Travelling to Tenerife and Covid-19: How to Stay Safe

The world has been up against COVID-19 for the majority of this year and it has affected each and every one of us in some way or another. With so much uncertainly it’s easy to feel stress and overwhelm.

The good news is we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel in Europe right now. Travel restrictions are being lifted, which means a late summer or autumn getaway in 2020 will be possible after all.

Booking a holiday in the current climate may feel daunting and even risky. However, it is possible to enjoy safe, much needed trip away with our guidelines on how to stay safe when travelling to Tenerife.

The Spanish government implemented one of the world’s strictest lockdown rules, and the Canary Islands were not exempt.

This approach paid off, with the Canary Islands, including Tenerife remaining relatively unscathed by the virus. With under 2,500 confirmed cases at the time of writing, the numbers across the islands remain much lower than many other holiday destinations across Europe, making Tenerife one of the safest places to visit this summer.

From July onwards, travellers from European countries will be able to enjoy a holiday to Tenerife again, which couldn’t come sooner after months of staying at home.

When you come to travel, you will find many companies have strict measures in place to help keep you safe.

Airports should ensure social distancing can be carried out during your wait and your flight. It’s wise to continue following the same common-sense safety precautions you’ve been following for the past months: travel wearing a face mask, wash your hands regularly (especially before you eat) avoid touching your face and use hand sanitiser when you’re not able to wash your hands.

When you arrive in Tenerife, you’re most likely to hire a car or take the local buses, called ‘gua guas’ and run by the company Titsa. The company has already put strict safety measures in place, including requiring all passengers to wear a face mask, and use contactless payment only.

While the pandemic continues, we recommend choosing to stay in a private holiday rental over a hotel. This will ensure you have full control over who enters your rental, rather than sharing communal spaces with hundreds of other people. When you choose a holiday let you’re also mitigating the risk of being on lockdown in a hotel if a guest suddenly tests positive for COVID-19.

Check the cleaning and hygiene policy

Before booking your accommodation, ask your provider about their cleaning protocols. They should be able to reassure you that they’re taking extra measure to disinfect high touch areas, using professional cleaning products and washing all linen and towels at a high temperature.

Slow travel

If there’s been one positive to come out of this pandemic it has been the permission to slow down. This can be applied to the way you travel, too. Instead of trying to do and see everything, take your next holiday as a chance to just be and to connect with your loved ones.

One way you can do this is by staying in the same holiday rental for the duration of your trip. If you’re anything like us, you like to break up your holiday by staying in two or three different places to ensure you have a varied experience.

Staying in the same accommodation for the duration of your trip not only helps you to slow down and relax more but it also helps keep your risk to a minimum.

This idea follows the same stay home philosophy we’ve all been following these past months.

Check the cancelation policy

While Tenerife is gearing up to host holidays during COVID-19, it’s always worth choosing an accommodation option that offers a flexible cancelation policy, just in case your flight gets cancelled at the last minute.

It’s still possible to have a fantastic trip, even when you do have to fit in with COVID-19 guidelines.

Thankfully, the weather in Tenerife is excellent, with warm days and very little rain especially in the summer, making it easier to spend time outdoors where there is less risk.

Outdoor activities on Tenerife can include, but are not limited to: forest and mountain hikes, beach days, picnics in the park,  golfing, scenic mountain drives with spectacular viewpoints, mountain biking, diving, paragliding and an array of water sports.

While some group excursions may still be able to go ahead, do your research into the different options available and check that you will feel comfortable meeting up with groups of people. It’s worth contacting the company that arranges the excursion that you are interested in ahead of your trip, to ensure they have put safety measures in place.

We recommend that for now you stay away from tourist hotspots, such as Los Cristianos, Adeje and Las Americas. Tenerife boasts beautiful countryside, unspoilt villages and a stunning coastline all of which are well worth exploring. In fact, you´ll have an even better time doing so.

Eating out is a highlight to any holiday. Not to mention the welcomed break from cooking and washing up after. The current situation doesn’t have to mean a 100% self-catering holiday though.

Tenerife relies heavily on tourism and its service industries, so local restaurants, cafes and bars have put strict measures in place to enable them to reopen and keep diners safe.

Where possible, choose restaurants with an open terrace offering outdoor dining. Many restaurants now have strict hygiene measures in place, such as no napkin holders on tables, no menus or wipe clean menus only.

Eating with small local businesses will help them stay afloat after months of closure, and ensures you enjoy the full Tenerife experience.

As you can see, Tenerife is one of the safest locations to travel to in Europe at the moment, and just a few tweaks to how you might usually travel can ensure you stay safe and have an excellent holiday.

For clear and concise information on the current COVID-19 safety rules that apply to Tenerife, check out Janet Anscombe’s excellent blog.

For more information on how we are keeping our holiday rentals safe and offering a flexible cancelation policy to help you book with confidence, check out our COVID-19 policy.