I Got COVID While Traveling. Here’s What Happened Next.

When I tested positive for COVID on the morning I was supposed to fly home from Europe — on day 46 of a 46-day trip — I realized something: At this stage in the pandemic, every traveler is expected to be their own ethicist.

I.

The day before, I’d wrapped up a very busy seven-week research trip with a sprint through Glasgow. By mid-afternoon, I was feeling worn out. No surprise there — I’d just worked my eighth straight day without a break, and I had to push hard to finish up the final items on my list. By bedtime, back in my hotel, my throat was getting scratchy. I hoped it was nothing a good
night’s sleep wouldn’t fix, and tried to get some rest.

I woke up early the next morning feeling decidedly crummy — my throat was worse, and I felt flushed.  My flight was due to depart in just a few hours. So I faced a dilemma.

Less than two weeks earlier — on June 12 — the US had waived the requirement to present a negative COVID test to re-enter the country. And when I’d checked in for my flight, I was not asked any questions about whether I had symptoms. Technically, I was within my rights to shrug it off and get on the plane.

What would you do?

I imagine many of you would say: You should test, of course! And if you’re positive, you should postpone your flight.

And many of you would probably say: Come on! COVID is everywhere now. If you have it on the plane, so what? Certainly, others will, too. As long as you try to mask up, you might as well just go home.

I’m a pretty idealistic person. And since the very start of the pandemic, I’ve been preaching about the importance of looking out for each other. So, of course, the “right decision” was to test and wait.

On the other hand…

…if I was at the very start of a lengthy illness, wouldn’t it be better to recuperate at home? This could drag on for days. Not to mention the extreme hassle and significant expense of having to extend my stay.

These things seem clear in the abstract. But I have to admit, facing this question in real life was challenging. While I was deliberating, almost as a knee-jerk instinct, I fished around in my bag for my last remaining COVID test. I swabbed my nose, dunked the stick in the little tube of testing medium, and squeezed a few droplets of that solution into the reservoir on the test strip.

Since home tests became widely available, I’ve tested myself more times than I can count: before or after a trip; before seeing someone I didn’t want to expose; simply because I wasn’t feeling great. The test procedure, while thrilling and terrifying in those early days, had grown dull and anticlimactic. After a few minutes, I’d begin squinting at that little control line, waiting for the second test line to appear…and it never did.

This time, however…

That accusing red test line came through loud and clear, and very quickly. It was definitive: I had COVID.

Just to make sure, I strapped on my best N95 and ran to the nearby long-hours pharmacy. Just inside the door was a stack of home tests for £2 apiece. I grabbed six, used the self-checkout machine, and got out of there as fast as possible. I tested twice more back in the room. Both positive.

I called my wife, waking her up in the middle of the night, and we both agreed that the appropriate course of action was clear: I should postpone my return home.

And that’s how I wound up spending several extra days in Glasgow, stretching my trip past the 50-day mark — almost the entire time spent in my quite small (but comfortable) hotel room.

II.

Those first few hours were extremely stressful: Reading articles on “what to do if you test positive for COVID,” I learned that some people continue having symptoms and testing positive for many, many days. A few days’ delay felt manageable. But I certainly did not want to spend another week or two in this little hotel room, far from home. I had things to do, a life to resume. As my flight departure time neared, I realized I could still just barely make it onto that plane if I left right now. Again, I was so tempted to head home.

This is a very confusing time to be making these decisions. Many governments (including in the UK, where I was, and the US, where I was going) are essentially washing their hands of the problem. They offer “guidance” and “advice.” But at the end of the day…it’s up to you.

For me, it came down to two points: First, I was feeling worse by the hour. At this rate, I’d be getting on my evening transatlantic flight just as I felt my crummiest. Selfishly, that did not sound like fun.

But the overriding concern was altruistic: I imagined the many people I know who are still being extremely careful. Some are elderly and have reason to believe that, even fully vaccinated, they might struggle with a COVID infection. Some have kids who are too young to be vaccinated (though, thankfully, that has started to change even since this happened). And some are immunocompromised.

It’s easy to say, “Well, those people shouldn’t travel, then.” Fair enough. But it’s also fair enough for someone who has put off a dream trip for two and a half years to finally say, “I know there’s risk. But I am tired of waiting. I will take every reasonable precaution to stay safe and take a leap of faith.” I don’t blame those people for getting on an airplane.

However, the wild card is other people’s behavior. I can’t control if someone with COVID gets on the plane for a nine-hour flight. But there is one thing I can control: Whether I am that person.

In the end, tempted as I was to just get home, I asked myself one question: “Would I want my parents to be sitting next to me for nine hours across the Atlantic?” And the answer to that question was unequivocal: No way.

I will say, I wish my airline (Lufthansa) had been more supportive of this decision. Because it was within 24 hours of departure, there was no way for me to change or cancel my flight online. After searching for a working telephone number for about a half-hour, then spending an hour and a half climbing through their phone tree, I was told that changing my flight would be possible only if I could fly home six days later…and the fare difference would exceed the original round-trip price.

It apparently made not one iota of difference that my sole reason for rescheduling was not wanting to expose Lufthansa’s passengers to COVID. This was treated as a matter of personal choice. (Which, I suppose, it was.) The best they could do was to suggest that “maybe” I could get future flight credit. They gave me another phone number to request this, and, after 30 more minutes on hold, I was told to email my request instead. The response could take weeks, if not months.

That night — right around the time that I would have been boarding the plane — my fever spiked to over 100 degrees and I had a severe case of chills. I was very glad not to be on that plane.

III.

When you’re lying around for days recovering from COVID, you have ample time to ponder one suddenly very pressing question: How, exactly, did I get COVID?

The fact that I can’t pinpoint the answer tells you everything you need to know. Simply put, I let my guard down, and put myself in multiple situations where I could’ve been exposed. Partly because I was fully vaccinated and recently boosted, I was (perhaps foolishly) more willing to take on the risk. But I am living proof that “taking on the risk” can have real consequences.

When traveling earlier this year, I had been very careful: I masked anytime I was indoors, and I actively avoided indoor dining, with rare exceptions. On this trip, I was still masking on public transportation (planes, buses, trams) and in crowded museums…and I was, very often, one of the only people who was masking. Here’s me in a crowded ferry terminal — the only mask in sight — on the day when I suspect I was exposed.

And yet, I’ll admit, in other ways I was more lax. I stopped masking for brief conversations throughout the day with museum ticket clerks and hotel receptionists. These conversations usually last just a few minutes…but sometimes stretch (delightfully) much longer. Did one of those lovely digressions wind up exposing me?

Part of the reason I let my guard down was simply social pressure. In the places I visited on this trip, masking has become vanishingly rare. In dozens upon dozens of interactions each day, I could count on one hand the number of times the person I was talking to wore a mask. It started to feel pointless to mask up each time I went inside. I wish I weren’t so susceptible to “peer pressure,” but, frankly…when, time after time, you find you’re the only masked person, you begin to feel a bit like a weirdo.

Probably more consequentially, I also got in the habit of eating in restaurants. (Scotland’s unseasonably cold and rainy summer weather limited my outdoor dining options.) In retrospect, this might have been the main thing I’d have done differently, had I known how staggeringly high cases were in the places I was visiting.

Speaking of which, I believe the single biggest factor in how I got COVID is that Scotland was absolutely on fire with COVID while I was there. Later — when it was too late — I found a BBC News article estimating that, during the very week I was sick, one out of every eighteen people in Scotland had COVID. One in eighteen! With those odds, there’s no doubt I was exposed at multiple points each day.

To be honest, this news frustrated me. As I was traveling through Scotland, occasionally I’d hear, anecdotally, that cases were going up. I kept checking the same “dashboards” for global COVID rates that I’ve been relying on since March 2020 — keeping an eye out for hot spots. According to those numbers, Scotland’s rates were increasing, but not to an alarming degree.

However, those statistics rely on confirmed cases. And, like most other places, Scotland has drastically reduced formal testing. (The NHS Scotland website specifically says: “Most people in Scotland no longer need to test for coronavirus.”) Many people who have COVID never even know it for sure, or they know only because of a home test that they likely don’t report to the authorities. Those deceptively low case counts lulled me into a false sense that things were still under control, well after the point when they definitely weren’t.

Had I known the rates were one-in-eighteen, you can be sure I’d have upped my masking. Would that have made a difference? Maybe not. But I wished I’d taken it more seriously when I started seeing “business closed due to illness” signs popping up.

In the end, though, my decisions were my own. At some level, I figured — being so close to the end of my trip, and having been fortunate so far — I could probably skate on through without too much worry. I thought to myself, “I haven’t had it yet, so who knows? Maybe I just won’t get it.”

I was wrong.

IV.

Fortunately, I was fully vaccinated. In fact, I had gotten my second booster shortly before this trip (which might be what spared me until now). Especially after that first night, my symptoms were not bad at all. I ran a slight fever for a couple of days; I had a stuffy nose and a sore throat; I was tired, but not even what I’d call “fatigued.” I would rank it merely as a mid-level cold — far from the worst cold I’ve had. And it was certainly not the sickest I’ve been on a trip to Europe. The only thing that made it remotely unusual was knowing it was COVID.

In fact, I found myself thinking, “This is the reason we all put our lives on hold for a year and a half? This is why nobody could travel for so long?”

But then I’d remind myself that people of my age and general health were dying at alarming rates in those early days of the pandemic. And I felt extremely grateful for those miraculous vaccines. On four separate occasions over the past year, I’ve trained my body what to do in case this happened. I gave my immune system clear instructions and ran it through drills for exactly this eventuality. And so, when the real thing hit…it knew what to do, and it dealt with it admirably.

(I am aware that some of the newer variants do a better job of escaping the old vaccines. This is why we’re starting to hear about potential boosters for this fall. In any event, I was very glad for whatever protection my vaccinations gave me. )

I’ve heard some people say, “I got fully vaccinated and I still got COVID! Obviously, the vaccines don’t work.”

This thought never crossed my mind. Nobody every said that the vaccines guaranteed we’d never get COVID. Rather, we’ve been told all along that the vaccines make COVID less dangerous, drastically reducing severity and hospitalizations. And on that count, they’ve been a smashing success — including for me personally.

As for being stuck in that hotel room…to be honest, it wasn’t so terrible. It was plenty comfortable, with a fun view over the train station’s glass canopy. Having an excuse to take it easy, at the end of a long and demanding research trip, was weirdly welcome. I’d work on finishing up my guidebook writing as long as my energy held out…then I’d reward myself by binging some TV.

I consider British television an important cultural experience. Usually when I’m in Britain, I’m working nonstop, so at best I have the TV on in the background. But COVID let me settle in and enjoy some shows I’d only flipped past before.

 (Related: I am bewildered that no American television production company has managed to properly adapt the wonderful show Gogglebox — in which ordinary, everyday Brits from various walks of life are recorded in their living rooms, watching and discussing TV shows — for the American audience. They attempted a “celebrity” version, which misses the point, and predictably flopped. Come on, America. We can do this!)

Fortunately, the hotel was able to extend my stay in the same room. They told me I was lucky, in a way: Scotland is packed to the gills, and it’s hard to find a room. But because of the ongoing rail strike, they had several cancellations.

If you’re going to be sick anywhere, try to be sick in Glasgow — where people are simply wonderful and kind and easy to talk to. I notified the reception desk I had tested positive to make sure nobody would enter my room and unwittingly expose themselves. The receptionist said, “So sorry to hear that. But it’s not surprising. I just recovered from it myself last week!” They took it in stride and told me they’d sanitize my room with extra vigor when I checked out.

I’d venture out of my room once or twice a day, taking short walks for my sanity. Each time I’d strap on my N95 the entire time and sanitize my hands like crazy before and after I touched anything. (I even shaved my scraggly beard, just to encourage a tighter mask fit.) For food, I’d run into the ubiquitous corner grocery stores, grab a few items, use the “touchless” self-checkout stand, and be on my way as quickly as possible.

On a couple of occasions, I ordered food in a restaurant, then waited outside while it was being prepared. Often, while standing out there in my mask, I’d be passed by multiple unmasked people who were hacking, coughing, snuffling, and sneezing. Given the high caseloads, it’s a certainty that at least some of these people had COVID…but, unlike me, were doing nothing to avoid spreading it.

And that leads to a question I asked myself again and again as I was waiting out this nasty bug: Is it somehow old-fashioned or deluded to be so worried about spreading COVID? Are we beyond that now? Should we really be treating it as “just a cold,” and stop taking extreme precautions…like the ones I was taking?

I’m sure that day will come. Personally, I don’t think we’re there quite yet. I know we’re fed up with the disruption to our lives. (Believe me — after this trip, I speak from experience.) But COVID remains a dangerous virus that can have devastating long-term consequences. To this day, a 9/11’s worth of Americans are still dying of COVID about every two weeks. For those of us privileged enough to be generally healthy and fully vaccinated and boosted, COVID is usually just a nuisance. But for a lot of people, COVID could be a huge problem.

And that’s really the frustrating part about COVID. It’s not going out with a bang. It’s trailing off with a whimper. At what point will we be able to totally forget about COVID — just truly not worry about it anymore? Probably never. Maybe it’s like terrorism after 9/11: Gradually, the constant fear and vigilance will fade…but some element of it will always be with us.

In the interim, for me, it’s too early to throw caution entirely to the wind. Yes, I’m personally more willing now to lower my guard and take a few more chances. But when we take those chances, we have to be prepared for the consequences.

And I believe we need to respect others who are trying to make their own choices. If I got on the plane with a 100-degree fever and an active case of COVID, I would be robbing my seatmate of that choice. Maybe they wouldn’t care; perhaps that person would be part of the fast-growing population who’ve decided that getting COVID is a reasonable tradeoff for doing as they please. (Heck, maybe I’d be sitting next to someone nursing their own COVID fever.) But it could just as well be someone with good reasons to expect others to have their back. I think that person deserves my consideration…even if it causes me some inconvenience. (Then again, I’m also someone who never reclines my seat back. But that’s a whole other blog post…)

V.

After what felt like an eternity in that little hotel room, I had reached the CDC-recommended five-day isolation period. More important, my symptoms had almost entirely resolved, and I had not run a fever in nearly three days. I was able to book a last-minute flight back to Seattle. So I got up, packed my bag, unwrapped and strapped on a brand-new N95 (which I would barely take off for the next 18 hours)…and headed to the airport.

Boarding my flight in Glasgow, I did a little math. My plane had about 180 seats. If one in eighteen people in Scotland had COVID at that moment, there were likely at least ten active cases on that plane. I saw only about a dozen people who, like me, were wearing masks. Which means there were almost certainly unmasked COVID cases on that flight. (And remember that masks — especially when worn by just one person — are far from a guarantee of safety. They are just one layer in what should be a stacking series of protections.)

Allow me to editorialize for a moment. (I think I’ve earned it.) Even though I postponed my trip voluntarily, I understand the need to lift the testing requirement to re-enter the US. But not requiring tests makes far less sense when masking on board planes is optional.

After two and a half years of struggling with this virus, we know of two things that are unequivocally, demonstrably effective in slowing the spread and reducing the impact of COVID: vaccinations and masking. As we “get back to normal” on so many fronts — and, predictably, cases are surging — how many COVID cases are getting on planes these days without masks?

Failing a mask mandate, we can’t  control whether other people wear masks (even if they’re hacking and coughing the whole way across the Atlantic). But you can control whether you wear one. Assuming you still care about not wanting to get COVID — or, perhaps, unwittingly spread it to someone else — mask up on board. These days, not wearing a mask on a flight is like playing Russian roulette with five bullets.

During my layover, I was fortunate to find a nearly deserted concourse. I sat alone and was able to take off my mask for a few minutes to eat and drink. I am aware that air circulation and filtration during a flight helps reduce the spread of COVID. But other aspects of air travel — including waiting in a crowded, unventilated jetway — are more risky. So I tried to be one of the last people to board the plane.

My connecting flight — much longer, at over seven hours — was the one that worried me. Fortunately, everyone within two seats of me, in every direction, wore their mask the entire time. That was a relief. And I kept my mask securely in place for the duration of the flight (other than occasionally sneaking into the bathroom to gobble a snack or blow my nose).

Landing in Seattle, I felt confident I’d made the right decision by delaying my return. And I have to say…it was very, very good to be home.

VI.

Rick Steves likes to say that our job as travel writers is making mistakes so you don’t have to. His favorite example is losing your travelers’ checks. But I suppose catching COVID is more timely. And, much as I deeply regret being your guinea pig…is there anything you can you learn from my COVID experience?

First, if you want to travel but still really don’t want to get COVID, don’t let your guard down. It’s so tempting to give in to social pressure and take off that mask. Or to have a nice, relaxed meal in a (crowded) restaurant. But if you want to keep your level of risk to a minimum, prepare yourself mentally to stick to your “good behavior”…even if it means you’re flying in the face of current social norms.

Another lesson: This was a reality check that these days, nothing prevents someone with COVID from traveling however they like. (I can attest to this, because I came very close to being that person.) You should assume that there are active, contagious, unmasked COVID cases on any plane (or train, or bus) you board. Assuming you still care about not wanting to catch COVID, this demands scrupulous masking with high-quality masks. Don’t mess around with cloth or surgical masks: Get and use a medical-grade N95 (or, failing that, a KN95 or equivalent). As you’ll be surrounded by more and more unmasked people, now is the time to up your mask game…not lower it.

Something that I take to heart now — more than ever before — is really making the effort to understand the current risk in the place you’re visiting. Had I bothered to pay more careful attention when I started hearing that “cases were going up,” I might have better understood how dire the circumstances were becoming, and adjusted my behavior accordingly. When you’re trying to enjoy a vacation, assessing current caseloads is far from “fun.” But it matters. And it can help you decide when it’s probably OK to go ahead and have a nice meal in a restaurant…or when you need to hunker down and stay outside.

Finally, if you do get COVID, I hope you’ll follow my example and do your best to think about your impact on others. I was determined to be the final link in this particular chain of the virus. I took all reasonable (and, some might say, unreasonable) precautions to avoid exposing other people when I knew I would be at my most contagious.

Having been though that decision-making process, however, I have a new empathy for people who might make the opposite choice, and get on that plane despite having COVID. It’s a tough call, and these days, we are essentially on our own.

In my case, I kept coming back to what I have been saying since day one of the pandemic: The only way through this is by looking out for each other…even when it’s inconvenient, or expensive, or frustrating. Or, try this rule of thumb: If I were healthy, would I want to be sitting next to me on that plane?

177 Replies to “I Got COVID While Traveling. Here’s What Happened Next.”

  1. Cameron, I really appreciate this post and applaud you for making the tough decision to extend your trip and isolate. I have several trips coming up in the next couple of months and will certainly be packing my tests. When I’m out and about, I’m often the only person who cares enough to wear a mask. It’s disheartening to say the least. Thank you for being a responsible, thoughtful person.

        1. Not really. Most of us couldn’t afford the extra few days stay. Without a credit card, I wouldn’t be able to reschedule my flight and pay extra. That’s something that needs to be addressed here, too.

  2. When you said Lufthansa was not cooperative, I immediately thought back to when I forfeited $10000 to Lufthansa for a preflight medical emergency which they had no sympathy for. If I ever fly Lufthansa again it will be as a code share through United, who are much better.

    1. It took 2 stressful years, and many phone calls, emails to get my money back from Lufthansa (for a trip canceled for reason of COVID)

  3. Let me echo @Barbara Marler and say THANK YOU for being a responsible, caring person. Cases are going up where I’m at in the US and almost no one wears a mask where I live. Peer pressure is a greater factor than one might think. Your blog post strengthens my resolve to withstand it.

    1. Yes thank you for telling us your story. I also appreciate your decision to delay your return. We traveled to Italy in April. Masking and testing were still mandatory. We did not get Covid and were very thankful.

  4. I think the airline was wrong in not allowing you to rebook. Did the airline ever help in anyway?
    Does any type of travel insurance cover your extra cost in food and or lodging or transportation?

    1. We were caught in Amsterdam for an extra week when my husband got COVID. Our trip insurance helped us find test locations and a doctor to give us a Recovery letter. They were very responsive and then they reimbursed us for all the costs we submitted. Hotel, change in airfare, meals.

      1. Also curious about insurance company. I went to Paris last November and spent $500 on insurance that would cover covid expenses and emergency evacuation due to health needs or transferring my body back if I died. Fortunately didnt need it (the first omicron case was announced the day I left Paris). I’m going again this Nov and feel the need to insure but wonder if there is a reliable, cheaper option.

        Alsi, I got covid from family members who flew in from California June 2nd. I also believe masking in airports and on planes should never have been dropped.

        1. My husband and I went on a cruise in April. My husband tested positive partway through despite being vaccinated and boostered. We were put in an isolation cabin and missed most of the destinations we’d anticipated seeing. We spent nearly two weeks in Barcelona post-cruise because the 24-hour test period was still in place and he tested positive despite being asymptomatic. We were told our travel insurance would cover our expenses. We’ve been back for over 2 months and have heard nothing from the travel insurance company except they are dealing with a backlog of cases. It was a disappointing trip and the difficulties dealing with the travel insurance company have kept it dragging on.

          1. Vanessa- I had a similar issue with getting our trip insurance to reimburse us. Other RS travelers advised me to get my state insurance commission involved. The minute I told AIG my next call would be to the insurance commissioner, my claim was resolved and the check was sent. Hope your case gets resolved soon!

      2. Hi Shelia! Just curious what insurance company you went through and what level of coverage you had.
        Thanks,
        Jean

      3. Could you tell me which travel insurance company you used. We booked tickets to Greece next month and are looking for travel insurance in case we get sick. Thanks.

    2. I follow you as a RS devotee and knew you would
      do the right thing. We are on our 2nd RS Ireland tour
      next week (12th RS tour total) and hope there are more like you in Ireland. It’s a bit stressful knowing the possibilities.

      1. Just returned from 2 wks in Ireland. NO ONE masked there however we understood they have one of the highest vax rates anywhere….around 88% I was told. I masked most places in Italy (some people did also) and on all public transportation everywhere; came home after 3.5 wks in Italy and Ireland COVID-free gratefully.

      2. I came back from Ireland then tested positive upon returning home from a trip end of May to beginning of June. There was hardly anyone masking then. I also had to test to get back into the US. My best friend just went to Ireland and returned last week, and then tested positive for Covid. Be aware that it is a real possibility, both of us were vaccinated and boosted.

  5. You did the right thing!
    One other suggestion would be to purchase travel insurance that covers covid healthcare costs, hotel, meals, and airfare expenses.

    1. ABSOLUTELY buy trip insurance – in fact, we buy annual trip insurance which has paid off nicely this year as we got stuck in Canada with Covid for a week. Thanks for sharing your experience and for doing the right thing by staying put, as we did, through the isolation period.

      1. I am sorry you got sick and glad that you are feeling better. You mentioned and I quote “To this day, a 9/11’s worth of Americans are still dying of COVID about every two weeks.” Can you please provide your source to this? That is a bold claim that I don’t believe is accurate so I interested in your source. In regards to the vaccine and the boosters, just because you have them doesn’t mean that you will get sick. You could have gotten sick because of them or not. It’s similar to the flu shot.

        1. From the NY Times: Daily average U.S. deaths (July 7, 2022) are 321. 9/11 deaths: 2,996. 2,996/321= 9.3 days of COVID deaths to equal the death toll of 9/11.
          https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html (Updated July 7, 2022)

        2. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailydeaths

          Expand the table under the graph and look at the rolling average daily death rates, which range from 273 to 354 A DAY over the past 14 days. The total for two weeks is well above the deaths on 9/11.
          Daily deaths are lower in this wave than previous waves due to protection from serious illness and death from vaccines/boosters and prior infections, and perhaps the use of Paxlovid to treat high-risk patients.

        3. It’s a bit shocking for those who’ve “moved on” from COVID. But it’s accurate. According to many widely available sources, approximately 300 Americans are still dying each day from COVID; 2,977 died on 9/11.

        4. On 9/11, 2977 people died in the attacks. The US has had about 300 deaths per day from Covid since April. Every 10 days in the US, more people die of Covid than died on 9/11.

          From the CDC webpage:

          https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailydeaths

          One may have to select Daily Deaths from the drop down menu.

          There are many other sources to track daily cases, hospitalizations and deaths as well.

        5. It’s well-known that the vaccines reduce the severity and duration of COVID. As Cameron said, the claim was never to PREVENT the disease – hopefully just makes it less bad. Same with the flu shot. But COVID is not the flu.

        6. Please listen to the Osterholm update podcast published every 2 weeks and This Week in Virology podcast.
          Unfortunely the numbers are true.

        7. Hi Amanda, the CDC publishes info on how many people are dying of Covid in the U.S.:
          https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailydeaths

          Sending condolences to all who have lost a loved one.

        8. I keep track daily of covid counts, using Worldometers, which I understand is giving a lower number count than some other sources. For the week of July 1-7 Worldometers reported 917 deaths from covid. A second week makes ca 1800, about half of the number of deaths on 9/11. Today July 19, the number of USA deaths due to covid is 220, according to Worldometers. Lower than “a 9/11’s worth,” but still too high.

          I don’t know the source of the above author’s facts, but the point is we should continue to be cautious.

  6. After the RST SCH050122 tour I spent 10 additional days in Edinburgh.
    Two days before the return flight….
    tested positive.
    In May USA required a professional lab test , which were hard to find.
    15 days later I tested negative and was “ allowed” to return.

    1. I tested positive on May 18th, on a cruise from Rome to Lisbon, the day before embarking. Had to delay our flight of course (since 1 day neg to fly to USA still in effect) was only a little sick, no fever even. We rebooked our flight for 11 days out just in case, and I finally tested neg the day before our flight! Hubby never got it, although funny enough has it right now . Stayed in a hotel in Lisbon for 5 days, then switched to an Airbnb in Sintra for another 4 days, then back to Lisbon. By then I was 100% normal, so really enjoyed Sintra, masked up of course. Delta was great, only paid $100 each for increased fare (although lost our comfort + seats).
      I wasn’t surprised I got it as hardly anyone on the cruise masked up (including me, although all the staff did). So many people were obviously sick on our cruise. Working with the cruise line now to get reimbursed, did buy their insurance, but not surprisingly that it is taking forever.
      We had a great time on our first trip since the pandemic, but if I could wind the clock back, probably wouldn’t have traveled outside the USA until the testing was lifted. That being said, I, like Cameron, would not have flown back until no symptoms.

  7. Thank you for sharing your thought processes, temptations, and discipline as you handled this unintended end to your trip. We spent 2 weeks in England in May and were surprised at how few people were masking–even in the crowded Tube or theaters where every seat was filled. We were always masked and were also lucky to make it home without contracting the virus. Hoping for the same when we take our RS tour in September.

  8. Yep, i came down with it too. We were in Paris; my lovely bride did not get it. We are up to date with shots. I did not feel ill while travelling. I saw very few masked people. We did not mask. While there, CDC lifted its testing requirement for return to the states. No fever, but congestion and fatigue. COVID hangs on, maddeningly so, even after testing negative, weeks ago.

  9. “What would you do?” Well. My tour was to begin tomorrow in Dublin, but my flight was on the 5th so I could explore on my own for a bit. Yet on the 2nd, I had a fever and a positive test. Today, 5 days later, my test is still positive though my fever is gone. Will I test positive again tomorrow or negative, and say OH I could have been there, afterall? Truthflully, I wanted to try to get there anyway, maybe delaying my flight by a couple days. I’m so glad I did not. My symptoms got worse, not better for a few days, before turning around, despite the paxlovid prescription. Not only could I have spread more covid amply around, I could have worsened my own health with that ambition to just go. I have slept, hydrated, moved, and received support from friends and neighbors (who would not have been there for me if I’d made it to Dublin and had worsening symptoms). It felt confusing at first, still thinking it was possible, It is crystal clear to me now. Once I realized I’d have to miss my tour, I set to getting refunds and trying to plan over again. Most of the refunds came fairly quickly, thankfully. Considering a last minute do-over to go this summer, however, was a frustrating exercise in coming to the realization that I cannot afford the upcharge of booking new flights and lodging last minute. Oh-what-ifs aside, the PNW is a great place to staycation with Shakespeare in the park, outdoor concerts, hiking and paddleboarding. Ireland will have to wait (again) for next year.

  10. Thank you for walking us through your steps and I appreciate your candor.

    You made the right call, of course.

    Would you have written the story if you had made the other choice?
    No need to answer.

    1. Ha! Fair question. If I’m being honest, in my darkest moments–those moments when I was about to head to the airport–this thought did cross my mind. In the end, I know there are people who look to me as something of a “travel role model.” And I did not want to role-model behavior that I believe is irresponsible. If you’re going to do something you’re embarrassed about…maybe that’s a sign you shouldn’t do it, right? All of this made it that much easier to stick to my principles.

      1. Thank you, Cameron. I once saw a sign in the bathroom of a laundromat: “Don’t do anything in here that you wouldn’t tell your grandma about.”

  11. Thank you for this enlightening blog. We just returned from Spain June 30, where it was a rarity to see a masked person, eating, shopping, or on public transport. Even in the airport where it was “required”. Our seats were 2×2, but the woman in front of us (seated alone) was coughing, hacking and sneezing, with red rimmed eyes, NO MASK! We are fully vaxed/boosted, and I maintained my mask throughout the entire airport/boarding/flight. My husband, decided not to. Two days after arriving home, he became symptomatic, but only a “faint” positive test–I masked up anyway. Next day, he quickly and boldly positive, and symptomatic. I remained negative (and masked-sleeping separately for his 5 days, and at day 7, I still test negative. It can happen to the best of people, but do not let your guard down–its not worth the “freedom”

  12. Thank you for your descriptive essay and the deep dive in to the ethics of managing this virus. Your words resonate and make sense. I’ve not stopped masking indoors and still haven’t dined indoors. Between vaccines and masking, I’m reengaging in many activities but not all. I’d rather be cautious for my own health and for others even if this is the new normal for a very long time.

    1. That’s putting it strongly. But I was surprised how rigid they were, even when I explained the reason. It appeared to make no difference whatsoever in what I was able to do.

      1. Back in 2020, Lufthansa refunded my entire round trip airfare for my trip to Barcelona – which I had booked in early February but canceled in March due to Covid. So I’m sorry to hear of their change in attitude. I booked with Lufthansa again this year for a 2nd attempt at Barcelona (and have “Cancel for Any Reason” travel insurance).
        I’m really glad for your comments about eating out in restaurants now in Europe. I wrote in to Rick Steves.com after Rick’s Monday Night Travel talk about returning to Europe, but never received a reply. I think I will cancel a food tour I booked for this trip as we’re supposed to visit several restaurants. No guarantee we’ll be eating outdoors.

        1. Yes Lufthansa refunded our 2020 tickets ONLY because they changed our times going and returning to /from Europe!!
          It is the law!!!’

          1. There are several insurance providers who offer this product. I got mine through “Travel Insured International”. But a good travel insurance portal to find the insurance you need and to compare several company’s travel insurance offerings is: https://www.insureyonder.com/

  13. Lufthansa is the most difficult airline I have ever dealt with. Absolutely unyielding to transfer upgrades after they cancelled the flight and we had to change routing or incur excessive transfer time. Had to pay for another upgrade that was way more expensive than the cancelled flight and then had to wait months to get the first upgrade refunded. All communication had to be done via email as there was no one to talk to. The flights were all good but the preflight nonsense was a real pain.

  14. Would your decision be different if you tested positive but felt fine, no fever, during the time of your original return flight?

    1. Good question. If I were asymptomatic I probably wouldn’t have tested, and I never would have known. If for some reason I did know…that would make for an even harder decision.

  15. It would be helpful I think to discuss the role that travel insurance paid in having your costs reimbursed. Did you ever get an official positive test so you could file a claim or get a certificate of recovery?

    1. I did get an official positive test result from the medical department on the cruise ship the morning we had to get off. Guest relations assured us we would be reimbursed, but gave no guidance on how much or the process, so has been extremely frustrating.

  16. Wonderful article, Cameron. We are traveling to England the end of September for a RS tour and your advice will be in the forefront of my mind. I appreciate you sharing the decision making process you went through. I could almost hear you talking yourself through all scenarios.
    It really helps.

  17. Because unexpected things happen as COVID it is very important now more then ever to get travel insurance. If you test positive for COVID you need a letter from a official doctor that you are positive and recommend not to travel. Thanks Cameron for this article. We all have to do our part.

  18. Even though you acknowledge some laxity in your COVID precautions, thank you for being responsible in delaying your return. Many people would likely forgo the inconvenience and expense of a quarantine just as so many people are unmasked in crowded settings despite still high COVID case counts.
    As for your Lufthansa experience, Lufthansa is a great airline once you are in flight. However, experiencing a recent medical emergence while in Europe shortly before joining a scheduled Rick Steves tour, having to return home immediately and then cancelling the RS tour, Lufthansa phone support was terrible. Long hold times before and after speaking to someone. Very poor return flight offerings until I did a search on their web site and found flights for the following day that they had not offered, and then costing as much as the entire original round trip fare. After a month still awaiting travel insurance determination from Allianz.

    1. I’d love to hear from Kirk and all others with recent travel insurance experience their reports and recommendations on insurance. I’m going to Austria soon, planning absolutely no indoor dining, and will mask the whole time on the plane and on trains (barring feeling ill and like I need to take it off briefly, and moving the mask aside just a bit to drink and eat). I will skip museums unless they’re not at all crowded, and mask if I go to one. I hope mainly to enjoy walking around outdoors–that’s what I like most on a trip abroad, anyway. But even with these precautions, I know I might get sick.
      I’d also appreciate advice from others on good websites for ordering N95s. I have KN95s but I gather N95s will give yet better protection.

      1. Anticipating several trips in 2022, we bought annual trip insurance through Allianz. Only a few companies offer annual insurance. Too early to recommend for or against Allianz other than to say I am still awaiting reimbursement more than 5 weeks after submitting my claim and more than 3 weeks after submitting the last document. Like with Lufthansa, organizations who outsource their support often get poor quality support.
        As for N95 masks, which I prefer over KN95s, I use Kimtech 53358. I stocked up long ago, use one mask several times, except on long flights. They are comfortable (if any masks are), duck bill, and flat fold. CDC posts a list of NIOSH approved masks. Search Amazon and choose a mask that is reasonably priced, NIOSH approved, has good reviews and ideally is made in the USA.

      2. https://www.projectn95.org/ is a good source. Also the federal government (U.S.) gives some out for free, if supplies are still available https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/masks/index.html

  19. The reality is that if you have your vaccines (your choice to accept or not), it’s seriously not as bad as a bad cold (I have had Covid twice). The reality is that this will continue to be with us forever.

    Life your life in fear or life your life. That is the choice.

    Attempting to pressure others into your choice (wearing a mask or not) is just wrong.

    1. This is true for some and not for others. You cannot make a blanket statement. I know people that are fatigued and have brain fog several months later. My son-in-law, young and healthy was basically in bed for 5 days, and then still feeling crummy and testing positive at day 10.

    2. I am vaccinated and boosted and healthy and dodged it until recently, so I too assumed it would be mild if I ever got it. But as it turned for me, two weeks ago, it was like a bad flu for 3 days and a bad cold for 6 more, all testing positive. I am fine now, but regret losing those 9 days.

    3. Rick, no one can predict how COVID will effect another person. It might be a “bad cold” one time and a much more debilitating disease another time. There are more choices than your simplistic ones: How about living your life with care and concern for yourself and others?

    4. I agree. Especially when the reality is that there ARE downsides to wearing a mask (which people don’t even realize — I didn’t think there were, until I experienced them myself)… for example, 63% of people with rosacea have suffered worse symptoms due to all of the mask wearing … and this is no small thing. Rosacea can actually lead to permanent disfigurement (like rhynophyma.) My doctor told me that I got bad staph infections in my nose because of the mask wearing (obviously, masks don’t cause the bacteria to appear… but the warm, wet environment causes the bacteria to thrive, and also cracked/split my skin, allowing infection to occur)… I had to take a powerful antibiotic (doxycyclene) which, ironically, can lower your immune system against viral lung infections! (because it kills off beneficial gut flora that create a first line of defense) [Oh, and then I caught covid anyway, DESPITE being vaccinated AND wearing a mask 40 hours per week, and only around other masked people.] Now, I don’t know if masking for the duration of a flight, bus ride, etc. is that big of a deal (unlike when I had to to do it 30+ hrs per week for my job), but it would be for the crew… and it also (a) is a moot point if you are not also wearing it in the airports (where everybody is eating and sipping coffees), or (b) taking it off for food/drink on the flight, or (c) if it’s anything other than an N95. I don’t foresee people wearing N95s only, snugly and securely fastened, at all times in an airport or plane, never taking it off for food. So… that’s reality.

  20. I was in France in December in the run up of Omicron. With all of the precautions in place it was the first time I had ever come home from Europe healthy! No cold, sniffles, stomach upset, nothing! It was wonderful! I came home from 3 weeks in Italy a couple of weeks ago and came home with a horrible cold. I tested and found it was not covid, so my vaccinations worked, but there’s no vaccine for the common cold. I too felt that I let my guard down and somewhere along the way picked up this generic cootie. I learned a valuable lesson.

  21. I applaud your sense of reasonability to postpone your return. But one thing you did not cover is trip insurance. If you had purchased trip insurance your hotel and additional airfare would have been covered. More now than ever before, travelers need to look at insuring against losses that have more probability than ever of happening. You discuss 1 in 18 chances which to me is very high, especially if one is travelling as family of four.

  22. My granddaughter and I caught Covid in Paris and we were always wearing kn95s and eating outside. We are fairly certain we got it in the super crowds in the Louvre as it was the only place my husband didn’t go with us. He didn’t test positive until 3 days after we did. The new variants are super contagious. We isolated for 7 days and then masked for more even outside. No one should travel without accepting the risk and being willing to isolate.

  23. Spot on assessment as usual. Eating in a restaurant is the most difficult to manage successfully to reduce exposure or from being “the” exposure to others since wearing a mask just doesn’t work while eating. I bring a small carbon dioxide sensor with me to help gauge the risk. If restaurants have doors and windows open, it makes a big difference by bringing in outside air to reduce possible exposures. In Scotland about the same time you were there, a restaurant with windows open had < 700 ppm of carbon dioxide (450 ppm or so is typical of outdoor air). Restaurants without windows/doors open are closer to 2000 ppm. At 2000 ppm, 4% of the air you are breathing in that space, came out of those around you. A rough estimate is that for every 100 ppm increase in carbon dioxide about 500 ppm, each breath includes 0.3% more air from someone else's possibly infectious exhalation. Something to thing about:-)

  24. We spent 3 months in Italy from mid March to June. Mask usage started dropping while we were there but we continued whenever we went indoors to shops etc. Like you, we were sometimes the only ones wearing one. At least for the flight (to Canada) the government mandates masks here still for flights so we felt much safer. I think we were nearly the only masked people at FCO when we left there and look what is happening in Italy now. Long covid to me is a bigger concern than being sick for a week.

    1. I agree with Connie. I, too, worry about long covid as friends have it and it can be debilitating.

  25. Thank you so much for this article! It is so timely. I was supposed to fly home from a family visit two days ago. The day before, I felt poorly and tested – positive. I went through the same though processes you did – mask up and scurry home or follow guidelines and stay and quarantine. I followed my conscience and am still in Anchorage. Luckily I’m comfortable in my son’s home, but it’s still not my home. My symptoms have been like a cold and not bad. I’m planning to fly home early next week. I just really appreciated your honest thoughts! Hope you’re well now.

  26. I read your article with great interest, especially the references to indoor dining. We got back from a Rick Steves tour of Paris two days ago. Before the RS tour, we spent a week in Belgium on our own and we did NOT eat a single meal indoors (including breakfast.) Despite all of Rick Steves’s awareness of Covid dangers and responsible/safe traveling, I was horrified to learn that all our breakfasts and the 3 group dinners were indoors, often in very crowded venues. The dinners also involved people not on the RS tour. Yet if we had contacted Covid from any of these meals, we would have been tossed off the tour. If you are touting the need for outdoor dining, surely the company you represent should be providing safe dining situations.

    1. I also noticed on the bus no windows opened, and only the vents let air in, but no air went out.
      We were masks on the bus because of this.

    2. I agree 100%. My husband and I were on the 14 Day Best of Ireland Tour in June. We both ended up with Covid 10 days into the tour. Four other tour members tested positive earlier in the tour. All of our group meals were inside, tight quarters. My husband and I were masks more than any other tour mates, but think our exposure came from the inside group meals.

  27. Cameron — I’m so grateful for your responsible attitude and that you’ve recovered! I can’t help but comment on this, though: “And I kept my mask securely in place for the duration of the flight (other than occasionally sneaking into the bathroom to gobble a snack or blow my nose).”

    Really?!? You ate a snack in the airplane lavatory?!? All I can say to that is GROSS! I’d be interested in knowing what germs you exposed yourself to by eating in the bathroom!

    Wishing you healthy and safe and happy travels in the future — and a better eating environment than the WC!

    1. Honestly, I was far more worried about passing around the germs I had than picking up new ones…

  28. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with this. I’m so sorry it happened to you, but I’m sure reading this may help my husband be more careful too. We have 5 weeks coming up in Ireland and Scotland, and I’m extremely committed to staying vigilant. But what you say about “peer pressure” is exactly right. Kudos to you for staying put for those extra days. I would like to think we would make the same decision but it’s a tough call, as you describe. I’m very glad you’re home and mending ! Thank you Cameron, for all your great posts ! Very appreciated and enjoyed !

  29. Thank you, Cameron, for deciding to wait it out! And many thanks for being among those of us who never recline our seats!

  30. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with this. I’m so sorry it happened to you, but I’m sure reading this may help my husband be more careful too. We have 5 weeks coming up in Ireland and Scotland, and I’m extremely committed to staying vigilant. But what you say about “peer pressure” is exactly right. Kudos to you for staying put for those extra days. I would like to think we would make the same decision but it’s a tough call, as you describe. I’m very glad you’re home and mending ! Thank you Cameron, for all your great posts ! Very appreciated and enjoyed !

  31. Thank you for this information and so glad you are recovered. I’m fully vaccinated but not boosted and am leaving in one week for Italy. I have my N95 masks packed and test kits but I wish had been boosted and now am a bit paranoid. I’ve worked from home since March 2020 and haven’t been in contact with people because I’ve had everything delivered including all my groceries. My daughter thinks I should have been boosted but it’s a bit late now.
    I will wear my mask no matter what and won’t let my guard down, especially after your blog today.

  32. Cameron,
    Thanks for sharing this.So honest, through and real life. Traveling is so important to me. I always get a upper respiratory infection when I travel, so I continue to stick close to home. Your story tells me I have made the right decision for me right now. I’ll be back!

  33. I just returned from France and Germany in late June having had a COVID experience. I and my spouse did not get COVID, but the other 4 of our travelling group of 6 did. Thank goodness we were camping when they became symptomatic, but all the issues of what to do came to play much as they did for you. We all had home tests with us and used them, but there was some discussion regarding getting further testing or reporting the positive tests in our group. Since we were headed for a rented apartment at that point, we decided to just let everyone isolate. It was tricky since I and my spouse still negative could only spend time in the common rooms while masked for short periods. We did not eat with anyone and kept the apartment and our separate room/bath well ventilated. I tested myself 4 times total before we completed our trip and never had a positive test or any symptoms. Considering that we drove together in a vehicle, even though we all masked during the drives, I am surprised we did not get COVID. The issues regarding when and how to isolate seemed pretty clear to me, but I had to let the others do what they felt was right after providing facts. By the way I was not the only medical professional on this trip, but there are a wide range of opinions on this subject. As with all trips, I was more worried about being “sick” rather than specifically worried about COVID. I did not want to waste any of my trip being ill. Thank goodness I didn’t have to.

  34. Your article was extremely well-written and interesting. I only wish more individuals would act responsibly, considering the impact their behavior has on others.

  35. Thank you for the frank and thoughtful story on your experience and being unselfish in treating others that you could have affected. These days, the majority of Americans only think of themselves and not of others. I remember years ago before COVID when I was traveling in Asia for business, my fellow traveler asked why some people were wearing masks. I told him that the wearers did not feel well and didn’t want to contaminate anyone else with their cold or whatever they had. I remembered his comment, “why should they care since they don’t know them!”. A sad comment in my view.

    Cameron and Rick, keep up the good work.

  36. Carry for each other. I’m looking out for the other is the best answer to whether you get on the plane or not. Glad you’re feeling better and safe trails

  37. Thanks for being so responsible, Cameron! When I traveled to visit family in Japan many years ago, I was put off by seeing many people wearing masks on the train or on the street. My knee-jerk reaction was “What the heck do you think you’re going to catch from me?” But then my daughter-in-law pointed out that it’s only polite to wear a mask if you have the sniffles or a little under par. I needed to move from my own self-centeredness to concern for others. On another note, we took a Viking cruise in April 2022 and were very pleased that there was testing on board every day before breakfast. And masks were required on board at all times except while eating. I hope they are continuing the practice.

  38. I just wanted to thank you for your blog. We just returned from a trip to Europe. We were able to get home before symptoms showed up. Like you my husband and are both vaxed and double boosted. We wore our masks in the airport and on planes both going and returning home. We wore our masks on buses and If guides suggested we do but didn’t wear them during meals indoors. Feeling we were vaxed and boosted it should be fine. We found out otherwise. Your blog was the most reasonable thing I have read. We have another trip planned for August. I will surely do things somewhat differently. Thank you for your words. Glad you are better.

  39. Thank you Cameron for an interesting and informative journey through a difficult experience. I will definitely see if my airline of choice is supportive of rescheduling without a punitive charge and look into whether trip insurance will cover schedule changes due to a COVID infection.

  40. Cameron, what a responsible, ethical person you are. As for folks who consider COVID just a bad cold, nope–not true. Too many relatives who have been vaxxed and double boosted have ended up in the hospital–definitely not just a bad cold. And how could we forget the strong possibility of Long Covid which the CDC says now hits 1 out of 4 folks. We are going on the RS Eastern Adriatic tour in late September, but I noticed on a recent email from Rick the whole group (for that particular tour) was eating inside a restaurant, in a tiny, narrow room. Made me very concerned as we still haven’t eaten inside a restaurant yet.

  41. Nice job Cameron. You did the right thing. Honestly, it would be tempting to just put on a mask and get on the plane.

  42. Cameron, thank you so much for your article. We just recently returned from a 4 night Mexican Riviera Cruise. Everyone on board had to be vaccinated and have a negative PCR test in order to board. Children were tested at the port. Alas, we left at disembarkation with scratchy throats and tired. Yep, we both had Covid. I was negligent to wear my mask but my husband did. What I realized upon realizing what the ships’ situation was is something I’d like to share. The buffets are now open to self serve. So now, after you’ve washed your hands upon entrance to eatery, you’re touching tongs held by everyone else. So my advice to anyone planning to cruise is use hand sanitizer after handling tongs, salt and peppers, condiments…or bring your own condiments which I plan to do. I also noticed after the first two days that there were a lot of people coughing, sneezing…..OY!
    Our sickness was identical to your symptoms, with one exception that I didn’t get a fever.
    So I’m sitting here writing to try to make everyone aware that Covid is very much still a part of our lives and to protect yourselves. Thank you Cameron.

  43. Thank you for your article and for being a responsible human being. People seem to think that covid is no worse than the common cold – but it can cause long term damage to your organs, and subsequent health issues that no one wants to live with. Worse still, there has been an increase in “unexplained deaths” over the last 2 years. Medical professionals still wear masks and are still dealing with the continuing trauma of covid on the front lines. It is only reasonable to continue doing the two easy things to protect yourself – keeping your hands clean and wearing an N95 mask. Why people get so angry about masks I don’t understand – its just to protect everyone’s health – even those who won’t get vaccinated.

  44. I loved this post and would appreciate even more details on navigating hotels, food, health care, and airlines if you get sick, especially as a solo traveler. We’re continuing to travel, but still get funny looks when we’re the only ones masking. I can deal with the looks, but it tells you that most people are done with it.

  45. Thanks for your candid story! I hope I would make the same decision as you did! Also, thank you for the reminder to not let our guard down even if we want to. I will continue to wear the mask on planes etc. (in the past I always contracted bronchitis and even pneumonia after being on a transatlantic flight) . It’s a small price to pay. I appreciate your detailed and interesting posts.

  46. Thank you for your insight into covid in Scotland. Even though I was vaccinated and had 1 booster I got covid halfway through my tour in May and ended up spending 20 nights in a hotel in Edinburgh. I also had a lovely view of a train station. I was too sick to travel, or even leave my room. Fortunately the hotel offered room service and gave me a small break on room service charges. By day 17 I was no longer positive and was able to fly home. I appreciate that you did the responsible thing. The severity of my illness proved to me that this is still a dangerous virus.

  47. Can you share what trip insurances you had, specifically related to covid coverage for the hotel stay and flight changes? We recently returned from 4 weeks in Denmark, Germany and Italy via Alaska Air miles and as part, we paid for the trip insurance through Alianzglobal, offered by Alaska for $56 total for both of us for the 29 days. I just reread the policy and there is a Covid endorsement covering delays and increased flight costs. Money well spent, I believe. We also met a Rick Steves Tour in Sicily and joined them for dinner in Teormina. My cousins were on that tour.

  48. I was very nearly in the exact same boat! 2 days before we were to fly home from Florence at the end of our RSE tour, I developed a scratchy throat after dinner. The next morning it was still there, so I tested myself: negative (phew, I thought) so we went on with our day. I was tired and felt a little “off”during the afternoon, but it was 90+ degrees and we’d been eating rich foods for days. I forgot my mask when we went to the Uffizi, and most of us didn’t mask during our tour’s cooking class and indoor final dinner. The next morning we rose at 3:45 am to head for our early morning flight to Rome and connection back to the US. We wore our KN95 masks on the planes, but during the 9 hour flight home I realized I really didn’t feel well. I had body aches, and I was coughing and congested. Most of the folks sitting near us were not masked. When we finally arrived home, I tested and it popped up positive almost immediately. Then my husband tested and he, too was positive. I felt guilty about all those people I must have exposed before I knew I had COVID. But my first test was negative! If it had been positive, I don’t know what we’d have done about coming home (we clearly wouldn’t have gone to the museum or dinner!). I had already spent 2 1/2 hours on hold earlier in the week trying unsuccessfully to change our flights to a later time, and it was 96 degrees in Florence and our hotel room a/c was not really up to the job of cooling the room well. The idea of feeling sick in a hot hotel room in a country where we didn’t speak the language for several days would NOT have been appealing, and I would have wanted to be near the healthcare facilities at home should my symptoms worsen. But I also knew I wouldn’t want my dad or my grandson on a plane with someone with Covid. Like you said, what seems obvious in the abstract is not so obvious when you’re facing the reality. As I write this we’re still isolating at home.

    1. I was recently in Florence & got Covid & had to delay my return. Many tourist towns have private pay doctors who speak English. For 60 euros I had a consult on a Sun morning over video. She wrote a couple prescriptions to manage the symptoms. Several days later I saw her in person & she wrote a note stating I was fit to fly (before the Covid test requirement was lifted). That was another 60 euros. She was also available by phone or text 24 hrs. For 120 euros I had comfort knowing a doctor was available for me. I’ve submitted her charges to my travel insurance carrier.

  49. This was a great blog post, Cameron. Five of us are just back from a UK trip. I can confirm that NO ONE in the UK is wearing a mask. I was stressed the whole time about what decisions we may need to make. Would one of us get sick during the trip? And what then? Do the other 4 continue? The testing requirement was lifted by the end of our trip. One of us DID get Covid BUT not until 3 days after we arrived home. I feel like we dodged a bullet this time and so made the decision not to fly again to Europe as we planned this fall. I think Lufthansa was *really* in the wrong to make it difficult for you to change flights. If they want US to do the right thing, THEY need to do the right thing too! I am wondering which carriers right now have better policies in place.

  50. You did not mention if you took another covid test after 5 days. The CDC guidance is fine, but I was stuck in Frankfurt because I tested positive for more than a week. I finally tested negative then went home. This was during the time when a negative test was a requirement but I would not have gone home until I tested negative.

  51. Thank you so much for this article, Cameron. I really appreciated your nuanced and thoughtful look at the decisions involved when one tests positive for Covid while travelling. Balancing individual choice with the responsibilities that go with being part of a community is an ongoing challenge. Glad you made the choice you did! Thanks again for sharing candid reflections on the your experience.

  52. Thank you for writing this article. I’m just getting over a case of COVID here in eastern Washington. I did everything correct to avoid it but… and then I isolated. Upgrading my mask to N95 when I know I have to be in a crowd. Back to outside dining and fewer events. Peer pressure? Ha. See my mask, deal!

  53. We are doing a Steves tour next month and Covid is a worry, of course. I would have gone through the same thought process as you did; “Should I?” “Shouldn’t I?” I hope I’d make the same decision as you did. I agree that some day we might treat Covid as we do the common cold and I’m hoping that day is soon. But I don’t think we are there yet.

  54. Thank you…I’ve been back to Italy twice since the restrictions there were lifted and have trips planned for October 2022 and March 2023. My intention is to wear a mask while flying and using public transportation. I plan to get that next booster in the fall that targets the Omicron variation (it will be my 5th shot…and I expect that I will need to do this every year…no complaint). Your very thoughtful and ethical decision will be on my mind if Covid finds me, so I am grateful for your reflections. I have one short leg on Lufthansa (Rome ->Munich) on the return before I connect with my United flight out of Munich (all booked through United) and have found United helpful for rearranging when the “partner” airline (talking to you, Air Dolomiti) pulls a fast one.

  55. I didn’t read the entire thing… but my adult kids got Covid in Mexico… they had Insurance- next 2 weeks were all expenses paid… ALL. The insurance had cost them $15. each

  56. Thank you Cameron and I’m glad you recovered fairly easily. I’ve recently been tracking hospitalizations in an area, as an accurate indicator of trends. In the US the CDC tracks virus in the sewer system. That’s available online. Maybe Europe does also.

    1. I welcome the sharing of doing right. It shouldn’t be needed but we have too many people who delight in being bad actors.

  57. I hope RS does not pack in group meals inside on our up coming trip to Portugal in two months. I’ll not eat inside any restaurant and I’ll be wearing a mask outside much of the time during tour walks. I don’t care if I’m the only one.

    1. We just returned from Portugal and had planned to avoid indoor group meals, but we had five AMAZING meals together indoors and I would have hated to miss them. Plus all of the hotels had lovely breakfast buffets. Five out of six of us tested positive 2-3 days after returning home, probably from crowded airports even though we all wore masks. Since none of us got seriously ill, we all felt like the trip was worth it but that wouldn’t be true for everyone. I’ll get trip insurance next time.

  58. Cameron, thanks so much for walking us through the trials and tribulations of testing positive for COVID while away from home. You have reminded me to mask up with an N-95 no matter what anyone else does. And reading others’ comments has spurred me to purchase travel insurance for a short trip to a family Memorial Service – no, COVID was not involved, but I still don’t want it.

  59. Cameron,
    Thank you for sharing your experiences both with Covid and your decision making. My husband and I just returned from a month in Ireland and Italy (Tuscany). Not once in Ireland, Northern Ireland, or Italy were we out of place wearing masks. In fact, in many places, masks were common or required indoors. The flight home from Venice was direct. My husband and I both had aisle seats across from each other. Both of us were seated next to people who were traveling together and unmasked. We were both fully vaccinated, boosted, and N95-masked for the entire flight (and in the airport). We are both in our 80s, healthy, and took every precaution we could. Four days home and husband tested positive; two days later I tested positive – an unpleasant and uncomfortable end to an otherwise wonderful trip.

  60. What an inspirational story! I just talked to some close friends that contracted COVID and made exactly the opposite decision as you. They did not test even though they had full blown symptoms; they ‘didn’t want to know’ and be denied access to their flight. They flew home then tested so they could get treatment. Listening to their story made me never want to travel again. So glad that you cared and made the right decision.

  61. Thanks for your forthright description of your entire ordeal. I much appreciated the deliberation you went through. You said “I kept checking the same “dashboards” for global COVID rates” – please tell us which sites you use! Thank you.

    1. I’ve been using the New York Times tracker: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html

      I believe it’s accurate as far as information is available. The problem is, with less and less formal testing, it’s missing more and more cases.

  62. I have been skimming through the comments, and am surprised at the number that got Covid while travelling or tested positive as soon as they got home (which meant they were most likely contagious on the plane). I have been thinking about this very topic with regards to my planned trip in September/October .. first to Greece (Naxos and Athens), then to France – Brittany and Paris. I may cancel my trip (would lose money on the Greece portion – a rescheduled women’s retreat from June 2020), but the rest I can still cancel everything. Part of me would get on the plane if I was well enough to travel, as we know that there would be other infected people on the plane (whether they know it or not). But — not sure. Lets face it .. we always had this situation when flying domestically .. there were no testing or vaccination requirements, and the masks that people wore were ridiculous, or worn incorrectly. These are crazy times.

  63. Thank you for thinking of others. My husband is immune compromised and due to that we have not been able to go on another Rick Steve tour at least for the next year or two. Our fear is what you noted others will make that decision to travel with covid and we may have to sit near them. We are very cautious and think we could navigate once in Europe but it is the close quarters on the airplanes that worry us.

  64. Cameron, we were a group of four friends traveling in Europe one week exactly after the testing requirement was lifted. One from Scotland (very near Glasgow) and three from here in the US. We did not test as we felt fine, but did a home test after returning just to rule everything out. We were shocked to all be positive! We also flew Lufthansa and they were requiring masks unless eating or drinking. I appreciate you not traveling when you knew you were positive and am sorry we did unknowingly. As it is, I did give it to both my husband and son. This variant is extremely contagious.
    Thank you for the open and honest article!

  65. Thank you so much, Cameron. I have been waiting for such an article. Can anyone fill me in on what happens if, when you are in Germany and Austria, you get Covid and call the number you’re told to call to report that you have Covid? I’ll be in those two countries on an upcoming trip and wonder what their procedures are. I chose to go there rather than countries that, like the US, are more lax, but on the other hand, it may be that they require that one not leave the hotel where one is quarantining. I’d want to go out, masked, for walks, as Cameron did.

    It would be great as well to hear advice from others on what insurance to buy that would cover costs of rebooking and of the hotel stay if one gets sick and does the right thing, staying in place until one is unlikely to be contagious.

    Finally, is it hard to find lodging when one announces, ‘I need a room because I have Covid?’ (Yet surely we should disclose that we do, so that they know to sanitize the room well after we leave, and not to enter the room during our stay.)

  66. Thank you for this post. Covid is freely roaming Europe. Plan on exposure. Insure for risk and loss. You will be among positive people with symptoms and some positive people without symptoms. If you are over 75 and/or immune compromised, please understand your higher personal risk for severe illness and the stress of doctoring while traveling abroad. For any illness, DO everything (like Cameron) you can to stay put when you experience a fever. Covid is here and there. Vaccinate. Boost. Plan appropriately with insurance and set aside extra money for last minute changes, and bring a good attitude for having to adjust your expectations and itinerary.

  67. Thank you for this very informative post and for your considerate decision not to fly home with Covid. You did the right thing. My husband and I caught Covid in Venice last week, when we yielded, outdoors, to the peer pressure of other unmasked tourists. Ferry operators require everyone to wear masks but we stood against the railing on the open deck and occasionally removed ours when it wasn’t crowded. Big mistake, in retrospect. We also ate indoors because of the heat and unbearable humidity.

    I believe the media are partially to blame here because they are downplaying the number of rising cases all over Europe. If this were being reported as a genuine concern, as it has in the past, most people would take greater precautions.

  68. Thank you for this very informative post and for your considerate decision not to fly home with Covid. You did the right thing. My husband and I caught Covid in Venice last week, when we yielded, outdoors, to the peer pressure of other unmasked tourists. Ferry operators require everyone to wear masks but we stood against the railing on the open deck and occasionally removed ours when it wasn’t crowded. Big mistake, in retrospect. We also ate indoors because of the heat and unbearable humidity.

    I believe the media are partially to blame here because they are downplaying the number of rising cases all over Europe. If they were reporting it, as they have done in the past, people would take greater precautions.

  69. Have you considered that the pro-Nessie faction caught up with you and dealt some vengeance on your way out of Scotland?

  70. Cameron, while you and I may not agree entirely, I appreciate you doing the right and difficult thing. If everyone that had symptoms of any illness just stayed home, we would all be better off. I worked with many martyrs over the years that never missed a day of work, but exposed the rest of us to whatever was going around.

  71. Cameron, Thank you for this thoughtful and well-written article, and for doing the right thing. Appreciate your sharing. I’m glad you’re feeling better.

  72. My partner and I leave for Europe on a 9 countries in 90 days adventure on Tuesday 7/12. We are flying Lufthansa and received an email this morning that N95 masks are MANDATORY on all flights. They are even offering covid insurance to German citizens. We have our own travel insurance and 60 N95 masks and a dozen covid tests. Let the adventure begin!

  73. Thank you for an introspective analysis that summarizes what so many of us have (are) going through as international travelers. We just returned from a RSE tour where a few tour members were usually the only people with masks when indoors. Although I, too, got lax in the no-mask environment, we were lucky and returned without incident. In retrospect, it was pure luck considering all the indoor museums, public transport, and restaurants we frequented on the tour. I didn’t realize until we got home from our RSE tour how much the stress of testing positive hung over us the entire time since we didn’t want the same hotel experience that you had. Based on your blog, we’ll be masking vigilantly on our next trip in a few months. Thanks for the wake-up call.

  74. It’s a real shame that ALL countries haven’t “normalized” mask wearing when you’re feeling yucky — especially if sneezing, hacking, coughing, etc. It shouldn’t be weird to wear a mask to protect others! And masking works. Look at the almost non-existent flu case rates over the past2-2/2 years. Kindness and consideration are beautiful attributes and I’m always grateful for anyone practicing them, just as I try to be a conscientiously kind and considerate and compassionate person. Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts.

  75. Cameron, the same thing happened to me in Greece in early May, and of course, I had to remain in Crete for extra days, as I was not ‘allowed’ to fly home. Yet when I finally got clear to come home and went to the Crete airport, at least 95% of the people there — it was packed at 7 AM! — were NOT wearing masks. So is it any wonder Covid is still so rampant. I also believe that most people will not change their ways until someone close to them gets very ill with Covid.
    I believe at this point we are at the point of no return, i.e., the majority of people will NOT mask, exposing ‘at risk’ travelers to infection, and therein is the danger. Me? I continue to wear a mask whenever I go into any inside place, restaurant, retail store, etc. and especially on a plane. It is my only tool (other than being fully vaccinated) to protect myself against serious infection. And I really don’t want to get it again, even though I had a very, very mild case.

  76. Cameron,
    Hope that you’re feeling (and tasting and smelling things) better!
    I’m a SCUBA diver and have great, cost-effective travel and medical insurance through Dan.org (Divers Alert Network). After reading your article, I upgraded my plan to include Covid-related delays.
    Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

  77. Thank-you for your heart-felt story. I think it helps us figure out how to navigate this new world with the pandemic all around us. Sometimes it feels lonely not knowing how others are ethically moving about within this firestorm.

  78. I really appreciate you, Cameron, doing the right thing, and not getting on that plane. I have known others who just wanted to get home, and ignored the questionnaire asking about exposure, and therefore exposed others on the plane home. We all depend on each other in this, and it just makes travel more risky when we don’t consider others.

  79. Really enjoyed reading your piece. But I have to be the bad cop by asking you this: Even if you delayed your return, you got on the plane with a positive Covid test result. It must be a tough call, and I’m intrigued to listen to your elaboration on it because it’s really difficult for me to get over this thought: What if I was the passenger sitting next/close to you on the plane without any idea about the fact that you’re tested positive?

  80. Thank you for your honesty and integrity. Are there websites to check while in Europe to know what the positivity rate is while you’re there? Thanks!

  81. I applaud your willingness to not fly. I wish airlines would have special measures that made the choice to not fly even easier by making a change of plans quick to access and accomplish and financially painless in case of times of sickness. Unfortunately this typically isn’t the case, as you know, and thus it has always been a problem to get people to refrain from traveling when they’re sick.

    I’ve traveled over oceans about 8 times in my life (Europe x 3, NZ, Hawaii x 3). Out of 8 outgoing flights across a great deal of ocean, 2 of them found me next to a very sick fellow traveler. The first time I was one seat away from an elderly man who vomited on the seat between us after his son had left that seat to use the bathroom. We were flying to Europe. It was discovered by the flight attendants that the son had allowed his father to fly despite knowing he was sick due to the inconvenience of cancelling the flight and rebooking at another time. That flight must have been tremendously uncomfortable for the sick man. It was definitely uncomfortable for those of us in close proximity to him. The second time was a young college student on her way back to school in Hawaii after Christmas break. She was walking around the cabin during boarding in a confused, turned-out delirious, way. I had noticed her; she had her hood fully closed around her face with only just enough room to see. I watched as a man noticed that something was wrong and helped her find her seat which turned out to be right next to me. This was before masks were being used in the U.S. We were on the right side of the plane, two lone seats next to each other. She definitely suffered on that long flight, and I definitely had a difficult time relaxing as I started my vacation. I ended up with a 24 hour flu bug a few days after arriving in Hawaii. It could’ve been worse, but it wasn’t fun.

    Thank you for choosing not to fly. I’m sorry those first hours of trying to reschedule your plans were so stressful.

  82. the right Travel insurance would have covered your airline and additional hotel costs and probably your meals during your delay. Not cheap for the “no exceptions” but like other insurance, well worth it if you need it.

  83. Thank you for this, Cameron – I’m going to share it on my Facebook.

    I travel a great deal for business and like you, have been lucky – but this makes me realize my luck could very easily run out. Peer pressure is a terrible thing, so it’s hard not to get influenced, but I’m going to go back to wearing a mask on the plane, and sticking to outdoor dining. So maybe your experience is saving me from getting COVID xx

  84. We sympathise. We too caught Covid in Scotland (Edinburgh) just four weeks ago and our flight wasn’t for another 10 days but back to Australia. Husband had mild symptoms. I had none.

  85. You state “Nobody ever said that the vaccines guaranteed we’d never get COVID.” That is a false statement. People DID say that. Over and over again. Repeatedly. Prominent people, like the Director of the CDC and the President of the United States.

    “Vaccinated people do not carry the virus, don’t get sick, and that is not just in the clinical trials but it’s also in real world data.” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, March 2021 (we knew this to be false, even back then)

    Joe Biden REPEATEDLY — over and over and over again — falsely stated that you can’t get covid or spread it if you’re vaccinated (even AFTER the CDC and Fauci walked back that falsehood when Walensky said it in March)

    “You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations.” (July 2021) ” In October he said people who are vaccinated “cannot spread it to you.” This was also false. And he continued to double down on this rhetoric in December, even after Omicron was here! “How about making sure that you’re vaccinated, so you do not spread the disease to anyone else.”

    How about we stop trying to gaslight people and rewrite history, and admit to the truth that, yes, people DID say you wouldn’t catch it or pass it on if you were vaccinated. In fact, they said it so much, that many people are STILL saying it or believing it.

    1. I have been a nurse for 40 years. Cared for one of the first AIDs patients in my state and one of the first patients who died from Hantavirus (both young and very healthy). When caring for the AIDS patient, they told us we didn’t need to wear gloves when drawing his blood or starting an IV since it was a “sexually transmitted” disease. I guess I learned from caring for these young men that when a disease is new or “novel”, they really don’t know all the answers and are giving you their best guess. My experience has taught me to be more cautious then what they recommend, as I know it will take a couple of years until they really understand the new disease. I worked in the ICU during the pandemic before the vaccines were readily available. My first shift, the 9 sickest patients were younger than me. There is still a lot we have to learn about this disease. Why some healthy young people, without any risk factors, get sick and die and a 90 year old gets a mild case. I give people grace when they make mistakes and hope someone else will give it back to me when I make mistakes.

  86. Cameron,
    Thank you for sharing your story and writing it so eloquently. I too tested positive the day before my flight home from Paris although a negative test was still a CDC requirement back in mid-May. I also received a booster right before I traveled to Europe and had many negative Covid tests over the past two years. I visited Amsterdam at the tail end of the trip and let my guard down and somewhere contracted Covid. The six additional days in my Paris airport hotel for quarantine were very lonely and isolating. I was so ready to be home after three weeks of travel. I’m glad the testing requirement was lifted but I wish the airlines still required masks. I saw only a handful of masked passengers on my return flight to Los Angeles (including myself).

    However that being said Paris was remarkably lovely this spring as was Amsterdam. I felt very fortunate to be there and the rather anticlimactic ending didn’t take away from what was otherwise a very good travel experience.

  87. Thanks Cameron for the honest and thoughtful article. I am in Ireland right at this moment on a RS Best of Ireland Tour trying to navigate through Covid. On the evening of day 5 in Dingle, my wife began not to feel well and tested positive. I can verify that right now in Ireland, even with Covid on the rise, that mask wearing is very very rare in enclosed public places. We can easily see where places like Epic, National Museum, and even Newgrange can be extremely problematic. Had we to do over again with what we know now, we would have skipped the mega “super-spreaders” and focused on more outdoor and less confined activities. But it is impossible to know this when you are planning a trip and health indicators and warnings are lagging. Now we too are trying to figure out lodging/transportation “off tour” without really knowing how long recovery/symptoms will take. RSE would benefit from establishing a hot line in addition to Travel Guard for support as this situation does have a surprising amount of trauma that would benefit from some gentle guiding hands beyond policy and you are now on your own. This is tough stuff and complicated to navigate. Again, thank you for your frankness – Covid is still alive and well and wants to disrupt your travel dreams.

    1. Headed to Ireland in September. Curious how you handled group meals? And even masked in public spaces (museums, castles), you felt vulnerable? Just trying to figure out how best to enjoy the trip to Ireland and to remain as safe as possible. TIA

  88. One of my concerns is the relatively recent increase in “I was exposed to COVID, had COVID symptoms, tested repeatedly and was negative every time” My husband came home from a trip on Memorial Day and tested positive the next morning. He gets Paxlovid and feels fine literally in about 2 days. I’m double boosted, but 4 days later I start the sore throat, runny nose thing and haven’t been exposed to anybody but Hubby. I test then, 2 days and 3 days into something that is clearly viral and down in my chest, not just allergies and I’m still negative at home so day 4 I go to a site doing molecular testing, still negative. I stay home except for masked essential shopping (since I’m negative and he was positive) until 10 days after he should have turned negative but continue to hack for 3 weeks and mask 100% of the time when out of the house the whole 3 weeks. It was barely worse than an average cold, although I bet I would have gotten better faster with Paxlovid but never qualified to get it. Finally, a month after my bout, I read that with the newest variant, people can shed for several days without testing positive, especially if fully immunized. Our 39 year old daughter living on the East Coast is currently recovering from COVID after meeting friends at a West Coast airport, all of them testing negative for COVID right before driving 2 hours to a mutual destination with everyone unmasked, even though one passenger was coughing. Her passenger tests positive the next morning and THEN starts to isolate, but daughter starts feeling “funny” but negative within 48 hours. She’s still negative and flies home masked, much as Cameron did, and doesn’t test positive herself until she’s been home 36 hours and feeling much worse for 12. At least eventually turning positive she was able to get Paxlovid and is feeling better faster than I did. Don’t trust a negative test if the symptoms are right, especially after a known exposure.

    1. I caught a secondary bacterial infection about 8 or 9 days after my positive viral Covid test. I’d already started feeling much better from the Covid when I felt the new pain in my chest and lungs start up. I did an online appointment with my doctor, who proscribed antibiotics, which worked quickly. Within about 24 hours I was feeling much better from *that*. My husband followed the same pattern as me (Covid then a new cough) and didn’t bother calling his doc for antibiotics. So, he suffered though another week of illness, perhaps needlessly. So, if you’re sick and test negative for Covid, maybe you have something else that antibiotics can treat.

  89. Here’s the big caveat. How many people are motivated to wear masks on the way to a RS tour so they do not get covid and have to leave the tour? Yet they may waffle on the return trip if they do have covid.
    Much different motivation than the choice on returning to US despite having covid verses not.

  90. Thank you for highlighting the issue of ethical choices. Do my actions align with my values and ethics? The calculus is complicated. Like others who have responded, I appreciate your candid description of how you made your decisions as much as I value the details about lodging/testing/flying/etc you write about.

  91. Cameron, thank you for sharing your experience and making a good choice to stay where you were. The comments were also helpful in understanding the broad range of travel experiences people are currently having worldwide.

    I love traveling, but don’t have any travel plans to fly anywhere since masking requirements were recently lifted here in the USA. Last time I flew in September of 2021, everyone was masked in airports and on the planes and that felt safer to me. Our travels will be by car for the near future. We still eat outdoors when meeting friends and family. I still wear N95 masks indoors when in stores. We self-test if we feel under the weather especially since our area is indicating rapidly increasing omicron rates from the new more contagious variant. We also increase any reported rate, as that indicator is probably low given that many people are self-testing and not reporting positive results to states, and states are no longer reporting as frequently if at all to CDC.

    Covid is in no way endemic at this point in time even though countries would like us to think that’s the case.

  92. Thank you for posting your thoughts and experiences in having Covid while traveling. My husband contracted Covid in March when we were traveling on business in Germany, and passed it to me. We isolated in our hotel room- thankfully not in a popular tourist destination, so it was easy to extend our stay. My husband’s course of illness was relatively easy, like yours, mine was more like a cross between the flu and bronchitis; I had a higher fever, and was sick for longer. In March, we didn’t have the choice of flying home to the U.S. while positive. I doubt we would have, though, but I’m glad you were honest about your struggle in making that decision. Glad neither of us were so sick as to require formal medical care, since that is also a possible outcome. As we had been scheduled to fly to Barcelona from Essen, we also had to deal with Lufthansa’s telephone hell, you have my sympathies!

  93. Cameron, thanks for this article. As I will be on a tour of Ireland this September, I’m struggling with those included meals that are indoors. I have no problems masking indoors, as I do currently, but I still don’t eat at restaurants indoors in the U.S. Plenty of choices, but probably not so in Ireland. You mentioned this as well. So what to do if one’s ready to get back to travel?? I’m considering joining with the group at those included meals to be social, but keep masked and possibly get my meal “to go” to be eaten in my room. Curious what you’d recommend for future travel. Number of positive cases are climbing in Europe & the U.S.

  94. Great post! I flew back to Seattle from Norway on July 3, and I started having symptoms and tested positive on July 6. I suspect I would have gone through all the same thought processes you did had this hit me while I was still abroad. I was masked on my flights and public transportation, but after spending two weeks in the maskless Europe you describe, I mostly let my guard down in airports and other crowded spots. Thankful for the vaccines, thankful my symptoms are gradually improving, and thankful I was home when it happened.

  95. Cameron,

    I appreciate your post. I got covid on our Loire Valley trip in May. We were also lucky that our hotel in Sarlat was able to extend our stay. The proprietors were very helpful. I’m hoping that Rick Steves tours are taking our suggestions to heart that tours minimize the number of extended indoor meals that were a big part of our trip. France had just stopped requiring masks when we went on tour so servers and other customers were no longer wearing masks. I am sure that this increased our risk factor. Now that covid is increasing dramatically in Europe this is even more important for the safety of future travelers.

  96. We just returned yesterday from a 14-day small ship cruise from Barcelona to London. Of the 24 people in our group, eight tested positive for Covid. They were confined to their rooms until they tested negative. My husband and I masked up in all the public rooms, on buses and in museums, in the airports and on the planes. But in many public spaces we were about the only ones masked. So far, we have tested negative.

  97. This is one of the many reasons why I so appreciate the RS team. Thanks for sharing your experience Cameron. This discussion is important to have so that we can all be better travellers. Being a traveller (yes, I am using the Cdn spelling :-) ) is about taking responsibility and planning well, and that includes buying good insurance. We never leave the country with out it. In the past 6 months we have had travelled to Iceland, the Caribbean, and Egypt/Jordan and have had fabulous, Covid free experiences. We wore our masks all the time and took precautions. We were surprised that two people our age (60’s) could feel peer pressure to remove our masks. However, we did not give in to the urge (and it was present), and managed to return home with out covid. Keep on travelling and wearing a mask everyone.

  98. Thanks for sharing your experience. I can 100% without equivocation say if I tested positive away from home while traveling, I would still get on my flight home. I’m vaccinated and double boosted. I do all the necessary hygiene to keep safe and still wear a mask in crowded settings. I’ve done my part as a human in this world. We are a filthy species, and people still pick their nose in public, don’t cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing, walk out of a public bathroom without washing their hands. Why should I think about them when they clearly don’t care about themselves or others? There are so many people that are positive and don’t know it, and they are just as likely to spread the virus as someone who has symptoms. Then there are the unvaccinated. This virus will be with us forever in some form or mutation just like the flu and the common cold.

  99. Cameron,

    Thank you for your honest description of your Covid journey home. It certainly reminds one there are options and consequences for those options. You made the correct decision in our eyes but everyone may not have that same vision. We really enjoyed your The Temporary European book. Keep the great blogs and books coming!

    1. Ditto to John & Laura’s book review. I just finished “The Temporary European” and loved every page, every story, and every tour guide challenge you described. I now have a few more destinations on my bucket list so I can experience the places you highlighted. Thank you for the book and the travel inspiration.

  100. I understand this is not the subject of this post however I’d like to make an important correction about something you misspoke about and that is the brilliant Googlebox. I share your love of this fantastic show and watch it as much as possible when in the UK. That said, the U.S. *DID* have a fantastic version of this show called The Peoples Couch. It ran on Bravo for a few seasons and I could not understand why it wasn’t revived during the pandemic. Oh the lost opportunities!!!

    That said I do appreciate this reflection and would just acknowledge the privilege involved of being able to make the choice financially. It’s an important factor especially when weighed up against as you say that once in a lifetime trip you’ve delayed for 3 years and maybe had saved up to take.

  101. I didn’t see that you re-tested after a 5 day quarentine. I think it needs mention that not all countries follow CDC 5 day rule. I’m in Italy and on day 10 of quarentine still testing positive this morning…although the line is very, very faint. You also mentioned going out once or twice a day….srsly? I guess I am fortunate to be in an apartment with a kitchen. I waitied until I was almost totally out of food before dashing into a shop fully masked up for some necessary items. My landlord insists I need to test negative ….I will probably venture out after today….mostly to purchase additional rapid test supplies. I have not seen many people wearing masks on public transport (as required) so with rates climbing in Italy I find this very unsettling. People ignore the announcements which is easy since I have yet to see anyone checking for violations on any train, tram, bus etc. People need to take personal responsibility. I guess, ignorance is bliss…..if you don’t test, you don’t know.

  102. Cameron

    Thanks for sharing your complete humanity.

    You are a model human being. I would want to have you be my tour guide.

  103. Last night we finished Day 1 of the Venice, Florence, Rome tour. This morning my husband tested positive. Like you, we haven’t worn masks after 2 shots & 3 boosters. We are no longer on the tour and I’m working thru details to go back to SC. We will be able to stay at the hotel for 4 more days, but the airline requires 5 days negative! Trying to stay calm so as my husband won’t have to think about it. It will all work out, but lesson learned. We will be wearing masks from here on out!

  104. Thank you Cameron for this kickstarter. Thanks to everyone showing up here. We definitely don’t want to stop traveling. Insurance protection is necessary now. Masking with KN95, fully vaxed, eating outdoors, handwashing works apparently, and sometimes you still get infected. So don’t spread it, wait it out to test negative and deal. Its not a germ free world even if staying home. We have been lucky and felt we needed to do our part to look out for ourselves and others with masks. Nice that others appreciate it and we have no regrets. We have a cruise in March to Greece and road trip to Italy. So this is very much on our mind as to Question worth the risk or not. Handle responsibly. Personal hygiene like in Japan is commendable. Will take these replies to heart. Hope it gets better for everyone next year, and during these holidays. Stay healthy!

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