Ethical Travel in a Pandemic: 2 Basic Principles

Part of recovering economically, from a national and international perspective, is investing as a consumer. Over 900,000 people are unemployed in the US alone right now. A recent federal reserve report indicates that economic declines “were especially severe in the leisure and hospitality sector, with very little activity at travel and tourism businesses”. I want to be able to support local businesses and infrastructure. At the same time I do not want to risk others or burden a community. It begs the question: what does ethically responsible travel look like in the midst of a pandemic, and how can I achieve it in 2021.

In the past I think we have focused on preserving communities and attempting to minimize the cultural impact we have on them as travelers. More recently Geena Truman wrote a piece about this aspect of travel ethics for Lonely Planet. Today, I think we need to include public health in our consideration of travel ethics.

In the pandemic world there are two core principles of ethical travel:

1. I do not want to get others sick.
2. I do not want to be a burden on an already stressed or limited community.

Protect Others From Getting Sick

I am lucky enough to be vaccinated. I was in fact one of the first to be vaccinated. And yet before I was vaccinated I still did not travel. Why?

I don’t want to be the reason for someone else to contract COVID 19.

I could never forgive myself if I turned out to be an asymptomatic carrier who potentially passed it on to others, at home or abroad. COVID 19 isn’t a disease you recover from, it is a disease that we are finding people experience longstanding complications from. It is a disease that has killed over 413,917 Americans, and 2 million people worldwide.

Well, you are vaccinated! Why aren’t you on a plane? While I may have ~90% immunity, it is unclear if I may still shed active virus.

It is likely you will never know, unless contacted by a contact tracer, if you were involved in the spread of disease. But I have to ask you, just because no one tells you are responsible for someone else’s COVID 19 status. Does it mean it is ok to potentially expose them? My personal decision was easy: nope.

So, where do you travel with this ethical constraint? Not far right now. But I think the answer to this question is time dependent. As I am writing this Biden has announced that he aims to vaccinate a 100 million Americans in 100 days. As the number of vaccinated increase around the world the places one can visit increases substantially. If the vaccines are proven to provide both immunity as well as prevent spread of disease then the ability to travel in an ethically responsible manner is almost unlimited.

Avoid Burdening a Community

Travel is a beautiful part of life. It is a world of possibility. The opportunity to see new things, meet new people, and have new experiences. However, just because you are traveling doesn’t mean that the everyday risks go away.

Raise your hand if you have ever had an unplanned visit to the Emergency Department? Urgent Care? Your health care provider? Maybe it was a urinary tract infection. Maybe you broke a bone. Maybe you needed stitches. Maybe you have had no unplanned encounters with the healthcare system. Well, lucky you. But doesn’t mean it won’t happen.

All of these situations can still happen abroad. In my years traveling I have had last minute visits to 24 hour pharmacies to pick up insulin after bottles have cracked. I have had to trade baked goods for antibiotics in the Middle East. Granted, I am a Type One diabetic. You could argue I have a higher likelihood of requiring a healthcare provider, but most people have some sort of medical condition. In the US 60% of people have some sort of health condition.

So what? Maybe you need a healthcare provider when you visit a place. Well, this only matters if where you are visiting has an overburdened health system. Or no health system to speak of. As I am writing this (January 22nd, 2021) there are shortages of hospital beds and healthcare providers all over the world. Most prominent in the US news cycle are the shortages in California as well as England. I would not choose to go to either of these places. Not because of COVID-19, I am a fully vaccinated. But rather because if I get hurt while “visiting” I will be a burden on these communities. Communities that have health systems stressed to the max. Now, if your plan is to get into a car, private jet, etc and seek care in a distant county or country. Bravo! But rarely do fateful medical or traumatic events occur with convenience.

Moving Forward with Ethical Travel

Some of you may have read this and feel nothing but resentment. Who does this woman think she is dictating to me how I should travel? She doesn’t have a PhD, she isn’t an epidemiologist, she has no credentials to support her offering an opinion. Well, I would offer that as a fellow citizen of this world I do I have a right to offer my thoughts on ethical travel moving forward. I would also offer that you don’t have to listen to me. I am one of billions on this planet, and my thoughts are merely suggestions as we move forward.

If you want to see how I have implemented this in my own Travel Resolutions check it out here!