MINNEAPOLIS — Pauline Frommer is publisher of the Frommer Travel Guides. Her father, Arthur Frommer, is the founder.
"He and I run them together," she said. "He's 91 now. We have journalists all over the world writing our books."
As COVID-19 cases rapidly rise across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends celebrating Thanksgiving with your household alone.
"It's breaking my heart," Frommer said. "I'm a travel expert. I never want to say, 'don't travel,' but if you don't have to travel this year it's probably better not to."
Despite recommendations, AAA predicts 50 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving with the majority, 95%, traveling by road.
Frommer offered the following tips for traveling during the pandemic:
Road Travel
Plan Ahead
"Do some research. Sometimes roadside places...they're not always reliably open right now."
Emergency Kit
"This year, it's more important than ever to have a really well-stocked emergency kit in your car and maybe that emergency kit should include some food this year because you want to get where you're going with as little interaction with strangers as possible. You don't want to stop at that great diner this year. Just get where you're going, maybe pack sandwiches, and just drive."
Sanitization
"As well, if you're driving and you have to stop and pump gas, be sure to wipe down the gas [pump]. Maybe go to the bathroom first so that you can wash your hands before you pump gas."
Drive Sober
"Don't have that glass of wine and then get behind the wheel of a car. Now is not the season to have any kind of accident happen. We need to hold those hospitals for the people with COVID-19."
Air Travel
Arrival
"There will be many fewer people at the airport than in years past so you don't have to get there three hours in advance. The less time you can spend in public the better. Maybe an hour and a half in advance rather than three hours in advance."
Eat Beforehand
"You want to keep your mask on at all times so try not to eat and drink in the course of your journey if you can help it."
Consider Canceling
"Some day, we will all travel again and what we're seeing is prices potentially rising in the future. The nice thing is there are flexible cancellation policies for most every travel provider out there so we're recommending planning and booking your travel now and doing it once it's safe again."
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Frommer offers destination-specific travel advice and information. Her next virtual event is scheduled for December 9 through the Travel and Adventure Show and will focus on North America.