What to Do If You Contract COVID While Traveling Abroad? Let Me Share My Experience—It Happened to Me

The moment I woke up feeling groggy with a sore throat, I knew my luck had run out. After successfully avoiding COVID-19 for over two years, I quickly confirmed my status with a rapid antigen test from the hotel front desk in Oberammergau, Germany, where I had arrived in late April for a travel conference.

Fortunately, the conference organizers had a COVID response team with clear protocols: I was to isolate in my hotel room until an on-site testing unit could administer a PCR test. About two hours later, a woman in full protective gear knocked on my door and swabbed my throat. Two hours after that, I received an email confirming what I already suspected: I had COVID.

The hotel staff left breakfast and lunch outside my door while I awaited my next steps. In the meantime, I canceled all my appointments for the week, as I was scheduled to return home to the San Francisco Bay Area the following day. Germany currently recommends a five-day isolation period for those who test positive for COVID, so I realized I wouldn't be going home anytime soon and tried to come to terms with that.

The next morning, the conference organizers arranged for me and another COVID-positive (but asymptomatic) attendee to be transferred by coach to a quarantine hotel at Munich Airport. We wore masks and sat at the back of the bus, away from the driver. The hotel was prepared for our arrival and informed of our positive status, which was a relief since I don’t speak German.

Upon arriving at the hotel, I checked in, quickly made my way to my room on the second floor, closed the door behind me, and got settled. I remained in the room for six nights until my five-day isolation period was up and I tested negative. (See below for details on what happens when travelers continue to test positive for an extended period.) The staff clearly knew exactly what to do and were incredibly helpful: meals were left outside my door twice daily, along with bottles of water. Housekeeping checked in every day to see if I needed anything.

A bit about me: I’m 41 years old and fully vaccinated, having received my booster shot last November. I’ve been cautious about wearing masks and avoiding large crowds, still opting for N95 masks on airplanes, buses, trains, and in theaters, museums, and shared indoor spaces. My symptoms included a sore throat, fever, night sweats, nasal congestion, nausea, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, loss of taste and smell, and a cough.

My experience isn’t unique. As more Americans travel abroad this spring and summer, many will likely test positive for COVID. Some may become ill; others could remain completely asymptomatic.

The reason you might find yourself stuck overseas is that the U.S. still enforces a pre-testing requirement, meaning all travelers entering the country must show proof of a negative COVID antigen, PCR, or CDC-approved self-test taken within one day of travel, regardless of their vaccination status. (All foreign nationals entering the United States must also be vaccinated.)

Fortunately, access to testing has improved globally. Many airports now feature testing facilities that provide rapid tests for a fee, and most destinations have testing sites available. To explore your testing options, check the U.S. State Department’s comprehensive COVID-19 travel information and country-specific advisories, which include a section on the availability of COVID-19 tests in your destination country or countries. Additionally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved various at-home test kits for international travel, with the stipulation that their use must be supervised by a healthcare provider via a telehealth video call (so users must ensure they have reliable Internet access for this consultation). We have compiled and reviewed the at-home COVID tests that meet international travel requirements.

However, it's essential for everyone to have a plan—most travelers won't be as lucky as I was to have a team of native-speaking conference organizers guiding them on what to do and looking after them if they test positive. Here are some considerations and insights I wish I'd had before departing the States.

Establish a backup plan before you leave home

If you’re traveling in a group, on a tour, or a cruise, inquire about testing policies and protocols regarding positive cases from your travel advisor or the organizers before you set off. What expenses, if any, will they cover? Do you have travel insurance that includes coverage for COVID-related costs while abroad? (This can cover necessary medical care as well as extended hotel stays.) Can you modify your flight ticket? What fees might apply if you test positive and need to postpone your departure? These are details that travel advisors handle routinely. If you haven't considered working with one before, now might be a good time to explore that option, especially as we navigate the continually changing landscape of COVID regulations.

If you’re traveling solo, think about where you’ll spend your final night before heading back to the U.S. Is it a place where you could comfortably stay for a week if you test positive or become ill? Does it offer high-speed Wi-Fi for potential work, video calls with family or friends, or indulging in a binge-watch of The Crown (guilty as charged)? If it doesn’t, research nearby hotels or rentals that are better suited for quarantine. Consider both cost and comfort. My room was spacious, had a mini-fridge, a full bathroom with a tub and steam shower, and, most importantly, a large window for fresh air circulation.

Considering children

Traveling alone had its advantages and drawbacks. On one hand, I didn’t risk bringing the virus back to my four-year-old, who isn’t eligible for vaccination yet. I also didn’t have to worry about when any of my family members might test positive. If my kids had been with me and we were stuck for a while, I would have reached out to my older daughter’s teacher to discuss potential distance learning options during our isolation. If you’re traveling with children, consider their childcare needs as part of your contingency planning.

If you begin to feel unwell, test and isolate

Make sure to bring plenty of at-home rapid COVID tests so that the moment you start feeling ill or suspect an exposure, you can take a test. It’s better to know your status than to remain uncertain. If your rapid test result is positive, arrange for a PCR test right away to confirm the result. A lab-generated PCR test will officially document your COVID case in the country you’re in and may trigger government protocols regarding your next steps. In some places, your case will be entered into the contact tracing system. After my PCR test confirmed my infection, the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care was alerted and sent me detailed instructions on what I needed to do before I could end my isolation period.

Your isolation period lasts a minimum of 5 days following a positive test result.

For your reference: Day 0 is always the day of your initial positive test.

You may exit isolation as early as day 6 if you have been asymptomatic for at least 48 hours after completing 5 days of isolation.

If your symptoms continue past day 3, you need to isolate until at least 48 hours have passed without any symptoms like coughing, fever, or other cold-like signs.

Regardless, your isolation cannot exceed 10 days.

If you’re uncertain about what to do, don’t hesitate to contact the U.S. embassy in the country you’re visiting for assistance.

Items I wish I had packed

On my way to SFO for my flight to Munich, I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten my supply of rapid antigen tests. After I tested positive, the conference organizers kindly provided me with a bag of at-home tests to help me track my recovery. Don’t make the same mistake I did—bring plenty of tests so you’re not caught off guard (and remember that you can request free at-home COVID tests from the U.S. government).

During my toughest days (days 2–4), I really wished I had brought a Farenheit thermometer to monitor my temperature, along with a pulse oximeter to check my blood oxygen levels. I did have some Advil, which was quite helpful for the first few days of fever and headaches. I’d also suggest packing some cough drops and cold medication (Advil Cold & Sinus worked well for me) just in case. Bring more high-quality masks, like N95 or KN95 masks, than you think you'll need. If you get sick, you’ll want to protect others during any necessary relocations (like when I moved to the quarantine hotel), and you won’t want to reuse them.

Know whom to contact in case of an emergency

If you test positive and your health declines, it’s wise to know how to seek help if your symptoms worsen. Familiarize yourself with a few key phrases (“I need a doctor,” “It’s a medical emergency”), especially if you’re in a country where English isn’t commonly spoken. If you're in a hotel or rental with a landline, write down the emergency number to call. Having local contacts or a travel advisor familiar with the area can be extremely beneficial. Consider travel risk management services like Global Rescue and International SOS, which offer protections including 24-hour assistance and medical evacuation.

If you continue to test positive after feeling better

As per the CDC guidelines, to enter the United States from abroad, you need either a negative COVID test result or, if you’ve recently recovered from COVID-19, you can travel with documentation of your recovery. This means presenting your positive COVID-19 test result taken no more than 90 days before your flight departs from a foreign country, along with a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or public health official indicating that you are cleared for travel.

This second option is crucial, as Dr. Robert Quigley, senior vice president and global medical director at International SOS, notes: “We have individuals who test positive 42 days after their initial test yet show no symptoms at all.”

One of the services offered by travel risk management companies like International SOS is connecting travelers with healthcare providers in their destination who can issue a certified “fit to fly” or “fit to travel” letter needed to board a flight to the United States. A simple Google search for “fit to fly certificate” will yield a confusing array of resources, so it’s wise to find a certified healthcare practitioner in the destination who can provide the required documentation.

“If a traveler continues to test positive for COVID, they will need to secure a letter of recovery from a healthcare provider in order to travel. Each country has its own criteria; most require that the individual has had COVID for a specified duration before they can be assessed for a recovery letter, typically around 10 days. A letter of recovery is generally sufficient for travel,” explains Jeff Weinstein, medical operations supervisor at Global Rescue, who has extensive experience in emergency and disaster response, critical care paramedicine, and emergency management.

Stay positive and don’t lose hope

If you’re reading this and feeling overwhelmed with anxiety about the possibility of testing positive while traveling, take a moment to breathe. Remember, it’s quite likely that you won’t test positive, especially if you take safety measures like wearing masks in public and visiting areas with low COVID rates.

Should you test positive, as I did, there will certainly be tough moments, but rest assured, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For me, days 2 to 4 were the hardest; I could feel my immune system working hard against the virus, and my mood was low. I was saddened to realize I would miss my daughter’s first chorus concert, Mother’s Day, and a significant meeting with colleagues. I had to navigate those feelings of disappointment while concentrating on my recovery. Given the challenges of the past two years, I ultimately knew I would be okay. If you find yourself in a similar situation abroad, remember to stay hydrated, test regularly, reach out to a friend to ease loneliness, and focus on resting and distracting yourself. The silver lining? I wrote this while on my flight home.