*The information here does not reflect the current rules and requirements involved for travelers between the United States and Mexico, nor is it intended as a guide. Instead, it is simply an account of our experiences traveling during the Covid-19 pandemic. Check your local authorities for the latest information regarding international travel restrictions.
Eleven months into 2020, we were feeling desperate to travel somewhere. We had been lucky enough to visit the Philippines in early February, not expecting to have to cancel our travel plans for the rest of the year. We cancelled four international trips, and had been living in lockdown for months. In our home state of New Mexico, quarantine requirements prevented us from even leaving our state. So we were eager to go somewhere, anywhere, and chose… Hawaii.
“Hawaii?” you might say, “Isn’t this post about Los Cabos?” Well I’m getting there.
I know there were many people who thought (and still think) we were crazy to attempt to travel anywhere in November of 2020, especially if it involved flying on an airplane. But having done hours and hours of research, I believed it was possible to travel safely and responsibly. At the time, Hawaii had just reopened for tourism and was requiring a negative Covid test in order to enter the state. We were totally in favor of this requirement because we could feel confident that every person on our plane had received a negative Covid test result in the last three days. That, in addition to wearing a mask, sanitizing our seats, and frequently washing our hands, meant we felt the risk of contacting Covid on the plane was minimal.
Once in Hawaii, we had plans to stay in an Airbnb, rent a car to explore the island, and only do activities in which it would be easy to socially distance (like hiking). Then we would quarantine for fourteen days and get another Covid test when we got back home to New Mexico. While it would be lying to pretend that our chance of getting Covid was eliminated entirely, we felt that the risk was minimal enough that we felt comfortable traveling. Of course, not everyone’s comfort level is the same, and I’m not going to try to convince anyone that now is the right time to start traveling again. But we felt, and still feel, good about all the decisions we made.
With that being said…
Our trip took a major turn very quickly when Ben’s Covid test results did not come back in time. On the morning we left Albuquerque, my test results had come back, but Ben’s had not, even though we took the test at the same time. Figuring that if my test results are negative, surely his would be too, we went ahead and boarded the first leg of our flight, from Albuquerque to Phoenix. This is, perhaps, the one mistake we made in all this. It didn’t occur to me that Ben’s results would not come back, and it is only with hindsight that I recognize that boarding a flight with a pending test result was probably not the best choice.
We had a long layover in Phoenix, which we spent comfortably in Phoenix’s relatively new Centurion Lounge. The only difference from a normal lounge experience was that an employee served us our food at the buffet, instead of us being able to get the food ourselves.
The hours ticked by, and Ben’s test results still refused to appear. About twenty minutes before our flight was supposed to start boarding, we made our way to the gate and explained our situation to the gate agent. He was probably the nicest airline employee we’ve ever encountered, and waited until the last possible minute to close the gate in case our results came back. When they did not, he booked us on a new flight to Hawaii the next day without charging any fare difference. (Thanks, American Airlines!) We booked a hotel close to the airport, and spent the night trying to come up with a new plan.
At the time of writing this (early 2021), many airports are now offering rapid results Covid-19 tests on site. Unfortunately, this was not an option for us when we were traveling in November of 2020, and we didn’t have a backup plan if our test results were still not back by the following day. When, the next morning, we were still waiting on Ben’s test results, things started to look bleak. Once again, we watched as our plane left without us, and knew at this point we were not going to make it to Hawaii.
Disappointed, we now had to make the decision to either fly back home to New Mexico, stay in Phoenix, or fly somewhere else. We had both already requested the time off work, so we didn’t really want to just go home. And while we love Arizona, we’ve been several times and wanted to venture a little farther afield. So our best option was to choose a new destination that did not require a negative Covid test. The wonderful gate agent from the day before suggested we look into Mexico, where he had recently traveled, and which he informed us was not currently requiring a negative Covid test for travelers. We ended up choosing Los Cabos because it was a quick, easy flight from Phoenix, and we would pay only a minimal fare difference.
Throughout all of this, we were grateful for the flexibility offered by American Airlines. They knew it was a tough time to be traveling, and every employee we interacted with did everything they could to make our last-minute change of plans as easy and stress-free as possible.
After changing our flight, we had about six hours in the Centurion Lounge to book an entirely new trip. I’ve never planned anything so last minute, but luckily, planning a trip to Los Cabos is really mostly about picking a resort. And that evening, we boarded a flight to Mexico.
Our in-flight experience was pretty ideal, all things considered. When boarding the plane, we were each given a bag with a small water bottle, hand sanitizer, and wet wipes we could use to wipe down our seats. The plane was almost empty, and we were able to leave several rows between ourselves and other passengers. I don’t think all flights are this empty right now, but we were lucky.
There was no in-flight food and beverage service, which on a flight that was only two hours was not a big deal, but is something to consider if flying much farther than that. One of our fellow passengers was very disappointed in not being able to get a soda. Face masks were required through the entire flight, and everyone on the plane complied with this rule. Other than being our first time flying since the pandemic started, it was a completely uneventful flight.
We arrived in Los Cabos after dark, where we jumped in a shuttle that took us to our hotel for the night. Somehow, we’d made it. Los Cabos wasn’t the destination we initially set out for, nor was our experience flying during the pandemic as easy as we’d hoped it would be. Traveling during the pandemic was definitely not for the faint of heart, and while we really enjoyed our trip to Los Cabos, and it was worth all the hassle, I don’t know that I would necessarily recommend traveling internationally when there are so many hurdles and things that can go wrong beyond your control. But we’d made it. One way or another, we were excited to be travelling again.
We spent the night in a newly opened hotel in San Jose del Cabo called Six Two Four Hotel. Because we arrived so late in the evening, we chose to stay somewhere inexpensive our first night before transferring to a large all-inclusive resort for the rest of our trip. The hotel was small, but comfortable and decorated in a modern, urban style. Although we only stayed one night, we would definitely recommend this place for a cheap stay in the center of town. It could also be a good option for those averse to all-inclusive resorts.
The hard part of our trip was getting there, and with that done, it was time to enjoy ourselves.
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