How to Plan a Vacation Pod During the Pandemic… Responsibly!

As the months continue to blend into one another, many people are figuring out ways to socialize and explore domestically while safely social distancing. Having an autoimmune disease and navigating the pandemic amid a lupus flare with immunosuppressive medication, I am at higher risk.

Because of that, I have not had much social interaction (if at all). That is until I found people willing to commit to a vacation pod for a domestic road trip getaway.

Vacation pods (also called travel pods, pandemic pods, social pods, or quaranteams) can be a great way to connect with the people you love while limiting the risk of spreading or contracting COVID-19.

Emphasis on “trust” though, because you should only plan such a pod with people who you know will 100% commit to the pod agreement.

Here is how we planned a safe vacation pod for a week away at the Poconos with three households (six adults). These tips are based on my own experiences and not guaranteed.

Know the local regulations (social pod gathering limits)

Every destination has implemented their own set of regulations regarding social gatherings. While some places have been lax, others have been quite strict (some may even still be under lockdown!)

Before putting forth the effort to meticulously plan a group getaway with your pandemic pod, check that you’ll actually be allowed to travel and gather in your group size (both in your location and the vacation locale).

You can confirm this information on the local government’s health department website or check your COVID Alert app (if available where you are).

Note: the more people you add to your quaran-team the harder it will be to create a reliable pod.

Thinking about traveling? Before you go, consider the following:
• Is #COVID19 spreading at your destination?
• Are you more likely to get very ill from COVID-19?
For more considerations, visit https://t.co/PEjiUELNbK. pic.twitter.com/ksSeErVQ16

— CDC Travel Health (@CDCtravel) September 29, 2020

Choose travel pod members who have the least Exposure to the virus

There are some people you may not want to pod with (depending on your risk factor). Someone like me, who is high risk, may not want to pod with an essential worker at risk for COVID-19 exposure on a daily basis. I would also not pod with someone who is likely to engage in social activities with a variety of people (making it difficult to contact trace).

When I chose to be part of our vacation pod, it included people who (1) believe the virus is real and take it seriously, (2) are also higher risk so understand the need for extra precaution, or (3) have limited risk to exposure.

Agree to a testing/quarantine timeline

Some people who plan pandemic social pods are content with a simple two-week quarantine. Others may want a negative test result and quarantine just to be sure. In our vacation pod, we agreed on the latter.

We quarantined for two weeks with one exception: to test for COVID. My husband and I drove to another state to test due to availability and other restrictions. We secured an appointment at a CVS drive-thru testing site.

The deep nasal swab test was self-administered, instructed by a CVS pharmacist behind a glass window, and deposited into a lock box.

We received our results about three days later (though it could take up to 10 days) and each travel pod member texted the group their proof of negative results. This gave us all piece of mind for the upcoming trip.

Clearly state your expectations and concerns (and agree on consequences)

My husband and I were very serious about our expectations and safety when it came to planning our vacation pod, as it could truly be life or death for high-risk people like me.

That is why it is important to carefully choose your travel pod; we knew the people in our pod were willing to set boundaries and stick to the plan (and vice versa). We trusted they were honest about possible exposure and were prepared to remain firm in our agreement.

When you have this conversation with your potential pandemic pod, you may want to address the following:

• Are you willing to quarantine for two weeks before joining?
• Are you willing to test before joining?
• Is there anything that may prevent you from following through with your commitment?
• Is there anyone living in your home (roommate, etc) who may interfere with you isolating?

Select a vacation destination that will limit exposure

As mentioned before, destinations are all handling the pandemic differently. There are some places where cases are through the roof, some places where cases are re-emerging in a second wave, and others that seem to be virtually over the outbreak hump.

Before securing your vacation getaway be sure to research your risk of exposure traveling there, and the risk you may bring with you. If we are going to travel we need to plan carefully, be considerate of regulations, and act responsibly.

The CDC also recommends you check each state’s cases from the last seven days before you go. I personally would not fly yet, so am solely recommending road trips in your own vehicle for this post.

My vacation pod booked a rental home in the Poconos, Pennsylvania that was just two hours away from each of our home states and passed our criteria for a clean and safe Airbnb.

We also booked that 5-bedroom Airbnb because it offered plenty of land with a plethora of amenities (hot tub, sauna, soaking pool, playground, and more), and was committed to cleanliness.

This allowed us to only stop for gas if necessary, and drive from door to door with no outside interaction.

Safety Note: though you may wear disposable gloves and a mask, and use hand sanitizer, the self-service pumps at gas stations are frequently touched surfaces and therefore do offer a risk of exposure.

Plan and prep grocery essentials before you go

One thing we did during the last days of quarantine before our trip was order supplies to be delivered to our homes. To limit exposure, our vacation pod had no intention of dining out, shopping, or participating in public activities while away (hence renting a house with such extensive amenities).

Instead, we pre-planned meals and placed Costco, Aldi, and Amazon Fresh orders to get all of the food items and supplies we needed beforehand.

We each had significant refrigerator and freezer space so were able to store those items, transport them in a cooler for the two-hour drive, and enjoy a mountain of groceries for an entire week.

Though we have very stringent cleaning/disinfecting practices with our groceries, deliveries, and mail, note there is still a risk of exposure when receiving deliveries.

We also packed masks, face shields, disposable gloves, and disinfectant products for use.

Talk to your doctor about your pandemic travel plans and the risks

If you are high risk for complications due to COVID-19 (like me), you should not go ahead with your vacation planning or pandemic travel pod without talking to your doctor first.

I had a serious conversation with my doctor about my plans, the risk, and our expectations. He reminded me that no amount of precaution (outside of completely isolating) would completely eliminate my risk. Even ordering groceries increased our risk.

His main concern, however (and one that I reiterate here) was whether I could truly trust that my vacation pod members would stick to their quarantine commitment. And that’s a fair trepidation.

It is tough to have to acknowledge that the parent/sibling/bestie you love so much may not be right for your vacation pod. They might even be offended that they are not included… but in order to keep everyone safe and get in front of this virus and stop the spread, we must be firm.

Be prepared to pull out of planning if necessary — Make no exceptions!

When planning to join our vacation pod, my husband and I had an agreement that if there was one slip, we’d be out. Naturally, when you’ve invested time (and money) into planning a trip it may be difficult to make that decision.

That is why it is important to have this conversation early so that everyone understands the implications of breaking their commitments.

We came up with “if this, then that” scenarios:

• If someone in our pod went to a doctor’s appointment, would we still go on the trip?
• If someone meets up with people outside of the pod, would we still go on the trip?
• If someone’s test result comes back positive (or doesn’t come back in time), would we still go on the trip?

Our pod agreement was clear: it was all or nothing. If that didn’t work for everyone, then we were out.

That may not work for everyone’s pod, but it was the only way we would feel comfortable on the trip given my high risk status.

Whatever your “if this, then that” scenario resolutions are, stick to them. Everyone’s needs are different; just be sure you discuss what you are comfortable doing if things don’t go according to plan, or if commitments are broken.

Know the risk of forming a vacation pod

As a reminder creating a vacation pod isn’t foolproof. Here are factors you should keep top of mind (to name a few):

• One person straying from the agreement can put everyone at risk
• Going to get tested is a risk in itself
• If you have to get gas or make any stops on the way to your vacation, it is a risk
• The accommodations you choose may not be thoroughly clean and is, therefore, a risk
• The groceries and package deliveries you receive may put you at risk

The only true way to avoid risk is to stay home, forage and harvest your own food, and not interact with the outside world at all (which I assume may be easier for people in more rural areas).

COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care how much your friends or family love you or how good of a person they are. If they have it, you can get it — and vice versa. But, with responsible planning, we can work together to greatly reduce risk and stop the spread.

Stay safe and considerate of others!
xx, O.

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