My Travel Experience During COVID

Although US Citizens are currently banned from about 33 countries (27 countries of the EU, Canada, Bahamas, China, Japan and New Zealand), there are countries whose borders have re-opened for visitors. Some of these countries include most of the Caribbean, Mexico, Turkey and Maldives.

My husband and I love to travel! So needless to say when we were able to safely do so again, we were (cautiously) on board. We decided to take an early Anniversary trip to Mexico and are currently staying at Secrets The Vine Resort in Cancun.

Airport Experience In The U.S

We flew on American Airlines out of Pittsburgh into Cancun International Airport with a connection in Philadelphia. Masks were 100% required throughout all the airports and even on our flights. Moving through the airports was easy and efficient as not many people are traveling these days. Upon boarding the aircrafts, we were given goodie bags containing bottled water, a snack (pretzels) and hand sanitizing towelettes.

Tip: Travel with hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes to wipe down your seats, arm rests and tray table.

Airport Experience in Mexico

Once we landed in Mexico, we were instructed to remain seated and deplane the aircraft by row allowing a safe distance between passengers. Customs officers were more efficient than usual and wore masks and face shields. Even though there were long lines, we spent less than 15 minutes getting through immigration. Once through customs, we retrieved our luggage from baggage claim (which were off the belts and waiting) and we exited to our prepaid private transportation.

Our driver also wore a mask for the duration of our short 25 minute trip to our hotel.

Resort COVID Precautions

The resort has gone above and beyond to ensure guests feel safe. Some things that have been implemented are:

Mandatory mask requirement upon arrival/check-in
Social distancing in lobby and common areas
Luggage sanitized upon arrival before being taken to our rooms
Hand Sanitizer stations throughout the resort
Social distancing on elevators ( 2 guest limit)
Staff required to wear masks and face shields at all times
All items are covered and/or placed in sanitized packages (see images below)
Beach chairs and loungers are sprayed down (sanitized) the minute someone gets up.
No buffet services
The utilization of e-menus (must carry cell phone around to scan) versus paper menus

These are only a few photos of the measures our hotel is taking. Not pictured are the sealed vanity items like body gel, shampoo, conditioner, soaps, etc.

An informative image of all the precautions all AMResorts are taking to ensure safety of all guests

Returning To The US

When returning to the US from Mexico in particular, you will be required to scan a QR code at the airport which takes you to a questionnaire. The questionnaire includes biographical information (name, date, etc), if you have experienced symptoms of COVID, the countries you’ve visited in the last 14 days and your flight information. You will not be allowed into the security check point area without filling out the questionnaire and providing the resulting QR code to the gate agent. This is their way of tracking who goes in and out of the country.

Once back in the US, airports and specifically airline carriers are not operating at full capacity and you may have a longer than normal wait time in your connecting city. Most stores and restaurants in the airports are still closed and If you’re accustomed to going to the lounges, very few are open.

If you do get the itch to travel, do your homework and take necessary precautions. Safe travels!