Walking through a risk plan

I think you are overthinking it. If you test positive the pharmacy will be able to tell you what you need to do according to Italian law. They aren't going to leave you on the street! In NZ -you'd be isolating where you are staying for 7 days with further testing. Italy will no doubt have something similar. Yes every country has food delivery services now .

I'd be surprised if you can't make coffee in your room - normally this is supplied unless its a fairly basic hostel type place. If I have a cough and sore throat the last thing I'd want is a protein bar. I do intend to travel with a few cough lozenges

Hi Lissie, yes, I am over thinking it….on purpose. : ). I want to have a tentative plan ahead of time, so I am not using any of my vacation time or sleep time thinking through “what ifs”. And my Italian language comprehension is very basic. Since I will be traveling solo, it’s nice to be able to relay it rationally, if needed, so my husband isn’t stressed at home.

I thought of the coffee this morning. I definitely need two cups of coffee each morning to keep my migraine triggers happy. It’s not uncommon for hotels to not have enough packets in the room, especially if it’s a single room. I wouldn’t be able to do my usual walk to a bar for a nice espresso.

I don’t think you are overthinking it, either. As a matter of fact, I’m planning on sitting down and going thru a contingency plan if one of us tests positive.

Who to contact, how to find a place to stay (will look at airbnbs here to see vacancies), looking into how to get a recovery letter, etc. it never hurts to be prepared and I think lessens the anxiety of this uncertainty.

Do you have time to order the binax proctored self test? This kind of thing is why I prefer them. Take it in privacy, if it’s negative you are good to go. If it’s positive you can sit in your room and make a plan before contacting anyone. Booking an apartment would be my choice due to space and kitchen - and if your test is positive you can stay isolated in your room as you contact apartments to find one that is available.

If you can’t do that, maybe buy a self test just for your own reference. Take it in the room right before going to the pharmacy. If it’s negative you can be fairly confident that the official test will be negative too. Not 100% for sure, but helpful. If it’s positive then you make your plan then get an official test to start the clock.

Thanks Jean for your post. I've been "over-thinking" it too. I will be traveling solo, and no one at home to call for support. So I want to have a plan in place as much as possible should covid strike. (I've avoided it for over 2 years so I'm sure going to try and continue that when traveling.) I'll have a lot of decisions and actions to be made quickly so thinking it through beforehand will allow me to "forget" it during my travels, knowing I'm prepared. Good luck, and I hope all the forethought will be for naught!!

I'm with Jean. It's always good to think about contingency plans so you aren't scrambling to make a plan when you're already upset.

I think you are wise to have a plan in place.

Considering coffee is essentially medicinal for you, you should definitely pack instant packets.
A sore throat from COVID can make it very painful to swallow. I might also consider instant miso or Knorr soup packets, herbal tea and honey packets. Ubereats operates in Bergamo, so you can set up an account with them in advance.

I would also pack a thermometer and naproxen to help the aches and fever.

I hope you have a great trip and stay healthy!

I think we should all have contingency plans and not just for COVID. I've had good fortune traveling but when I lived in California, I got accustomed to living with disasters. Earthquakes, floods and fires don't stop for vacations. Vesuvius could decide it's time to go all Pompeii again. If your phone breaks, what happens? My documents are stored in the cloud but I also have a few key paper copies. I'm bringing my small laptop so I could work if necessary. After Ukraine was invaded, my son insisted that I locate the US embassies and consulates closest to the places we're staying. That's a bit of overkill but if it gives him comfort that his momma is safer when traveling, it's a small thing to do.

CT
Join the STEP program and your son will feel much better.

https://step.state.gov/STEPMobile/Default.aspx

Diane, That is an excellent idea. 99% of the time, things are great on trips. But, for that 1%, it's sure nice to have the big guns on your side. I'm signing up!

Food delivery (both groceries and restaurants) is available. A few things I would have with me, based on my Covid experience: hard candies/throat lozenges, pain reliever and a thermometer. The sore throat was worse than strep. Popsicles really helped, so if you end up quarantining (and are symptomatic) and ordering groceries, get some popsicles (assuming you have access to a freezer!)

I would think about what items you would want if you were sick at home. Often times when people think about having to quarantine due to a positive test, they don’t take the next step and think through that they could be REALLY sick for a while. And what that would look like in a small hotel room/apartment in a foreign country.

Thank you for so many helpful things to consider! And, Diane, thank you for the reminder to sign up for STEP!

This will help me write down a plan, bring a few items and store the info on iCloud. Then I can forget about it & concentrate on enjoying the trip! I do like to have a plan figured out ahead of time for something like this while I can sit back & decide, so I’m able to calmly walk through the process in the actual moment. ; )

My plan would include, upon checking in to my last hotel, asking them if they'd let me stay there for quarantine if test is positive. That way at least you'd know if that was an option.

I plan on bringing a thermometer as well as my small stash of over the counter medications that I always bring when I go out of town, in addition to my prescription medications. I have a bunch of books I haven't had time to read yet on my Kindle and will have some extra snacks, too. I booked a hotel for the end of my trip in Madrid late next month as a contingency in case my friend or I test positive before we try to go back home to the U.S. This hotel can be cancelled for free up through the first day of the reservation, so I will be able to cancel it the day before if our tests are negative. I plan on taking a self test before going to get my official test for the flight back just to have a pretty good idea of what the result will be. Being over-prepared is my preference.

I’ve thought about booking a hotel, too, just in case. The one we are staying at towards the end of our trip is our splurge hotel for just 4 nights, and I don’t really want to pay to spend the week there.

I want to take a regular test the day before the official test, too. That would give us more time to maybe find an Airbnb apartment.

Jean, you know I agree with you on preparation! Gives me less stress in the long run.

I agree with informal testing as you go. I had some really allergy filled days just after arrival in France and having test kits on hand was a good plan for me. Since we don’t have chestnut trees in North Idaho I didn’t realize how allergic I am to them!! Negative Covid test made me relax and just take my allergy remedies.

I got a 5-pack of tests at a French pharmacy and realized when I used the first one that no, I could not figure out the instructions, lol. Youtube to the rescue!

In addition to testing after allergy symptoms I’ve been testing after longer train rides and the other day before meeting up with forum friends who were getting ready for a RS tour and needed negative tests.

I’ll test again tomorrow before I meet up with a tour group (testing not required for that tour) and plan for several times along the way including the day before my return test.

BTW, I’ll test the morning of our May meet up as well!! There is NO way I want to spread stuff around to my travel peeps!!

How long does it take to get Covid after exposure? Pam, how long will you wait after your train rides to test?

I’ve read 3-5 days. I test probably sooner than I should but if I am testing every few days it seems as if I would detect anything as I go.

I’d read here and elsewhere that many who find they are positive just have allergy type symptoms. A friend’s husband’s only symptom was being unable to clear his ears on the plane.

I did wait 3 days after my initial flight over to do my first test but that also coincided with major allergy symptoms.

Perugia, Italy sounds wonderful! You probably have already considered all of the following but just in case... I also pack protein bars, dried raisins and coffee in my one-bag (like Jean, I get migraines if I skip coffee) Many European hotel rooms don't have coffee machines and if available they often don't provide packets for more than one cup per person (an immersion heater for me is always a more valued travel item than a curling iron), I bring cough drops as they don't have to go in the "liquids" bag and, naturally, some over-the-counter meds for various ailments that may crop up during travel. For allergy suffers, the face masks we saw so much of during Covid are helpful--especially when folks think if a bit of perfume and aftershave are good, more must be better! In these times, I'd pack some masks just in case mandates changed.

Bring travel-sized hand sanitizer on the plane. I preload books on my Kindle and a movie or two (hard on the battery life but wonderful when feeling stuck and down in the dumps).

In a travel risk management plan, I tend to lean towards over-thinking or over-planning every single time. (We've lived in France, Germany, the USA and Canada and travelled a fair bit abroad). I'd make sure to provide authorization for someone I trust to make medical and financial decisions if I were unable to. We usually check government websites for health, security and geopolitical risks; we try to have cursory understanding of the country's culture, language and any relevant legal considerations--particularly as they pertain to Covid, where to get the antigen or other testing, and recommended health insurance coverage. We try to check in advance how to access emergency services. We bring a copy (and leave a list with family at home) of emergency contacts, a copy of our passports and, if applicable, visas, health insurance information, prescriptions, ticket numbers, itinerary (including stopovers, lodgings, etc), nowadays that includes a copy of proof of Covid vaccination. You may want to identify how you would get to your place of quarantine (here we'd take a taxi or a private car and are required to wear/change to a new mask during transit.) Unfortunately, dealing with border officials and local security is not a one-size-fits-all experience especially as things evolve.

But what a wonderful experience you will have! Wishing you all the best on your trip.

shewmach,
I plan on having travel hand sanitizer on the plane with me. Do you just buy more when you arrive or bring more in checked luggage.

Carol

My husband tested positive right before our RS tour in April. We were in Paris right before Easter. We were kicked off the tour ( yes, I knew we would be) and although the RS office referred us to travel guard, they were no help. We spent hours calling to dozens of hotels in Paris and 90% of them were completely full. We eventually found places, but had to move around a lot. There are no covid police. No one makes sure you do anything. You must plan to do it yourself. It was a nightmare, but in the end it all worked out. Not the trip we had planned, but we made the best of it. My husband had no symptoms at all and I tested negative many times. When it was time to fly home, he tested negative.
I’m not sure how planning for covid is going to help. Reserve hotels in advance, just in case?? I look back and there is nothing I could have done in advance that would have helped our situation.

It seems a bit exaggerated to me, but I would have taken out insurance before the trip and also informed myself about the treatment for people with Covid at the place of travel.

Brilliant. How would you have done that?

Tammy, I am sorry to hear of your challenges. I am glad you are both well now and home.

I do think that people can do a bit of research about the requirements of the country and the airlines in advance. On the other hand, I know you are a good researcher and I very much doubt you went into this situation blind. I think the take away here is that no matter if you think you are prepared, when the reality of a positive Covid test hits, the stakes and challenges are huge.

We are currently 3 hours away from our pre departure Covid testing. There is no doubt that I have researched and ran different scenarios through in my mind. I think I am as prepared as I could be, but I am still experiencing that dread of the unknown and what my next steps would be.

Edited to add: our results were negative, whew

Tammy, I am so sorry to hear about your RS tour.

I also tested positive before my tour, but was lucky in that I was still in the US. I tested positive the day before my flight, and one week before the tour. I was going to meet friends for a few days before the tour, and that didn't happen.
Since I would not have been able to test negative before the tour, I thought I would be credited the full amount of the tour, but they decided I was only due half. Guess I lost the gamble.

JosiePoise, you don’t say where you are traveling, but if it’s Italy, you are required by their laws to notify them if you test positive. (I won’t comment on the ethical decision…) The pharmacies will notify them if you go that route for testing.

Carol, pleased to learn of your good news! Think I'm hearing your sigh of relief all the way here in New Jersey :)