As I looked at my son’s school calendar I circled spring break week at the end of March as the perfect time to have our first family vacation as four. The AirBnB was booked and PTO requested off at work, vacation wardrobe bought. And then the world went on lockdown and much needed vacation was put on hold. Once Ohio’s travel ban was lifted, we decided to re-book our previous beach vacation.
Traveling during the current pandemic has brought on new challenges as we continue to mindful of restrictions and to follow social distancing. Each state has different measures in place so it is helpful to research what the restrictions are for your destination. Also the different risk level involved with all the different parts of the vacation.
It’s the journey not the destination.
One risk level to evaluate is flying vs driving, a more public transportation vs your own personal transportation. Flying is a higher risk than driving your own car with just your family due to more interactions with people and harder to social distance. Even stops along the way when driving will be more planned and carefully thought out.
The new must have pack list.
Previously when traveling, I research quite a bit what would be necessary to pack for our toddler. Well during this uncertain time, a few things have been added to the list. For our drive I will be packing a pack of disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizers. Also, a cooler for picnic meals and snacks since it will be hard to know what will available on the drive. We are still cautious to dine in to eat. So stopping at rest stops will be main stopping point. And of course several pairs of everyone’s new must have accessory: face masks.
The over planned itinerary.
When it comes to vacation time, I usually want to take a break from the day to day planning. Take a vacation from the over-stimulated and over-worked mom brain. As I started to check on some the pre-pandemic activities we thought about doing itt was suddenly timed reservations and only certain days available and some were still closed. For this summer, activities will need to put on the calendar and spontaneous adventures are put on hold.
Yes, traveling during a pandemic can be different and stressful to ensure the health and safety of your family while still trying to enjoy some normalcy and relaxation. It can be done. The simple tools of social distancing, face coverings, and frequent hand washing can help make sure vacation is done safely. That first step into the sand and breathing in the ocean air is more then worth it.
