European Travel After Coronavirus

I went back and forth on the title of this post. Coronavirus is by no means “over” in the EU, but it is under control to the point where holiday travel is allowed again. I decided to go ahead with this title because my experience with European travel after coronavirus is likely to be the same sort of travel experience we have moving forward.

Jon and I took our first flight two weeks ago to Antibes in the South of France. Since we were some of the first people to take a trip within Europe after reopening, I thought it would be a good idea to share my experience with you. Whether you’re in Europe or in the US, it’s looking like this will be the future of travel after the pandemic.

Keep reading for my experience with European travel after coronavirus. Are you planning any trips? Let me know in the comments!

Xx, Kelsey

BOOKING A FLIGHT

I waited until the last minute to book our flight. Jon and I had been watching things unfold as Europe slowly started to reopen. While I felt very good about the chances that France would open to the Netherlands, I wanted to be 100% sure we’d be allowed to go without quarantining for two weeks. Once we got the official green light, I booked our flights on Transavia.

Ideally, I would have wanted to book on KLM because of their safety measures and cancellation policy, but here’s the truth about European travel after coronavirus: it’s more expensive and less convenient. All flights to Nice from KLM had a layover in Paris and were almost double the price. We wanted to minimize our contact in additional airports. Plus the flight to Nice is only 1.5 hours.

Transavia turned out to be a better price, although still more than we would have paid pre-pandemic. There was only one flight to Nice per day. The good thing is they do have a good cancellation policy, and would allow us to re-book to the same destination anytime before March 31st, 2021 if we decided not to go.

HEADING TO THE AIRPORT

I was a little apprehensive on the day of the flight. At this point, I had taken trains and metros, but wasn’t sure what to expect on a flight. A good friend had flown on KLM early that morning and had told us the airport was packed. It took them an hour to check a bag. Thankfully when we arrived for our early afternoon flight, everything went smoothly like it always has at Schiphol Airport. The airport was nearly dead, and we made it through security in 10 minutes.

TAKING THE FLIGHT

I was pleasently surprised when we boarded our flight. The Transavia flight attendant handed us a paper menu and wipes for our seat. We had come prepared with our own wipes, but it was good to know that the airline was taking some precautions. (Also airplanes are already gross!)

Unfortunately, the flight was COMPELTELY full. We booked exit row seats for extra space and were crossing our fingers that we’d have the row to ourselves. Unfortunately not the case.

We made sure not to purchase any snacks or drinks on the flight. It’s only 1.5 hours, so it’s really not necesesary. I just can’t imagine taking my mask off at the same time as everyone else on the plane to eat.

Overall, both the flight there and back went smoothly. We were a little stressed that they’d check passports and judge that we are American (even though we have NL residence visas). But things were exactly as normal as before coronavirus, and there were no checks. We filled out a form confirming we had no symptoms, but they were never collected.

MASK WEARING

Now the part I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for. Did people actually wear their masks during travel? Yes and no. We saw many people who wore their masks from entering the airport until they left (present company included). We also saw many people who wore their masks under their nose, under their chin, or hanging off their ears. Neither Jon nor I ended up sick from this, but boy did it make me mad. If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t travel. Other than the couple of very disrespectful people, everything was fine.

THE ACTUAL HOLIDAY

The South of France was absolutely amazing and exactly what we needed after months in our apartment. There were very few measures being taken. Masks were only required in Ubers, although we did see quite a few elderly people wearing them about town. Restaurants and streets were decently packed, although nowhere near as packed as they’d be during normal high season. Despite the lack of masks and distancing, we didn’t feel particularly unsafe. In fact, it felt pleasantly “normal.”

If you’re interested in visiting the South of France, you can check out my Antibes guide in this post. It’s definitely possible to do more distancing if you’re uncomfortable. We rented a private boat and spent a lot of time at beach clubs that had plenty of space. A few photos from the trip below.

WOULD I BOOK EUROPEAN TRAVEL AFTER CORONAVIRUS AGAIN?

Absolutely. In fact, Jon and I are looking to travel to Greece next month. While there were some stressful moments during post-pandemic travel, it mostly boiled down to not knowing what to expect. Now that we’ve experienced European travel after coronavirus, I’m ready to get back out there.

One thing I will say, is that I’m not yet sure about traveling outside the EU, especially to the United States. If you have experience with this, I’d love to hear about it. Send me an email or leave it in the comments!