Travel -> apprehensive

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gayl

gayl

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My next cruise is in 3 weeks. I do staycations here all the time: SF, Mt Diablo, Delta, wine country, and Sonoma / Mendocino. I love traveling. But I'm becoming a little apprehensive about going to Seattle. I'm leaving an area with 81% fully vaxed / 5% partially vaxed and going into an area with only 57.3% vaxed. I will mask up and am searching for a better mask (N95 or KN95) because I only need a dbl layer here. The ship requires everyone to be fully vaxed so I'll relax there.

I want to go but any tips on how to deal with my nagging concern??
 
You are not alone. We have exactly the same issue. It has caused us to reconsider, and now decide, to not attend a family wedding in another part of the country.

Too many of the attendees are the huggy kissy type. Usually that is OK, but not in these times when some who will be attending take their covid medical advice from politicians and/or faith leaders.

We are vaxed up however we would hate to unknowingly contract the virus and subsequently pass it on to our grandchildren.
 
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If you are fully vaccinated (Pfizer or Moderna), then IMHO you should do your best to relax and get on with living your best life. Definitely buy some good, quality KN95 masks, and wear them whenever and wherever it seems prudent. You are very protected by the vaccine, even against the Delta variant, and wearing well-fitted masks will give you even more protection as well as preventing any inadvertent spread.

At some point, you have to weigh the risks of getting back out into the world (very low) against the cost of living a more sheltered, worried, "smaller" life (very high, especially for those of us in the older age brackets).
 
I know- I'm supposed to go on a small-ship cruise in Alaska next month. All passengers and crew must be vaccinated and have negative COVID test, I've taken this company in Alaska and loved it.

But... the Delta variant is out there. The airports and planes are Petri dishes. The travel blogs describe all the issues with the airlines being understaffed and the "I don't need no stinkin' mask" people on planes. I was diagnosed with leaky heart valves a couple of months ago and although I can enjoy kayaking, skiff expeditions and level walks, going uphill for long distances is no longer an option. Too uncomfortable and my cardiologist says to listen to my body's signals. I haven't been on a plane since March, 2020 although I've done plenty of road trips.

I am honestly not sure if I'm going. Airfare can be credited and hotels en route cancellable but I'd lose the cost of the cruise. I may do it anyway.
 
If it helps - we just returned from Seattle. Mask wearing is almost non-existent in the tourist areas (apparently with the exception of my wife and I). We wore KN95 masks indoors and never felt out of place or under any pressure. I would suggest getting good masks and having a great trip.

The only "pain" in the whole process was wearing masks basically from the the time you hit the airport and through the entire flight. Sucks, but you do what you need to to stay safe and still accomplish the mission of traveling.
 
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I understand the anxiety. I don't know if this simple advice will help, but I fully trust the protection of masks. If it makes you feel safer, wear two. I'd just confidently tell myself "masks work" and go forth.
 
gattara said:
I understand the anxiety. I don't know if this simple advice will help, but I fully trust the protection of masks. If it makes you feel safer, wear two. I'd just confidently tell myself "masks work" and go forth.
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Thanks for the encouragement. I do plan to buy some N95 masks- right now I have good cloth masks with filters but my understanding is that the N95s are better at protecting me.
 
Good question. We have done a couple diving vacations which were almost entirely outdoors day hiking, no indoor restaurant dining, masks for the very limited time we were transiting indoors.

I'm not sure I would want to do a vacation with extensive indoor activities where we would feel the need to wear a mask, probably even on the "all vaccinated/ tested cruise". Odds are you would not be infected, but...
 
dak2018 said:
If it helps - we just returned from Seattle. Mask wearing is almost non-existent in the tourist areas (apparently with the exception of my wife and I). We wore KN95 masks indoors and never felt out of place or under any pressure. I would suggest getting good masks and having a great trip.

The only "pain" in the whole process was wearing masks basically from the the time you hit the airport and through the entire flight. Sucks, but you do what you need to to stay safe and still accomplish the mission of traveling.
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Yes ... will wear a mask on Bart -> airport / plane -> train -> monorail -> my hotel room. I never wore it outside.

Stores here are out of medical grade N95s. So I'm thinking of getting something like it from Home Depot -- construction masks. Is that the kn95? If I get it with a valve I will dbl mask. Not going to cause a scene on public transit
 
athena53 said:
Thanks for the encouragement. I do plan to buy some N95 masks- right now I have good cloth masks with filters but my understanding is that the N95s are better at protecting me.
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I'll be taking my own advice in a couple weeks. DH & I are flying up north to visit my immediate family, whom I haven't seen in two years. I do believe in the safety power of masks and it helps my bit of anxiety w/the airport experience.
 
Fully vaccinated, wear a mask, sanitize/hand hygiene is about all you can do. Avoid crowds as much as possible, but harder when traveling.
Delta variant is a concern, and a reason why we have not traveled far yet, other than where we can go by our own car.
You do what you need to do for your own sense of well being. I am not quite there yet, but getting closer!
 
gayl said:
Stores here are out of medical grade N95s. So I'm thinking of getting something like it from Home Depot -- construction masks. Is that the kn95?
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Home Depot probably does carry KN95 masks, but I've always just ordered them online in bulk from Amazon or eBay. You can get a pack of 50 for less than $40. Like these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085BNBZDR/

gayl said:
If I get it with a valve I will dbl mask. Not going to cause a scene on public transit
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You should not double-mask when wearing KN95. They are contoured to fit snugly around the nose, mouth, and chin. Double-masking with KN95s actually reduces their effectiveness, from what I've heard.
 
gayl said:
Yes ... will wear a mask on Bart -> airport / plane -> train -> monorail -> my hotel room. I never wore it outside.

Stores here are out of medical grade N95s. So I'm thinking of getting something like it from Home Depot -- construction masks. Is that the kn95? If I get it with a valve I will dbl mask. Not going to cause a scene on public transit
Click to expand...

Freedom56 and others have posted links for ordering N95s online. I just got a second batch of Honeywell H910's, my favorites, from Primis Medical for about $2.50 each. Took 2 days to get them. I don't think these are considered medical grade but are approved by NIOSH as N95. The N95 3M 8210s that I bought at Lowes Home Improvement in February 2020 did the trick but were very uncomfortable and the elastic straps break easily. I wore them for about 8 months until other N95 masks became available.

KN95s usually loop around the ears and are more comfortable and easier to don. Not approved by NIOSH but meet Chinese standards and are supposed to be equivalent to N95s for normal daily use. N95s have two straps that go around the crown of your head and the other around the head below your ears for a tighter fit. My problem has been finding a KN95 that fits well but it may be that I am so used to the tighter N95 fit by now that anything "looser" worries me.
 
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I presently live in the most dangerous city in the country with regards to Covid. I may need to travel/vacation to another place just to be safe.


Cheers!
 
DW and I are currently booked for a trip in mid October to Mexico and are slightly apprehensive about the rapid increase in cases here (and there) but aren't changing plans as of yet. As a matter of fact, today the airline changed the airplane type coming back from a 737 to a 777, so they must expect a lot of passengers even though that is traditionally a slow period.

I have heard that the state of Quintana Roo is now requiring a vaccine record or proof of negative test (within 72 hours) for folks entering commercial establishments. I think this is a good idea but not sure how stringently it will be enforced.

For the time being, we are taking a wait and see approach.
 
We have survived 11 months since Feb2020 in PV and the rest in Vancouver. We have worn masks continuously and will continue to do so. We have postponed our Portugal river cruise from 2020 to 2022. I have deferred my annual trip to the east for the second year.

We will go south to our condo in Mexico in November. We have a trip to a gulf island next month (BC Ferries). Interesting that we are not allowed to stay in our car while on the ferry.
 
gayl said:
My next cruise is in 3 weeks. I do staycations here all the time: SF, Mt Diablo, Delta, wine country, and Sonoma / Mendocino. I love traveling. But I'm becoming a little apprehensive about going to Seattle. I'm leaving an area with 81% fully vaxed / 5% partially vaxed and going into an area with only 57.3% vaxed. I will mask up and am searching for a better mask (N95 or KN95) because I only need a dbl layer here. The ship requires everyone to be fully vaxed so I'll relax there.

I want to go but any tips on how to deal with my nagging concern??
Click to expand...

I posted about these N95 masks in another post.
I like them the best of the three different brands I have purchased.
https://primismedical.com/products/...ed-respirator-protective-health-gear-usa-made
 
I'm not worried about the transit part, or, really, about catching Delta. All indications are I should be fine, and I trust the vaccine to protect me.

BUT, I don't want to travel and find the restaurants are take-out only, or the hotel dining room is closed, or I have to wear a mask by the pool, etc. I'm more concerned that the experience of travel and vacations will be still far less enjoyable.

When I travel I want to escape, have fun, and enjoy myself. I have a feeling that window is about to close again for a while...
 
ABQ2015 said:
...........

KN95s usually loop around the ears and are more comfortable and easier to don. Not approved by NIOSH but meet Chinese standards and are supposed to be equivalent to N95s for normal daily use. N95s have two straps that go around the crown of your head and the other around the head below your ears for a tighter fit. My problem has been finding a KN95 that fits well but it may be that I am so used to the tighter N95 fit by now that anything "looser" worries me.
Click to expand...

I bought some KN95's with over the head loops, but I found after wearing them for a few hours I was coughing a lot.
I suspect I was breathing in loose fibers from the mask, don't know if true, but my "solution" was to wear a cloth mask and the KN95 over it.
I didn't cough when doing this.
As the KN95 fits tight, I notice I can feel with my hand outside the mask, that my breath is going in/out via the KN95, and not (or not all/lot) going out via the cloth where it meets the KN95.

I had N95 for construction at the beginning of all this, but have basically ran out.
 
gayl said:
My next cruise is in 3 weeks. .... I love traveling. But I'm becoming a little apprehensive about going to Seattle. I'm leaving an area with 81% fully vaxed / 5% partially vaxed and going into an area with only 57.3% vaxed. I will mask up and am searching for a better mask (N95 or KN95) because I only need a dbl layer here. The ship requires everyone to be fully vaxed so I'll relax there.

I want to go but any tips on how to deal with my nagging concern??
Click to expand...

I thought of the anxiety thing today just driving to pick up some lunch. :eek:

Compared to 2 months ago, things don't seem quite as safe, but then I think about how old I am and that a year without travel is possibly 10% of my travel time wasted :(
 
I'm heading out to Puerto Rico in a few weeks and not at all apprehensive. I'll wear a "protect others" cloth mask when required. Because I have it, I'll drop a prophylaxis dose of ivermectin before I leave, but I wouldn't buy any for this purpose.
 
gayl said:
Yes ... will wear a mask on Bart -> airport / plane -> train -> monorail -> my hotel room. I never wore it outside.

Stores here are out of medical grade N95s. So I'm thinking of getting something like it from Home Depot -- construction masks. Is that the kn95? If I get it with a valve I will dbl mask. Not going to cause a scene on public transit
Click to expand...

3M N95s are plentiful. I recently ordered a couple of boxes from Amazon and picked up 2 more at ACE hardware yesterday. With the valves. I wanted an ample supply for the fire season as well as upcoming jury duty. Will double mask if wearing them for extended periods indoors where masking is required, e.g., upcoming jury duty. I prefer the N95s to the KN95s for extended wear.
 
TrvlBug said:
3M N95s are plentiful. I recently ordered a couple of boxes from Amazon and picked up 2 more at ACE hardware yesterday. With the valves.
Click to expand...

Most places I've been that required masking prohibited the ones with valves. Be sure to check on that in advance.
 
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