Preparing for Winter Holiday Travel in 2023

After staying home for the holidays last year, many Americans will be traveling to celebrate the holidays with family. With the Delta variant still at large, and the Omicron variant quickly taking over, for many travelers, the trip may stir up health and safety concerns. But going home for the holidays doesn’t need to be stressful. Here’s everything you need to know to maintain your safety while traveling.  

" A plane full of strangers, where immunity levels range from high to non-existent and proper masking is not always adhered to, not to mention people possibly infected with COVID-19, is a game of roulette"

What’s different about the 2022 winter holiday travel season?

While COVID-19 is not new to 2022, the Delta variant and the newest variant of concern, the Omicron, are now driving the latest Coronavirus surge. According to the CDC, the Delta variant is more than twice as contagious as previous variants, and according to some data may make people sicker than previous variants , while the Omicron is estimated to be even more transmissible than the Delta. Vaccines play a leading role in mitigating the infection rate and the severity of the illness, but not everyone is vaccinated, and even fully vaccinated people can catch the Delta variant and Omicron variant and infect others . This keeps masks at the frontline of the available prevention strategies. Your choice of mask can therefore make a huge difference to your protection against COVID-19 . 

What makes airports challenging while traveling?

Airports are high-traffic indoor spaces filled with people from all over the world. Travelers passing through airports share common spaces and high-touch surfaces such as elevator buttons, rails, bathrooms door handles, counters, etc. Although masks are required inside airports, people remove their masks to eat, drink or for other reasons. Physical distancing is not always possible in all parts of the airport. Once again, your defense strategy boils down to frequent hand sanitizing and your choice of mask .

What you should know about the airplane passenger cabin

You’ve boarded your flight and have taken your seat on the plane only to be faced with brand new risks specific to the passenger cabin. Here are the main challenges to you will be taking on during your flight:

➤ Air quality on the plane: the air quality on the plane is a cocktail made up of the unfiltered air in the passenger cabin, fresh air that is introduced from outside during the flight and the filtered air coming out of the aircraft’s filtration system. At any given moment, you are breathing in a mix of these three components. The health of the other passengers therefore directly impacts the air quality on the plane as well as your health.

(Qingyan Chen, Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering)

➤ Other passengers: A plane full of strangers, where immunity levels range from high to non-existent and proper masking is not always adhered to, not to mention people possibly infected with COVID-19, is a game of roulette. Different people also mean different mask types and different masking compliance levels. Some people will be wearing high-performance masks while others will be going through the motions with masks with poor filtration performance or recycling a disposable mask that should have been tossed and replaced hours ago or days earlier. Strangers will be removing their masks to eat and drink on the plane while others may not be wearing their mask properly.

With minimized ability to physically distance and no control over other passengers’ behavior or the air quality on the plane, once again, your best protection strategy is your choice of mask. A mask like the SonoMask™ Pro  provides the protection you need in even the most perilous confined spaces.

What to look for in a good travel face mask

When selecting a good mask for travel, look for a combination of proven high-protection and comfort during wear to allow you to keep your mask on. Comfort and high filtration are usually contradictory traits when it comes to face masks, because with most masks, the higher the filtration, the lower the ability to breathe.  The SonoMask™ Pro is an innovative reusable, washable mask that offers high-protection and   comfort.

The SonoMask™ Pro is made up of 3 layers: an inner and outer layer made of soft, breathable fabric, and a middle filter layer. The clever construction of the mask delivers a whopping  97% filtration rate of 3-micron particles . But the SonoMask™ Pro doesn’t stop there. Using cutting-edge ultrasonic technology, the fabric in the SonoMask™ Pro is blasted with an antimicrobial agent to protect the mask from becoming a repository of microorganisms.

The ultrasonic embedding method is so effective that the fabric maintains its performance for over 55 washes. The built-in antimicrobial properties prevent the growth of microorganisms on the fabric, keeping the mask clean and hygienic . With the SonoMask™ Pro you not only enjoy remarkable filtration performance, but also an innovative stays-clean product!

Oh, and if you’ve had to deal with acne from wearing your mask, otherwise known as maskne, the SonoMask™ Pro’s soft fabric will replace the chaffing and friction to skin caused by synthetic plastic masks with the soft caress of its supple fabric to allow comfortably wearing the mask for as long as you need it. Finally, a mask that is gentle on your skin while it takes care of your protection. The SonoMask™ Pro is fully adjustable, offering your choice of adjustable ear or head straps, an adjustable nose wire to ensure an airtight seal, as well as an ergonomic chin guard to keep your mask in place. The mask offers 4 different sizes from kids to adults who prefer an XL mask

With the antimicrobial agent in the SonoMask™ Pro, the mask stays clean and hygienic while preventing the growth of odor-causing bacteria on the mask, keeping the mask smelling fresh. This means you only need to wash your mask if it gets stained or dirty, making the SonoMask™ Pro the ultimate no-fuss mask. Just one mask will cover your entire trip and will keep going long after you get back .

Traveling home for the holidays with the Delta and Omicron variants at large may seem like a nerve-racking ordeal. But with the right mask it doesn’t have to be. With the SonoMask™ Pro’s high filtration performance and built-in antimicrobial properties to protect the mask, coupled with high breathability, comfort and adjustability, you will be able to get through even the longest trip feeling secure. The SonoMask™ Pro’s got you covered.