Lorraine Simpson: 10 tips to navigate your way back in the air

I read a post yesterday about Air Canada joining forces with an excellent chef, Jérôme Ferrer, from Montreal to create on board meals and I was thrilled! Not because I knew anything about this particular chef, although I heard great things, but because it means that service on board planes will soon be back!

I get asked all the time about changes in the travel industry and what things will look like now and in the not-so-distant future. The crazy part is that what I tell you today may change tomorrow.

Air travel: Take it day-by-day

Things are still constantly changing. We have seen countries open up and then close again.

We have seen arrival rules put in place and then changed a day later. Countries are adding restrictions as they learn more while dealing with some experience.

And that’s the key – experience. We don’t have any, not yet anyway.

Countries don’t have any experience to draw upon. When devastating things happen, like a hurricane, there are past experiences to be able to draw upon so that countries can quickly start the wheels of rebuilding and restarting.

There are always lessons to be learned along the way of course, and while improvements are being made each time, we don’t really have any prior experiences that act as guidance.

When I had my first child, I remember feeling lost at times. I felt that although I read every book I could find on parenting, I really was stabbing in the dark. I made mistakes, as I’m sure we all do, but I did get better as time went on. That is all we can expect right now as we take things slowly to ensure we get it right. Countries are desperate to ensure the health of their population and want to make sure that by opening up they don’t put people at risk again and cause a second wave.

This is all a delicate balance in the dark, so to speak.

Ready for take-off: What you need to know while at the airport and in the skies

So, what can we do to protect ourselves and also protect others in order to prevent a second wave?

1. Wash your hands often: Everyone touches surfaces at the airport and on the plane, so use hand sanitizer or wash your hands well with soap and water.
2. Wear a mask during travel: Don’t try to fight the system, just wear a mask. I could go on and on about this topic but I won’t. Just #maskup
3. Pack at least two extra masks: I have been saying this for months and I actually started selling cloth masks on my website since the end of April. They can come loose and start to drop in the heat, so bring extras and you can also twist the elastic a couple of times too if it isn’t adjustable and that will tighten it.
4. Ask questions: Check with the country you are traveling to in case they have changed their entry requirements since you booked.
5. Bring the necessary documents: Make sure you have any visas, test results, and applications you need to travel.
6. Be prepared: Check in online at home and pick your seats.
7. Give yourself lots of time: Arrive at the airport with at least an extra hour to spare than you usually allow.
8. Have your documents ready when you arrive at the airport: If you have your boarding pass on your phone you may be able to pass through the whole boarding and bag check. Process with #Aircanada is touchless.
9. Buy food at the airport to take on board with you: Food will be limited on board for a while, so it is best to have your own. You are allowed to remove your mask on board to eat and drink.
10.  Have your arrival documents you may need ready on arrival and follow the rules: Remember the immigration officers may be frustrated with new procedures, so be patient and cooperative and it will all go smoothly.

We will travel again and things will return to some kind of normal, even though it will be different to what we have been used to. But please remember some change is good and will benefit us and our safety. And, to be honest, I welcomes some of these new changes.

Embrace the changes and embrace the safety measures so that we can all travel again!