank you for your continued support and let me know what you think down below in the comments section!

Stay tuned to my Youtube Channel for my Mexico Vlogs!

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