You've heard it a hundred different ways: 2020 was a major bummer for passport-toting travelers all over the world. To put a number on it, international tourist arrivals were down an average of more than 70% worldwide last year, according to Euronews.

Surprisingly, I've been traveling quite a bit during COVID-19. It's not out of choice; rather, it's for my husband's job as an essential worker, which happens to be in an industry that puts him on airplanes often — this time in Europe. 

Over the last five months, I've traveled to and from Ireland, the Canary Islands (twice), and Malta (twice), plus had various stopovers in Chicago, Dusseldorf, London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. We've avoided getting sick, and I credit the choices and precautions we took along the way with the help of a dedicated COVID-19 team on staff. With all those flights, countries, and boots-on-the-ground moments, I have some insights to share and mistakes to avoid. Even though the pandemic, with all the variants and vaccines, will keep us guessing for months to come, it's never too early to look ahead when the subject in question is travel.