Millions commute to workplaces using public transport mode

Public transportation is an essential part of urban life, providing convenience and accessibility for millions of people worldwide. However, it gets risky to travel in one as it is also a breeding ground for germs and infections, especially in densely populated areas. As we continue to navigate the challenges posed by infectious diseases, it’s crucial to take precautions when using public transport services. Let’s discuss different ways you can keep yourself free from infections while taking public transport services.

Wear a mask everytime you step in a crowded bus or metro​

Wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to reduce the transmission of respiratory infections. It helps contain your respiratory droplets and protects you from inhaling potentially contaminated air. Make sure your mask covers your nose and mouth securely and replace it if it becomes damp or soiled during your journey.

Maintain physical distancing​

When possible, maintain a safe distance from other passengers. Many public transport systems have designated seating arrangements or floor markers to help with this. Staying at least six feet away from others can significantly reduce the risk of airborne transmission.

Use hand sanitizer​

Carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Apply sanitizer to your hands after touching surfaces like handrails, door handles, or ticket machines. Make it a habit to sanitize your hands before touching your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Avoid touching your face or mouth​

Touching your face with unwashed hands is a common way to introduce germs into your body. Be mindful of this habit, and resist the urge to touch your face during your journey. If you need to scratch an itch or adjust your mask, use a tissue or the inside of your elbow.

Avoid eating or drinking in bus or metro​

While it’s tempting to grab a snack or a drink during your commute, doing so can increase your chances of infection. Eating or drinking in a confined space like public transportation might require removing your mask, exposing you to potential risks. It’s best to wait until you’ve reached your destination.

Opt for contactless payment​

Whenever possible, opt for contactless payment methods such as mobile apps or prepaid cards. This minimizes the need to handle cash, tickets, or touch payment terminals, which can harbor germs.

​Wear gloves​

If you’re particularly concerned about contact with surfaces, you can consider using disposable gloves. However, be cautious with their use, as improperly removing gloves can also lead to contamination. Dispose of them properly after use and sanitize your hands immediately.

Clean your personal belongings

Regularly clean and disinfect items you bring with you on public transportation, such as your phone, wallet, or bag. These items can pick up germs from surfaces and contribute to the risk of infection.

​Do not travel in bus or metro if you are not well​

If you’re feeling unwell, experiencing symptoms of illness, or have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for a contagious disease, it’s best to avoid using public transport altogether. Stay home, seek medical advice, and consider alternative transportation options if necessary.

If you find yourself dreaming of sunshine, sand and sparkling pools, it may be time to start looking forward to your next vacation getaway. Get a jumpstart on building excitement for the journey ahead by beginning preparations early, which offers many benefits, including better rates and more time to research your options.

Start exploring ideas for a fun-filled trip with these tips from the travel experts at Funjet, which specializes in providing travelers with vacation packages to hundreds of destinations around the world:

Plan Ahead

Booking your vacation well in advance allows you to take advantage of the best deals at the most popular hotels and hottest travel dates. In addition, by being flexible with travel dates, families can save hundreds of dollars. Moving travel dates by a day or two can result in major savings, often even more than the discounts you can get on last-minute trips.

Research Dream Destinations

Deciding where you want to go is the first step, but with a literal world of possibilities, it can be difficult to narrow down your choices. One place you can find inspiration is by exploring the top travel destinations others are choosing. For example, the top 10 travel destinations booked with Funjet in 2023 include numerous international destinations. Las Vegas is the only U.S. city to make the top 10 list. Mexico is especially popular, with Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta and San Jose Del Cabo. Others include Belize City, Belize; Liberia, Costa Rica; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Panama City, Panama; and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Consider All-Inclusive Options

Whether you prefer adults-only or family-friendly, luxury or budget-friendly, there’s a diverse range of all-inclusive resorts to choose from. All-inclusives are known for their convenience and value. They offer hassle-free experiences with meals, drinks and often activities included. While many resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean islands are all-inclusive, be aware that smaller islands like Antigua may feature European plan-style hotels, where meals and drinks are not included.

An all-inclusive package usually encompasses a variety of activities and amenities curated to offer an enjoyable and cost-effective vacation. Within these packages, guests often have the opportunity to access amenities such as swimming pools, engage in sports activities, participate in fitness classes and other entertaining experiences.

Pack Like a Pro

Gathering everything you need for a vacation, especially with kids in tow, can be stressful. To make the process easier, organize your packing based on factors like the length of your trip, airline policies and your family’s activities. Essentials like an umbrella should not be overlooked, especially if your destination’s weather can be unpredictable. Maximize luggage space by packing travel-sized toiletries and put electronic necessities like your mobile device, charger and headphones in your carry-on bag.

Anticipate Extra Expenses

While all-inclusive resorts make tropical getaways stress-free and economical, it’s customary to express appreciation for exceptional service with tips. Resorts typically don’t require tipping, but guests commonly tip as a gesture of gratitude. When deciding to tip, families should consider modest amounts, like $1-5 per meal per person, and be mindful of different service levels as well as the convenience of using local currency. Having cash on hand makes it easier to tip as needed and ensure you have extra for souvenirs and other purchases.

Unplug and Unwind

Although most travelers believe it’s essential to stay connected, it’s a good idea to limit screen time so you can make the most of your vacation. Schedule a specific time, preferably in the morning, to address emails and online tasks then enjoy a worry-free rest of the day. While phones are often used to capture photos and videos or look up information about nearby attractions, putting away the screens means you’ll be able to enjoy the scenery, connect with loved ones and have a truly rejuvenating experience.

Protect Your Group Travel

When traveling with a group, there’s a greater chance of something happening that changes plans between when you book your trip and leave. That’s why it can be a good idea to take a “travel with confidence” approach and consider including a travel protection plan in your reservations. This insurance allows travelers to cancel their trip for any reason, if necessary. When traveling with a group, stick with nonstop flights when possible, as you’re more likely to stay together, which can mean more cost-effective travel.

Enjoy the Experiences

While spending leisure time by the resort pool with afternoon cocktails can be a relaxing reward, you can make the most of a destination vacation by also planning a tour. Many destinations offer services that can assist travelers with booking various adventures, ranging from catamaran cruises to hikes and almost everything in between.

Summer travel season is shaping up to be a busy one, so now is the time to start planning if you haven’t already. There is indeed a sweet spot for saving on summer travel—a brief window of opportunity where you can save on flights to some of the hottest destinations. Expedia just released its annual Summer Travel Outlook, revealing this summer’s trending travel spots along with a cheat sheet to help you plan wisely for your summer travels.

Searches for summer travel are up since last year, according to Expedia’s data, with major cities like London and New York topping the list of inquiries alongside beach destinations like Cancun and Honolulu. Searches for Paris and surrounding areas are up more than 200% as travelers are eager to experience this summer’s Olympics. These numbers might have you facing surging flight prices as well, but fortunately, Expedia has shared crucial tips to ensure you get the best deal when making your summer travel plans. Say hello to Expedia’s Summer Travel Cheat Sheet.

Advance planning is the first crucial tip. Be sure to book summer flights 21 to 60 days in advance, and you can save 15%. The day you fly is important too: to save the most, fly on a Tuesday for domestic destinations, Monday for international. Skip travel for the Fourth of July week in favor of a trip in late August to save up to $140. Worried about cancellations messing with your plans? Early flights (before 3pm) are less likely to be canceled. Finally, Expedia recommends bundling flights, hotel and car rentals through their platform to save hundreds.

“The sweet spot for booking your summer trip is right around the corner, but there’s still a bit of time to figure out your vacation plans and lock in those flights at a great rate,” says Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations. “The cheat sheet is easy this year—book one to two months out and save around 15%, whether you’re taking the family to the beach in Florida or summering in Paris.”

Flying on an airplane for the first time — or the first time in a long while — can be an exciting, life-changing adventure. But it can also be incredibly stressful.

You want to head for the gate with the swagger of a seasoned traveler, but that’s hard to pull off when you don’t know how much it costs to check a bag, or what to expect when you go through airport security.

So how can you deal? Reviewing these tips before takeoff can boost your confidence, making your trip easier and more worry-free.

Best advice for first-time flyers

1. Check the airline’s luggage requirements

It’s easy to overpack — but if you do, it could cost you. Before your flight, visit your airline’s website to review luggage size and weight restrictions, as well as baggage fees. While these vary by airline and fare paid, here’s what you can typically bring with a standard fare on a major airline:

• Two carry-on items for free: one full-size carry-on the size of a small rolling suitcase or smaller, and one small personal item, such as a purse or backpack
• One checked suitcase (often, one weighing under 50 pounds) for $25 to $30. Checking additional bags could cost more

If your carry-on bag is too bulky, you may have to pay to check it. Likewise, if your checked bag is over a certain size, you may have to pay a higher-than-usual fee to check it. It’s best to avoid these surprises, if possible.

“If you’re a nervous flyer, little things can really set you off,” says Jackie Sills-Dellegrazie of New York City, founder of the travel blog The Globetrotting Teacher. “Even if it’s not a big deal, and you get to the check-in counter, and they say, ‘Oh, by the way, there’s a $30 bag fee,’ and you weren’t expecting that, that could just be something that rattles you.”

Remember, if you pack light enough, you could avoid baggage fees altogether.

Having an airline credit card can mean waived checked baggage fees, as well.

2. Pack essentials in your carry-on

If you’re packing anything that’s hard to replace — say, prescription medicine, contacts or glasses, or important paperwork — put it in your carry-on bag. This way, you won’t be without that item in the rare event your checked bag goes missing. You’ll also want to pack some in-flight entertainment, such as your laptop, headphones and a book or magazine.

Just make sure you’re following the Transportation Security Administration’s rules for what you can pack. You can’t, for example, bring a big bottle of contact lens solution in your carry-on, but you can bring a 3.4-ounce bottle. And keep in mind that if your carry-on bag is too big to fit under the seat in front of you, you may have to check it. More rules may apply if you’re flying internationally.

“The overhead compartments fill up quickly,” says Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, an online travel agency based in Calabasas, California. “If you’re in the back of the plane, you might find that there’s no more room, and you’ll have to do a gate check of your bag at the last minute, which isn’t particularly fun.” Checking your bag at the gate means your full-sized carry-on bag will travel with the other checked bags during the flight, rather than in the overhead bin.

3. Arrive at the airport two hours early

Catching a plane isn’t like catching a bus; it’s a much longer process. In fact, the TSA recommends showing up at least two hours before takeoff for domestic travel, and three hours for international travel.

Ultimately, you need to give yourself enough time to get your boarding pass, check your bags and go through security before your plane starts boarding. Sometimes, that takes 10 minutes. Other times, especially during peak travel times, it can take much longer.

It’s worth keeping in mind that boarding the plane isn’t a free-for-all, either. Airlines typically start boarding passengers 30 minutes before takeoff in groups. Generally, a boarding time will be printed on your ticket.

4. Keep your ID handy

Decades ago, airport security was relatively lax. “There was one point where you could just walk up to a gate, whether you were flying or not, whether you had ID or not,” Klee says. Nowadays, TSA agents check IDs for passengers over 18.

Save time by having your ID card, driver’s license or passport handy as soon as you step foot into the airport. You’ll need it when checking bags and going through security, and you don’t want to hold up the line while rummaging through your wallet.

5. Wear easy-to-remove shoes

Going through airport security might be the most stressful part of flying — but if you know what to expect, the whole rigmarole can feel much less taxing. Typically, unless you have TSA PreCheck or Global Entry, you have to:

• Remove your shoes (unless you’re 12 and under or 75 and older)
• Empty the contents of your pockets and remove your hat, belt, jacket, wallet and bulky jewelry
• Remove your laptop and liquids from your bag
• Send these items — and your carry-on bag — through an X-ray machine
• Walk through a metal detector or a body scanner (or opt for a pat-down)

Preparing for this — say, by wearing shoes you can easily slip on and off and making sure the items in your carry-on are TSA-compliant — can make the process faster.

6. Respect other passengers’ space

These days, flights are generally fully booked, and most seats offer limited legroom. This might stress out your fellow flyers, so be sensitive.

“If any of your stuff or body parts are going into another space that’s not yours, you really have to be mindful of that,” Sills-Dellegrazie says. “It can be as simple as, you put your ponytail over the top of the seat and now it’s hanging … across someone’s TV screen, and you don’t even realize it.”

Similarly, if you wear perfume or cologne, eat smelly foods or listen to loud music, you might unintentionally upset the person sitting next to you. Of course, you can’t plan for everything — maybe you’re traveling with an upset child, for example — but do what you can to avoid an in-flight faux pas.

7. Have a backup plan ready

Now for a game of “worst-case scenario,” first-time flyer edition: What happens if you miss your flight?

First, take a deep breath. If you miss your plane because of unforeseen circumstances, such as a major traffic delay, the airline will often put you on standby for the next flight without charging extra. Just remember that you generally need to notify the airline within a couple of hours of missing your flight to get rebooked for free.

If it looks like you’ll miss a connecting flight, check the smartphone app offered by your airline or the screen in the airport to find out which gate your flight departs from, and whether you’ve actually missed it. If the flight is delayed, you may still have a chance to board. But if you miss the connection and the airline was responsible, you can generally also rebook that flight free of charge — and maybe even get some free meal or hotel vouchers for the hassle.

The key in both cases: Be proactive. Have the airline’s customer service phone number handy in case you get stuck in traffic, so you can call as soon as possible. Or if you’re already at the airport, go to the customer service desk and asking about rebooking. Missing a flight can be a setback, but it doesn’t have to derail your travel plans.