Traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic on a plane can seem scary and depending on how the cases are in your area, it might not be recommended.

I traveled to Aguascalientes, Mexico with my mom at the beginning of October and luckily did not catch Covid-19. In this post I will share a bit about how some parts of Mexico are handling the pandemic and the experience at the airpot.

Face masks and hand sanitizer are essential

It’s obvious that face masks protect us from catching coronavirus and it prevent us from spreading it to others. On the way to Aguascalientes I wore a N95 mask and on the returning flight to Dallas I wore two masks: a disposable one under and a cloth one over.

I wore my face mask anytime I was out in public even if I was just walking to a cafe or if I was outdoors. Most of the people in Aguascalientes also had their face masks on. When we visited one of my aunts, we all wore face masks while we were in home, and we didn’t mind it since we were visiting from a stat with far more cases and didn’t want to get any of our family members sick.

By now everyone should have a personal hand sanitizer to carry with them in a purse, backpack or tote bag. Anytime we touched anything that was didn’t belong to us and we were out and about we made sure to use hand sanitizer.

Airport in U.S. vs in Mexico

Do they perform a temperature check?

DFW International Airport did not do a temperature check or health screening questionnaire. We flew with American Airlines, and the only reason why I was OK with flying was because most planes that go into Aguascalientes are only two seaters, meaning I would be sitting next to my mom, and didn’t have to worry about being in the middle.

Aguascalientes International Airport does perform a temperature check. As soon as you arrive you must fill out a health questionnaire and then a health worker takes your temperature after reviewing your answers. This process is repeated again when departing back to your final destination.

No hugging or kissing family

While it was lovely to see my family, since most of them live in Mexico, we decided it was a smarter choice to not greet them with a hug or a kiss of cheek. Instead we fist or elbow bumped. I wanted to hug my family so bad, but the pandemic has thought us to reinvent our old habits.

Going out to eat

I have only been out to eat once since the pandemic started here in Texas so when my cousin suggested we go out to eat I was a bit scared. I did feel a bit at ease because she is a nurse so I trusted she knew what she was doing. My face mask stayed when I wasn’t eating and I made sure to use my hand sanitizer. Most of the restaurants we went to were not too busy or where nicely spaced out. Two places I went to had contactless menu, and one had a two hour limit in their restaurant.

Social distancing and COVID-19 guidelines in Aguascalientes City, Mexico

In my personal opinion I felt pretty safe while in Aguascalientes. Most people abided by the guidelines and grocery stores and shopping centers would not allow anyone inside with out a mask. Some places took your temperature and then made you put hand sanitizer on before entering the store. That made me feel better while I was shopping.

Traveling right now shouldn’t be priority but if you plan on doing it, be mindful. Aguascalientes is a 18 + hour drive which is why we traveled via plane. With the colder weather settling in, traveling might seem a bit risky. I’d advice traveling in a small group and opting for car travel.

Per usual check the CDC guidelines

Here is a visual recap of my time in Aguascalientes.