DALLAS — Tis’ the season for holiday travel.
According to AAA Texas, more than 8.8 million Texans will travel at least 50 miles away from home between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. That’s an increase of 32% from last year.
At the same time, COVID cases and hospitalizations are trending up. At-home COVID tests are becoming hard to find ahead of many family gatherings.
The Sloter family arrived at DFW International Airport 90 minutes early for their flight Wednesday, expecting long lines.
The Fort Worth family said they packed for their trip with COVID in mind.
“That’s why we got these masks specifically for flying,” Mollie Sloter said. “Just to be extra safe even though we are completely vaccinated.”
“We’re wearing our masks. I’ve got my hand sanitizer in my bag,” passenger Michael Bethany said. “Doing all the things that we can do, but we also want to try to continue enjoying the season and enjoying each other.”
In anticipation of long lines, Bethany arrived at DFW International Airport to get his wife, Chavon, signed up for TSA pre-check ahead of their holiday trip, which is in a few weeks.
“To just avoid the long lines and to just make it a little bit easier for us to travel,” the Keller resident said.
The CDC updated their domestic travel tips this week:
- Delay travel until you are fully vaccinated.
- Check your destination’s COVID-19 situation before traveling.
- Wear a mask.
- If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, get tested both before and after your trip.
For more trips on holiday travel, click here.