What about Covid?

7/31/2022

What about Covid?

Read Now

(by Elizabeth)
A dear friend of mine who's coming on this trip asked me at lunch last week “What will happen if someone gets covid on this trip?”

My answer that I share with all of you: I don’t expect anyone will get covid on this trip.

There is not going to be any testing on this trip. Not at the borders or on the yacht.
At this point most people who get covid are experiencing little more than mild cold symptoms if that.
It’s not at all unusual for a group traveling together to experience cold symptoms on a trip, and we suggest that cold symptoms be treated as usual: distance yourself from others, take additional cold meds and rest.
Before colds break out, take precautions by
1. washing hands frequently
2. avoid touching common public areas such as handrails, door knobs, etc.
3. wipe plane trays with disinfectant wipes
4. use hand sanitizer
5. avoid touching nose & eyes
6. use nasal spray daily (such as xlear, zicam, etc. )
7. drink plenty of water
8. Get enough sleep
9. vitamins (vitamin d, c, zinc, etc.)
10. eat fresh fruits

These are things we have always done even before covid and will continue long after covid is a distant memory.

We encourage those who have home health care tests to leave them behind along with your worries about covid. If anyone gets seriously ill there are plenty of clinics along the way to get medical attention if it's more than a simple cold and needs medical attention. Getting a false positive result from a home kit would be more of a problem than a help and could create serious consequences for the entire group.

None of the governments of the countries we are visiting are requiring testing at this time, or are at all interested in seeing your vaccination record. The USA is no longer requiring a negative test to return home. There are too many false negatives and the disease has become much less serious in nature, so the safeguards have changed to reflect that evolution.

We suggest everyone take the same normal safeguards we always recommend with international travel - be smart and take care of your health as always.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon!

7 Comments

Sandee Spencer

7/31/2022 08:43:37 pm

We took care of this by getting covid in early July. Couldn't believe we avoided it all that time and finally got it. So we are healthy, happy and teaming with good antibodies! We have had a slight cough lingering so cold meds would be good to pack

Robin Johnson

7/31/2022 11:33:19 pm

Great! I’ll take my DIY Covid test out of the pile I’ve been creating

Bob

7/31/2022 11:34:00 pm

Elizabeth,
It seems you have not really answered the question.

Yes a false positive would be problematic, but what about a true positive?

If I am readying you correctly, you answer was to ignore Covid symptoms and assume it is a cold. We have had very different experience with Covid. The question deserves a better answer than don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t test, don’t worry.

Don’t get me wrong, we are not overly concerned (otherwise we would not be going), but if symptoms do arise, I would have some difficulty with this approach.

Elizabeth Stoddard

7/31/2022 11:56:04 pm

You are right, Bob, there may be situations that need medical attention and there are numerous clinics available where we can get medical help if anyone has illness more serious than a common cold. Mark and I were taken to such a clinic in Sibenik by the hotel manager when we needed a covid test to return to the US in May. If rather have a professional test than a self administered test where the results can sometimes be questionable.

8/1/2022 03:58:02 am

Plus, everyone coming is vaccinated and boosted, preferably double boosted, right...right?? Which should reduce symptoms to be mild, in the event of infection....

8/1/2022 03:12:36 pm

Yes, this is usually true, but not always. Our experience occurred after vaccination and first booster. An ordeal of nearly a year. Without the vaccine and booster, survival would have been unlikely.

I am just saying that we should not brush it off by declaring that if we don’t test, it won’t matter if we get it since it is only a cold now. Many are afforded that delusion, but we know better first hand. If it can happen to us, it could happen to anyone. I also admit that for many, it is not severe.

That said I assert that we should not be overly concerned here. Again, if that were the case, we would not be joining. But we should be careful and pay attention. We will be bringing our self tests for your protection. We will only use them if we feel there is a real possibility of infection. False positives are very rare.

Lowell Steele

8/2/2022 10:54:11 pm

If you think back on every bout with a virus you've ever had (whether COVID, flu, cold sores, cold, etc.) 99% of the time it resulted from several days without enough sleep. I believe the best advice Liz gave was to get plenty of rest. Consistently getting a full night's rest between now and our departure and while on the trip, will ensure your immune system is primed to fight off whatever comes its way. There are others important factors, but that is the foundation of a healthy immune system and delightful, virus-free trip. Deanne and I can't wait to meet all of you!

Bucket List Travelers' Blog

What about Covid?

Leave a Reply.

Archives

Categories