The Psychological Effects of Traveling While Vaccinated

After months of feeling powerless against the COVID-19 pandemic, the promise of vaccination seemed like a shining beacon of hope. If we could all get that shot, life would be back to normal, and those of us who work in the travel industry — as well as those who simply miss traveling — would be back to the good old days of carefree globetrotting. Over the past couple of months, I’ve had visions of dancing down the airport concourse, jetting to previously off-limits overseas destinations and, most importantly, reuniting with my extended family in Los Angeles.

The reality of my first post-vaccination trip, of course, wasn’t quite as perfect. We’re just at the beginning of a gradual return to a kind of normalcy that isn’t even fully defined yet.

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In mid-March, my husband and I rode the New York City Subway to receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The one-shot format of this particular vaccine was especially attractive since it fit more easily into my already-hectic travel schedule. I’ve been traveling every month since July 2020 to report on the latest hygiene protocols and safety measures around the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. And now, I’d finally be able to take to the skies, fully vaccinated.

The jab in my left arm hurt like a bee sting, but I smiled as I felt a surge of emotional relief. I was about to embark on a multi-destination itinerary around Mexico. I hadn’t felt this optimistic and downright normal about a trip since early 2020.

The Same, Only Different

Over the course of my two-week research jaunt across central Mexico, I quickly realized that when it comes to traveling, the main benefits of the vaccine — in addition to the obvious medical advantage of being less likely to get sick — were more psychological than practical.

My mindset shifted a bit. I smiled more. I felt slightly more comfortable and a bit more confident, and I even hugged a couple of friends who’d also been vaccinated. I was more willing to eat indoors and ride public transportation. I even felt secure taking three long-distance buses in Mexico, whereas in the previous months I wouldn’t have dared to consider an hours-long bus trip, regardless of the destination. That would have been way too much time with too many people in a small, enclosed space (buses don’t have the high-tech air systems that commercial airliners do). But now, I felt just a tiny bit freer.

Still, in terms of protocols and logistics, my travel experience wasn’t all that different from the pre-vaccine days. I still wore a mask in public. I still didn’t want to shake anyone’s hand or hug random people. I still washed my hands frequently, used sanitizer whenever I could and avoided crowds at all costs. I thoroughly wiped my seating area on planes and buses and all the high-touch areas in the hotels and Airbnb apartments where I stayed. I still had to take a COVID-19 test before returning to the United States and show negative test results in order to board the flight home.

In short, regardless of whether you’ve gotten the vaccine or not, we must all still follow the same norms to protect ourselves and others. That makes sense. After all, we’re still in the midst of a major pandemic, and no vaccine is foolproof. The Johnson & Johnson injection, for example, is about 85 percent effective at preventing severe disease, and about 72 percent effective when factoring in mild and moderate disease, according to U.S. studies. Plus, new strains may pose new threats, and there are questions about whether vaccinated people may still be able to transmit the virus.

As for visiting my West Coast family, well, that’s still not happening. One family member is in a high-risk group and hasn’t been vaccinated yet, while another relative is so overly cautious that even an open-air, socially distanced gathering wouldn’t be acceptable.

Indeed, there are still lots of issues holding travelers back, even as more people receive the vaccine. I’ve been flying every month for work since last summer and have never tested positive. Whether that’s because of the precautions I’ve followed or luck of the draw, I’d rather continue to play it safe and follow all the protocols, even as I venture further out into the world to report on the evolving realities of pandemic-era travel and what changes may await in a post-pandemic world.

The vaccine is crucial for the reactivation of the travel and tourism industries, but the recovery will take some time. Compared to the outlook just a few months ago, however, that’s still something to celebrate. So I will continue to smile as I travel, even as I reach for the antibacterial wipes.