The Ultimate Guide for Healthy Traveling

Are you traveling soon, either for business or personal reasons? Staying healthy while you're away from home is more important than ever. Knowing what to bring, how to safely transport medications and health products, and familiarizing yourself with health concerns at your intended destination can help you avoid illness and flare-ups of chronic conditions. There are many TSA and airline rules that can affect the way you travel. It's important to know what to expect and be prepared.

Familiarize Yourself With Your Destination's Mask and Travel Rules

Some states may ask that travelers entering their borders self-quarantine after arrival, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition, all states have their own mask requirements. Some states require masks in public while others do not. Know your destination's requirements before arriving, so you can prepare in advance.

If you're staying at a hotel, find out their requirements. Because of coronavirus, hotels may not provide house cleaning during this time, while others may offer full house cleaning or house cleaning with restrictions. Your hotel may also require masks in the hallways and lobby.

Depending on your medical conditions and your personal health, knowing these rules can help you be safe and can help you make choices about where you stay throughout your trip.

Wear Can Your Mask, But Take It Off When It's Time

TSA checkpoints help ensure people traveling by air are not a security risk. Although you will be allowed to wear a medical mask during the security screening, you will be asked to remove the mask when you arrive at the TSA checkpoint. Once the TSA officer has verified your identity, you will be allowed to put the mask back on your face again.

Bring Products That Support Good Health

There are a number of products that support good health. Bringing these products with you can help you stay safe throughout your trip. Traveling with liquids like sanitizers can help you keep a clean environment and prevent the spread of germs while you're traveling.

• Wipes. Sanitizing wipes and baby wipes can be brought on flights and through airport security.

• Bottles. Bottles of disinfectant sprays and hand sanitizer can be brought on the flight if they're carried in carry-on bags in quantities of under 3.4 ounces.

In addition, bottles of hand sanitizer up to 12 ounces per passenger may be brought onto planes until further guidance or restrictions are announced by the TSA. These larger bottles may need to be screened separately. People who have larger bottles of hand sanitizer should plan to arrive at airport security a little early to account for this extra screening process.

Know the Rules of Flying With Medication

You may bring larger amounts of medically necessary gels, liquids, and aerosols for your trip. However, you must declare your medications to the TSA officer at the checkpoint, and allow those liquids to be inspected by the TSA officer. These medications are not limited to prescription medications. Over the counter drugs like cough syrup can also be brought onto an airplane in larger quantities than 3.4 ounces, but quantities must be deemed reasonable by the TSA officer.

To bring liquid medication in your carry on bag:

• You may keep the medication in its original bottle.

• Remove the bottle from your bag and present it for inspection to the TSA officer.

• You will not need to put the bottle in a quart-sized bag.

Familiarize Yourself With World-Wide Health Concerns

Health concerns vary from one country to another, one region to another, and one state to another. Know the state of health in the area where you're traveling. You can find the latest information about diseases, sicknesses and health concerns in countries around the world on the Centers for Disease Control travel website. Simply input your destination into the website and it will give you information about health hazards in that area.

The US State Department website also contains information about vaccinations, travel insurance, medical tourism, and insurance. Check both websites for important information before traveling.

Read Up On Airline's Travel Rules Before Flying

Travel rules and precautions taken by each airline vary, so you can match your trip with an airline that has practices you prefer. Read up on your airline's travel rules before flying to ensure that you're ready to fly on that airline.

Stay Healthy and Happy While Traveling. Start and End Your Trip at PIE

At the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE),  your safety is our priority. We take precautionary steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our facility. We use thorough sanitizing and cleaning procedures, disinfect hard surfaces and high-touch areas, and ask all passengers to respect social distancing guidelines while on our property. Additional hand sanitizing stations have been installed throughout PIE to ensure that everyone keeps clean hands while they're with us. We're the airport of choice in the Tampa Bay area, and we're committed to your safety. View our list of arrivals and departures to start your travel plans today.