Flying While Fat During the Pandemic

By Kristina Carrodeguas of Living Wonderfilled

Travelling as a plus size person is always slightly challenging: bigger clothes tend to mean more luggage, oftentimes activities don’t accommodate certain sizes/weights, and most of all, travelling in buses/planes/trains can get kind of…smooshed. 

That was all bad pre-pandemic when we were generally unconcerned with germs and personal space. So, as you can imagine, things got extra uncomfortable during the pandemic. 

I’ve travelled four times since March 2020. 

In August 2020, I moved back to the US from Madrid, where COVID was wreaking terrible havoc. I didn’t have health care or family there, so the safest choice for me at that time was to move back to the US. That flight experience was unbelievable.

At this time, vaccinations felt like a pipe dream and people – particularly in Europe – were still abiding by social distancing and mask-wearing rules. The fear of COVID was palpable, even then. My flight from Madrid to Lisbon was a quick one, only full to about one-third capacity.

There was no food or snacks, and nobody dared take their masks off in-flight. 

The flight from Lisbon to Miami felt apocalyptic. Though the waiting room was fairly empty, it didn’t seem as bad until we walked on the plane. About 7 people walked with me into our section in the economy part of the plane. Our seats were all sort of clustered relatively close to each other, so we all watched and waited as boarding ended, hoping to choose better seats.

What I didn’t expect was when the flight attendant came by to close the overhead compartments – they were empty.

Surely there were more people coming? Nope. The flight was between 10 – 15% occupancy; it was virtually empty. At that point, we all spaced ourselves out, taking entire rows to ourselves, but making sure there were empty rows in-between us all. (Like I said, VERY AFRAID of germs at this point.) 

That first COVID flight went as expected: because the only travel allowed was to get people back to their home countries, flights and airports were empty. I took a middle, 4-person row to myself and tried to sleep. Ultimately, at a size 18-20 US, even with a whole row it wasn’t the best for sleep. The seatbelts jabbed me and in certain positions, I was wider than the seat, so it wasn’t great. I was also wearing an N95 mask the whole time as well. I took the metal nose part off because it was beginning to cause me pain; it was an 8-hour flight, after all.

On this flight, we all sanitized everything: every surface we touched, our hands, everything. 

My second trip was round-trip from Tampa, Florida, to Bozeman, Montana, via Dallas, Texas, in February 2021. We all wore masks the entire duration of the trip and this was still at the point where the airlines were leaving middle seats open. I felt safer this way, and obviously more comfortable. We were handed sanitizing wipes, which everyone used diligently.

I would say this was a step towards normalcy but still not too close. 

My second trip was in March 2021 to Medellin, Colombia.

(Before you shame me: I tested negative and then quarantined for a week before going and stayed with family, where we were also fairly isolated and incredibly cautious. I quarantined and re-tested when I arrived back home as well.)

This trip was what I would consider halfway back to reality. People respected distance at the airports and the middle seats in-flight were mostly left unoccupied. This made us feel safer from COVID and also meant I felt much less awkward than normal and didn’t have to worry about squishing the person next to me in flight. 

The third trip I took was to Philadelphia at the end of May 2021 for a wedding. I would go ahead and say, based on my experiences at the Tampa airport and the Philadelphia airport, and in-flight, that travel is essentially the same as it was in 2019. At least, flying is. My flights were booked, people no longer respected any kind of distance, and the concept of wearing a mask in-flight basically seemed like an excuse for people to pretend they were eating, so they could pull it down. To top it off, I happened to sit in a middle seat on my flight back, between two people who seemed VERY keen on maintaining their space. I ended up sitting, shoulders crunched in on themselves, trying to make myself as small as possible. It was the worst flight I’ve ever experienced and gave me terrible neck and back pain. Thankfully it was a quick hour! 

So, what’s it been like travelling during COVID as a plus size traveller? Basically the same as always, with people slightly more perturbed at my size. Frankly, I wish airlines would leave the middle seats open permanently. 

About the Author

Kristina Carrodeguas is many things: she’s a First-Generation American of Cuban and Colombian heritage. She’s a traveller, a (mostly vegan) foodie, and a sort of nomad. Ever since she was a little girl, she was always the most inquisitive person around; that curiosity has only grown and blossomed. She’s currently living in St. Pete Beach, Florida, after spending 2 years in Nashville and 2 years in Madrid. Up next? Van life!

Website: http://www.livingwonderfilled.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingwonderfilled/