Travel & Costume Events During the Pandemic

Starting in spring 2020, all our big costume events — whether Costume College, sci-fi conventions, academic conferences, dress-up balls and parties — were canceled due to the global pandemic. Travel of most any kind was prohibited as well. In a health emergency, this makes good sense as COVID-19 is spread through the air and contact with groups of people increases the chance of catching the disease. But now, in late 2021, most everyone in the U.S. has access to free vaccines that will protect against the worst effects of COVID. This is true across much of Europe as well. We know that masking, contact tracing, and testing also help control the spread of this disease, and these tools are widely available in many places.

Now, I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but I do follow my doctor’s advice and I read the science as published by the CDC (not random crap on YouTube!), and I believe that, at some point, we have to take reasonable precautions so we can continue to live our lives. I came of age during the first onslaught of AIDS, and it’s natural to compare living with COVID to safer sex. You have to mitigate risk with all the tools available, and keep on living. That’s why I recently took my first big international trip for a costume event in fall 2021. It was AMAZING and did wonders to improve my mental health, though I did have to do a lot of specific preparations that I would never have had to before. Maybe my experience can help those wondering about travel and costume events during this pandemic — since we really don’t know when (or if) it will end and I bet you’ll want to attend something somewhere outside your neighborhood with someone in the next year or two!

Here’s what I did (and will continue to do) so I can travel and attend costume events during this pandemic.

 

Get Vaccinated!

This should be obvious, but I’m gonna say it. Only travel and/or go to costume events after you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you’re one of the very few folks who can’t be vaccinated, sorry, then you aren’t safe to travel or go to costume events either. Until kids under 12 can be vaccinated, you probably don’t want to take them on your travels or to costume events, and you may consider carefully whether or not you should travel or go to costume events and return home to them.

Large venues like concerts and Broadway shows are requiring proof of vaccination, and many European Union countries have strict quarantine restrictions on unvaccinated travelers (and who wants to spend the first week of your trip stuck in a hotel?). Getting vaccinated before traveling isn’t just a good idea, it may be mandated.

 

Start Local & Small

You may want to ease yourself back in to costume events. It’s been a tough time for everyone! Start out with something low pressure and lower risk. Consider having an outdoor gathering with local friends, all vaccinated of course (unvaxxed folks aren’t my friends, thankyouverymuch). This can be a lot of fun and a great way to “remember” how to dress up and socialize.

I’ve hosted a Bridgerton-inspired party in my backyard and attended a medieval fantasy picnic in a nearby park. Both were fabulous ways to see friends again after such a long time cooped up alone in my house wearing baggy clothes.

With a few of these types of events under your belt, you may feel ready to head farther afield. That’s when you’ll want to do some planning, because travel during this pandemic isn’t as straightforward as it may have been in the past.

 

Research Your Destination

There will be rules, and the rules may change frequently! But hey, it’s all online, so just check the destination’s website every week or so as you’re planning your trip. For international travel, watch for requirements on proof of vaccination and negative COVID tests for entry, plus tests after you arrive. There may also be specific forms you need to fill out before arrival. None of this is terribly complicated, but you do need to complete all this stuff before you arrive at the airport, both coming and going.

Also research the site where your costume event is held. Does it require proof of vaccination and/or a negative COVID test? Is there a specific format, like a QR code in an app you need to download in advance? Again, this stuff can be found online or where you got your ticket.

For traveling to the U.K., I had to provide a negative COVID test before getting on my flight, and I had to book and pay for a COVID test in advance to be taken on the second day after I’d arrived. This second-day test booking gave me a code that I put on the Passenger Locator Form which I had to complete on the U.K. government’s website before leaving for the airport. All this, plus my proof of vaccination, meant I didn’t have to quarantine in the U.K.

France accepted my CDC card as proof of vaccination for arrival, and I applied for a French health pass online in advance. This generated a QR code to add to the Tous Anti COVID app, which I could use in France as proof of vaccination at restaurants and at the Grand Trianon party in Versailles. While two people in my group had this app, one person didn’t receive the QR code in time and was able to show his CDC card and get in.

 

Mask Up, Especially for Transportation

Always bring a mask with you and be prepared to wear it. All airports and flights require masking, and most public transportation does as well. Lyft and Uber also require masks in the U.S. and abroad.

In London, I saw about two-thirds of people on the Underground wearing masks. This is about the same as I’ve seen in the SF Bay Area on BART.  There’s higher compliance on local busses in my hometown, probably because bus drivers can stop people.

I went to museums and a theater performance in London, and everyone was wearing masks, as the venues requested. Museums also had timed entries which you had to book in advance (even when entry was free). This limited the number of people inside the museums at any one time, which helped with social distancing.

I saw sporadic mask-wearing on the streets. Grocery stores and drug stores had more mask wearers, and some shops or restaurants had all the staff wearing masks. Basically it was no big deal wearing a mask wherever I needed or wanted to.

The Versailles party I attended was mostly outside and all attendees had to show proof of vaccination, so I felt fine not wearing a mask there. I saw a couple folks wearing masks, and the event asked attendees to wear mask at the indoor buffet.

 

Expect Contactless Everything

Americans, cash is dead! This is probably no big deal to Europeans and Asians, but in ‘Murica we’re stuck on paper bills ‘n coins. Well, fuggadaboutit. Use your debit / credit card for everything now. The pandemic has killed cash, so don’t bother with the ATM. Even the smallest store and the tiniest transaction may be done without coins.

I work in fin-tech and even I was surprised at how little I needed cash. Sure, you can use it, but you don’t need to nine times out of ten. Do check that your debit / credit card is chip not swipe and even better if it’s tap to pay. Look for this symbol on your card:

 

Test and Test Again

To return to the U.S., everyone is required to have a negative COVID test, so plan to get that done before you leave your destination. And when you get home, you might want to do another test a few days after you’re back. Where I live, free tests can be done at many drug stores or you can buy an at-home test for about $25. It’s a little peace of mind to round out the trip.

 

These are just my recommendations and experiences. I hope everyone thinks carefully about what’s reasonable to do during this pandemic so you can balance safety and fun.

In a blog post on Rick Steves Europe, Cameron Hewitt recently wrote:

“We all have those things we can only go for so long without — things we’re just not willing to give up. For you, it may be birthday parties, live theater, book group, poker night, or college football games. For me, it’s traveling in Europe.

… travel is a calling — something that brings us not just enjoyment, but meaning. For me, travel goes beyond mere “leisure.” Travel isn’t optional; it feeds my soul. I’ve devoted my career to travel not because it’s fun, but because it’s transformative.”

Travel feeds my soul too. It’s not my career like Hewitt’s, but travel and costume events are what make my job and ordinary life better. Everyone’s pandemic has had unique trials. Mine has been adjusting to living solo after 20+ years. My original post-divorce plan was lots of socializing with my wonderful friends, so many costume events, and tons of travel. That got derailed, and all I did was work from home, with an occasional visit with 1 or 2 friends in my backyard. That was tough for this extroverted introvert.

Taking a trip during the pandemic was a little glimpse into what my new normal might be. Travel with lots of precautions and advance planning. Seeing fewer but dearer friends in more amazing ways. I’ll take it, because it’s hella better than the last year of isolation.