Travel in a Pandemic
Along with all the steps taken to avoid getting sick, the hardest thing during this pandemic (at least for me) has been missing out on travel. I usually travel quite a bit. Over the years, some vacations have literally changed my life. Lately, I've been watching a series of YouTube videos on long distance train travel. Taking a train has always been one of my favorite experiences. In the pandemic, those Amtrak sleeper cars look really neat. You have privacy and aren't required to wear a facemask. Plus, you don't have to drive. That can be a lot of fun. Given the situation, it's smart to travel with a HEPA filter. Whether it's a hotel or a private sleeper car, the HVAC system may be communal. When air goes through vents from room to room, you have to be careful. Here's an article on COVID-19 risk that I came across:
The Scientific American article talks about HEPA filters and COVID-19 which is useful information. Here's what I add: I say plug a HEPA filter into the outlet in your sleeper car on the train. Use it at hotels. Yes, you can travel with a HEPA filter! My Holmes HEPA filter system fits right into a large duffle bag. The CDC recommends the use of HEPA filters too:
Sure, filtered air is definitely Howard Hughes-esque -"the billionaire, recluse, and germophobe". In fact, Hughes had entire air filtration systems installed in his cars. These filtration systems were so large that they took up almost the entire trunk of large American automobiles. According to Hemmings Motor News, "So obsessed was Hughes with maintaining a germ-free environment that only the driver's window is functional; the rest are purposely sealed, as are the firewall vents." Here's the rest of the story about this genius engineer/billionaire's Buick:
Anyway, Hughes was eccentric yet his interest in air filtration seems eerily prescient these days. As we learn more about COVID-19, Hughes's interest in filtered air keeps crossing my mind.
posted by Curt Friehs at
6:35 PM
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