Traveling During the Coronavirus Pandemic

After spending 17 days in complete isolation in my apartment in Chicago, I flew to Salt Lake City to ride out the Coronavirus quarantine with my parents. I’m a well-seasoned traveler, but traveling during the Coronavirus pandemic was unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.

But first let me back up a bit…

Self Isolation in Chicago

Illinois issued a Shelter in Place order on March 14, 2020, closing all non-essential businesses and restricting leaving unless absolutely necessary. I live in a studio apartment that used to feel plenty big until it became where I worked, cooked, hung out, and slept. Normally I love living alone, but without the usual events balancing my alone time, it was tough. And it didn’t help that I was supposed to be in Japan with my family.

Even Chicago itself, normally bustling with the nonstop energy of millions of people on the streets accompanied by a constant symphony of city noise, was a shell of its former self. No cars, no people, no noise. It was eerie, especially the silence. Then, after a week the silence was routinely cut with piercing sirens that became more frequent as more people fell sick with Covid-19.

Chicago is just barely beginning to see spring, so the city is still dull and grey, with more cloudy days than not. On the only sunny day, I opened my windows for some fresh air and heard a man singing on Michigan Avenue. He’s sung there before, but I’d never been able to hear him in my apartment over the street noise. But that day, his melancholy voice echoed through the empty streets, a slow rendition of Rupert Wainwright’s Hallelujah. It brought me to tears.

I realized my mental health was spiraling downward with anxiety and stress, and knew being closer to my family would help. So after 17 days without a single conversation in person, I booked the soonest available Southwest flight out of Midway Airport and packed for an extended trip to Utah. I knew traveling during the Coronavirus pandemic would be risky and weird, but had no idea to what extent.

The Airport During Coronavirus

It was one thing to look out my window and see a shuttered city, but venturing out in its emptiness was another. Stores on Michigan Avenue were boarded up, restaurants regularly full of people were deserted. I got to the L platform on what normally would be the end of rush hour to find it completely empty. It felt post-apocalyptic, like the world ended and I didn’t get the memo.

I rode an almost empty train to Midway Airport, taking half the regular time to get there. Without waiting for people to get on and off the train, the stops were only seconds long, zipping us through the empty city. Once I got to Midway Airport, it was a ghost town, with more workers than passengers. Four TSA agents manned the security checkpoint as two passengers went through security.

The airport, like a city in itself, was a reflection of the outside world. Restaurants and shops shuttered, only a few passengers walking quietly through the corridors. When it was time to board the plane, the gate agent called out to all six of us, warning there would be no beverage service on the flight.

Flying During Coronavirus

The six passengers spread out throughout the massive plane as far away from each other as we could. Three flight attendants were on board to assist us. As a frequent traveler, I’d always thought it’d be nice to not only have an empty row, but one in front of me and behind me, too. But the empty plane was weird. They weren’t meant to fly without passengers.

The three-hour flight was one of the most turbulent I’ve ever experienced. For a brief moment, as the plane bounced in the air like a child’s play toy, I wondered if it’d crash. Even though I fly all the time (and almost always alone), I’m a very nervous flier. So turbulence on an already apocalyptic-feeling flight did not help.

Once on solid ground I walked through a completely empty Salt Lake International Airport and for once my bag beat me to baggage claim. I guess that’s what happens when it’s the only bag making its way through the airport. When my parents’ car pulled up, I reminded myself not to cry when I saw them — the first familiar faces I’d seen in weeks — even though the relief was overwhelming.

Quarantine in Salt Lake City

I’ve now been in Utah a week and being able to spread out in a suburban house, go outside in the much warmer weather, and share meals with other humans has been a game changer. Even though I’m still anxious and stressed about the Coronavirus pandemic, being able to voice my worries with other people has made it much easier.

I’m immensely thankful for my health and that of those I care about, which is the most important thing right now. But mental health is huge, too. So I’m thankful I was able to escape isolation to be with my family. I know I’m lucky. (And I’m not the only adult sheltering in place with their parents!)

As I wrote before, I understand that there are bigger worries in the world right now. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be sad about the things I miss while simultaneously being grateful for my situation. We’re all allowed to feel whatever we feel right now, so be gentle with yourself.

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It’s easier to feel like we’re all in this together when you’re not completely alone. But even if you are, hang in there. We’ll all get through this together, even from a distance, with plenty of whiskey (at least for me).

Related :: Life in Two Cities: Chicago and Salt Lake City, Why I Moved to Chicago, and Life in Chicago