Traveling during the pandemic flies in the face of expert advice and government advisories. Travelers who are infected, even if they are not showing symptoms, may transport and spread the virus to a new location, or contaminate an airplane, cab or Airbnb. While they may be healthy enough to survive the virus, they could be putting others at risk.

They could also get infected during their travels, and have to be hospitalized during a trip, or get quarantined somewhere far from home.

But for people like Mr. DeSimone, the risks can feel very abstract, while the deals are quite concrete. “As far as I can tell, the mortality rate is like sub one percent for people who aren’t elderly,” said Mr. DeSimone, who added that he’s willing to risk infection for his cheap international trips. “Odds are, if I get sick, it will be like a bad flu.”

On Wednesday, he saw a round-trip flight from Austin to Los Angeles for $50.

“I spend more than 50 bucks on cigarettes and coffee in a weekend,” he said, “so like, why not?”

Some argue that these travelers may be a shot in the arm for the travel industry, buying tickets at a time where carriers are flying near empty planes and filling Airbnbs and hotels as people stop taking trips.