During this pandemic, the majority have lost the opportunity to travel and hit the road, maybe, a few get lucky to plan out and do a long road trip as vaccines finally rolled out in the Philippines.
If sooner or later you will be having your road trip, you better plan out carrying and packing the essential things you will be needing as the pandemic has not yet ended.
Here are a few tips and a quick list of the essential things that you do not wish to miss out on your road trip.
Ensure the Safety of the Road
When the pandemic started one of the few things people avoid is commuting or public transport. It is now common knowledge that the virus easily spreads in close contact with people. Thus, avoiding such public areas can be a major recommendation.
If you do not have a private vehicle to hit the long road trip, we recommend postponing the urgency to travel unless it is business-related. Leisure can wait for us until the situation gets better.
COVID-19 Road Safety Tips
At this time of the pandemic, traveling has become different. Nowadays, you will be needing to secure a pair of masks and shields if you are traveling to public places as it is required in most cities and localities in the Philippines.
You might also need to pre-book your accommodation if you plan to stay in a hotel. Before so, you might also include checking the quarantine protocols and security in the areas you will be passing through.
Some cities and localities will require you to present the necessary documents for your trip. For more additional safety tips, always bring some personal stuff you may use during your travel especially when staying in a hotel, you may bring your pillow and sleeping sheets for added safety and precaution.
Most importantly bring alcohol, and spare facemasks and face shields along the way as most stores or pharmacies may not be operational during this pandemic.
Know The Route
Plan especially if your destination will require you for quarantine. Pre-arranging your travel destination gives you a more proper visit with all the spots you wish to check on the area listed. Plus, you will not miss out on any spots if you listed everything accordingly.
On the other hand, listing the sites you wish to visit brings you more to careful planning and preparation as you can be able to ask information if those sites listed in your bucket list are open or accepting any tourists at this time.
One more thing you need to consider on your route is the presence or locations of conveniences or stores, gasoline stations, and medical centers. Although, we will be suggesting you pack other essential items but just in case you forgot one you will know where to hit the road to find food, medicine, or fuel.
It might also be a good thing to make a stop on these hubs so you can glimpse of how your destination will feel along the way, somehow, local stores can open a few direct information about the place you are visiting.
Secure Maps
In this digital age having a map installed in your car dashboard can make traveling easier. Even your smartphones can also provide the right detour going to your destination. But it will be important that you can have an alternative map for some areas that can be too remote you can easily lose your signal, or your phone battery might drain as well.
Thus, keeping things traditional is also good, purchase a local map in the area to have a better hardcopy of the place.
Take a Break
Long road trips are tiring and one of the often causes of vehicular or road accidents is getting sleepy, tired, or drunk. If you are traveling with someone else who can drive take a switch on driving.
It won’t be bad if you pull the car and take a break from the road. Move out of the car and stretch your body a little every after two hours of driving. In the meantime, you may also pull over to some beautiful locations you may see along the road.
Just don’t forget to take extra precautions as you move out of the car, wear your face mask always and properly.
Bring Enough Drinking Water
If you are planning for a long road trip it will be better if you bring your water storage or canister. Purchasing more than five 1-liter bottles of distilled water from the market does not help the environment at all.
Perhaps, stock up your water bottles as you hit the road. You can also bring a cooler if you want to maintain cold water along the road.
Bring Sufficient Fuel
If the area you pre-planned do not have nearby gasoline stations, it will be a clever move to fully store your gas tank. It is also recommended that you bring more fuel that is properly stored in the car trunk.
Although, if the area is quite developed and you can see some nearby gasoline stations in the vicinity you may not bring extra fuel. This can lighten your load too if the situation goes lucky.
Pack Enough Food
Default traveling essential involves food no matter its pandemic or not and we suggest you bring food that can cover you or the whole travel team for at least two days. You might encounter some untoward events that can make you stay in a place longer than expected.
Packing easy-to-cook or ready-to-eat food items is one thing to do before hitting the road especially when the area you are visiting does not have conveniences or food marts.
Consider the Weather
One more important thing is to check the weather condition and forecast the areas you will be driving on your way to your destination. Study the near dates of your travel and consider if there is a storm approaching on the dates of your travel.
If you are in a serious need to travel for business or work purposes it will be better to keep your family updated during your trip so they can know whether you are safe or in trouble.
Check your Vehicle Condition
Your car will be your best travel buddy this pandemic as public, or commuting can be troublesome and unsafe nowadays. Before you hit the long road, you may opt to check your vehicle condition.
If you are not familiar with your car’s health you may need to ask for a professional to look over your car’s state. Plus, you can also tell the mechanic how you are planning to use your car for a long journey. Letting the mechanic know can also provide them information on whether what improvements can be done to your car before traveling.
Bring First Aid Kit
Bringing a first aid kit is also vital to any trip because accidents happen by surprise. And it will be appropriate to bring the necessary first aid for any minor or major injuries along your tip.
A few necessary things to pack inside your first aid kit will be the following items:
- alcohol
- snake bite kit
- tourniquet
- compression bandages
- bandaids
- antibiotics
- tampons
- space blanket
- antiseptic cream
- antiseptic wipes
- saline solution
- triangle bandage
- tweezers
- scissors
- antihistamines
- basic pain killers
- CPR mask
- sunscreen and zinc
- water purification tablets
- aqua ear
- eye drops
- moisturizing cream
- hand sanitizer
- sunglasses/safety glasses and
- mosquito repellent
Consider other Items to Bring
There are also a few things you might check to pack which include sanitary items such as rolls of toilet paper. You may also need to pack a compass, a lighter, headtorch, batteries, matches, and other items you will need if you are planning to go hiking on your trip.
Safety Before Leisure
It is recommended that during this height of the pandemic, individuals will stay at home to lessen the risks of getting infected. The government has equally distributed vaccines and other policies to secure the well-being of the public.
Authorized personnel to go outside residence are also keen on understanding the risks while working outside their homes. Hence, if you are planning to go on a leisure trip. Currently, we encourage you to postpone and stay at home while the Delta variant is increasing in the country.
Lastly, you may also prioritize getting vaccinated before any schedule of traveling outside your residences.
