3 Ways The Travel Industry Can Better Accommodate COVID-Cautious and Immunocompromised Travelers

jennifer96117
3 days ago
6 min read

And notes about the honeymoon that gave me Long-COVID

Text: Ways The Travel Industry Can Better Accommodate COVID-Cautious Travelers. Background: Sunglasses, plane, mask, pink theme.

Last newsletter, I said that my next blog post would be about how I got Long-COVID from getting the virus on my honeymoon in 2022. Frankly, as I was writing this, I realized that there wasn’t much to say, besides a few irrelevant, sort of interesting tidbits like:

Deciding to trust negative rapid tests when you have symptoms on vacation is not a good idea, especially if your plans include walking over 15,000 steps on a tour of the Italian coast the next day.
Cruise doctors claim to have PCR tests, but they are actually using rapid tests, and they do not perform nasal swabs correctly.
Yes, I was in Rome. No, I shouldn’t have decided to walk half of the city after mandatory quarantine (when it was still a thing in Italy), as soon as I took a negative rapid test. But I did see the beautiful rescue cats at Torre Argentina (and other, less furry, ancient Rome stuff).
I saw Russell Crowe at the Colosseum. I thought he was Mel Gibson (sorry, Russell).
I think the guy who gave me COVID was the man sitting next to us on our plane to Rome, who I thought was Paddy Considine from the first season of House of the Dragon for half of the flight (Not Paddy, just the harbinger of my permanent disability).
Private Italian hospitals are not great (who needs AC, right?), but at least my translator knew fluent English from watching Netflix.

Instead of delving into the intricacies of the Italian medical system in 2022, I would instead like to highlight a few ways the travel industry can be more accommodating to those who are immunocompromised or take viral precautions. The following is a small snippet of a much larger article I am writing to submit for publication.

The travel industry has come a long way in accommodating those with certain accessibility needs, but there is so much further to go, and for a certain (increasing) subset of the population who cannot get sick, we aren’t even at the starting line.

Being immunocompromised has been a valid medical condition since way before the pandemic reared its ugly head, but because of the pandemic, more of us are at risk now more than ever. The number of people who are immunocompromised is growing rapidly (the last time the U.S. Household Pulse Survey collected data on long-COVID, the prevalence increased by 3.9% from 2022 to 2024). Yet, when it comes to disability advocacy in travel (except for a few small circles), there is not a peep about crucial safety measures and disease prevention.

I get it. Not everything can be accessible to everyone all of the time. But when getting a tour operator to mask is like pulling teeth, or when no one at the hotel knows how their air ventilation works, or if rooms are sharing germs, it becomes overwhelmingly obvious that we aren’t thought of at all.

But we still want to travel. I have over 600 people belonging to my Facebook group for COVID-Cautious travellers, and I have seen thousands of posts on Facebook and Reddit begging for accommodations, resorts, cruises, or tours that will fit their needs.

So, here are three things I would like to see more of in the industry. These are things that would not only benefit immunocompromised people but would also prevent more outbreaks and illnesses for everyone, no matter their health. Who wants to be sick on their vacation, anyway?

Clean Air

Hey hotels, why not put quality MERV 13 filters in your HVAC system? Why can’t we have air purifiers in every room? Tour operators, consider buses with windows that open and dining reservations where there are outdoor seating areas. Resorts and cruises, let’s offer more outdoor activities. Let’s offer room service for free.

The odds of catching COVID indoors are over 18x higher than outside, especially if your room does not have great air circulation (you can usually tell by testing it using a CO2 monitor. The higher the CO2, the less the air is circulating). For those who are high-risk, eating indoors is downright scary due to the inability to mask. Offering activities outside or updating the quality of air inside doesn’t eliminate the risk of getting sick. However, for those who take precautions, cleaner air is a major tool that helps lower their risk and can be the difference between their masks or other precautions working or failing. It also means that your customers are less likely to get sick, and thus, less likely to cancel or stay locked in their room, not participating in activities or spending money.

This isn’t just good for a small subset of the population. This is good for your business, too. Do you really want sickness spreading around?

Masks

Please, for the love of all that is good in this world, consider offering mask-only tours. It doesn’t have to be often. Just once a month, or heck, I’d take once a year. This is especially true if you advertise as “accessible”. If a random travel agent (hint: me) asks your employees to wear respiratory protection (KN95s or N95s) on private tours or chartered cruises, please find an employee who is able and willing to. You are not breaking any ethical or legal code for requesting that employees accommodate someone with a disability that is not visible. You are just losing a significant amount of money.

If you are a staff member in the travel industry and see someone masking, and you can do so, ask if they would like you to mask. I cannot begin to describe how much joy this will likely bring them. Wearing a mask when you see someone else wearing one isn’t just about preventing them from getting an illness. It shows that you care about their well-being and see them as a person. If you do not have a mask on you, ask anyway. Oftentimes, we have extra masks with us. We will happily give you one, as well as a very nice tip.

People often fear masks because of the pandemic. I get it. It was an awful time. But for some of us, a properly fitted N95 is often the only thing that allows us to go out and live our lives. For the immunocompromised and people suffering from long-COVID, it could really be a life-or-death situation. It’s no more of a political statement than a wheelchair or a service animal. It is what we need to function. Masking with us shows that you understand, you are here to help, and that we aren’t alone. It’s basic solidarity.

Inclusion

Colorful sign with "You belong" text on a mosaic pattern. Surrounded by lush green leaves, creating an inclusive and welcoming mood.

When you talk about accessible travel, accessible travel blogs, and influencers, mention us. Post yourself wearing a mask from time to time. Read up about what masks are best and the Swiss cheese model. Help people understand that we exist, and we would very much like to be a part of the conversation. Invite us on your podcasts. Help us so that tour operators, resorts, and other vacation suppliers know that not only do we exist, but we are a growing and profitable market to accommodate.

These aren’t difficult things to do. These aren’t expensive things to do. Frankly, with the current high respiratory season (flu is apparently the highest it has been in years), they are the practical things to do. They are also the bare minimum. So go on, get. Do it.

Do you have any demands for the travel industry? Things you would like to see done differently? Write it in the comments.