Social Distancing and Travel

 There are many things that I can say on this subject. Let's be honest, if you are like me...travel has a different place in your soul than it does for most. I am a more nomadic individual. I don't want to live in one place, but realize with a family that I need to live in one place. That being said, traveling is the one thing that makes my soul feel free. It is the thing that gives me the most purpose and meaning in life. So, when COVID hit, selfishly I wanted to travel and still enjoy life. I am not that person. I did not just say screw it and go about life like normal. I have not been into any public building since March without a mask. I have no went to the grocery store, shopping (except for essential things and even then I have been shopping mostly online), or literally anything else since the pandemic started.

We had big plans for this summer. Andrew, our oldest, turned 17 and we wanted to do all of the big experiences that we had not ever been able to accomplish. The goal was to get started and head west and cover a bunch of the national landmarks, national parks, and more. We wanted to really be able to spend time hanging out as a family and wanted to travel on the type of trip that is truly once in a lifetime. Then COVID happened. 

So, all of our plans were thrown out the window. For the majority of the summer, I looked through ideals for how to travel safely. It was hit or miss when I read about hotels. I was too nervous to be in crowds and knew that a hotel would be hard when you do not want to interact with anyone else. It's not like we would even be able to swim at a busy hotel as there would be no way to maintain distance between other guests. So, I was stuck trying to figure out how to make our last year with our soon to be adult son special while being safe. 

We ended up renting a family friend's vacation home and I can now say that it was the best decision that we ever made. Typically our vacation planning includes arming myself with a list of activities, places to go, things to see, where to eat, etc. This year there was none of that. The planning included researching my routes and the total number of COVID cases in the counties that we were traveling through. Ever have to tell your kids that you're sorry that they have to hold it to go to the bathroom because of COVID cases in a county that you are driving through? It is not the best feeling, but thankfully because of our conversations ahead of time we were able to have kids who were understanding about what needed to happen. 

So, I figured that the knowledge that I gained as well as the measures that I took to ensure that we all remained safe were ones that I could pass along to anyone who was interested in trying.

#1 -- Talk to Everyone Beforehand

We had many conversations leading up to vacation. We talked about COVID and even journaled about it. My kids read literature that was appropriate for their ages about the virus and what it does to the body. We discussed what having some of our family immune compromised meant. We discussed that something that felt unsafe was not something that we could participate in. So, we were well versed in how to talk to the kids and they knew that if we said we had to leave that it was time to go without argument. This was really helpful throughout the trip.

#2 -- Be Prepared 

As I mentioned, I researched our routes with COVID cases. I looked at counties and planned our halfway stays in areas that were very low with cases. I also took the time to research each county that we passed through. I knew exactly where we could go to the bathroom or grab a meal on the go. This was helpful as we were able to tell the kids when to eat a snack (all packed from home) and when to expect their next meal. We never once I had them crying except when we got stuck in traffic and even then we had snacks so we just had them eat an extra snack at the time.

Another way that we were prepared was with sanitizer and other measures to keep us safe. The first thing that I did was make sure that my oldest, my husband, and myself each had a can of lysol spray. This allowed for spraying door handles, cleaning stalls at bathrooms (literally spraying every surface), sinks, soap dispensers, etc. We never once touched something at a gas station or rest area that had not been sprayed with Lysol. We also had a canister of Clorox wipes. This was used to wipe surfaces when we needed. Mainly, I used them the two times that we stayed in a hotel to further clean surfaces. We had plastic gloves to use with gas pumps and when we were just running in somewhere for something. We all were stocked with sanitizers, clean masks, and sanitizing mask spray. We made sure that at all times we were well sanitized and that we were taking all of the precautions necessary to ensure that we stayed safe.

#3 -- Have Loose Plans 

As a normal planner, this was the hardest part of the trip for me. We had loose plans. We planned the beach in the morning or when safe. If we got to the point that we could not maintain 10 foot of distance between other beach goers or 20 foot between our stuff and other people's stuff....we left. There were absolutely no exceptions to this. We mostly ate carryout and made food at the house that we were staying in. This was nice because it gave us lots of options for eating while also making sure that we were safe. We really focussed on just doing what we could safely. The kids were disappointed with no miniature golf, but there was no way that I could see making mini golf a safe outing. (Don't worry we promised them with a trip when it was safe local!)

#4 -- Think Ahead 

Planning ahead is also key. If you know that you are driving 18 hours and you want to break that trip up into two days, you are able to do so...just plan the area that you are staying in based on what is safe. You might not be able to stop at the halfway mark, but you can still make it manageable.

#5 -- Get Others' Opinions 

One of the best things that we did was get the kids' opinions. Each one wanted to see some special things that were perfectly possible. Andrew, the oldest, wanted to see the Allman Brother's Big House, where Duane Allman lost his life, where they had grown up, and NASA. We didn't feel that NASA was safe but there was a Mars Rover launch that we took him to and watched from the car as the area we were in had a lot of people who were crowded together to watch. It was all a great experience and we got to see and do so much that it was completely worth it. Althea wanted to swim...with a house that had a pool and our social distancing at the beach, we did tons of swimming. Huxley wanted to boogie board and skim board, both of which we were able to safely accomplish at the beach. He wanted to surf as well, but without owning our own boards it was too much of a risk. Lastly, Adeline wanted to hunt for shells, build sand castles, and play in the water...all of which were easy to maintain social distancing.

#6 -- Get Creative 

By being creative, you can have a really good time. We usually go to lots of shops and let the kids pick out the perfect things to take home. This year we went to two surf shops. It was Andrew's 17th birthday on the trip so we let him pick out one (Ron Jon's) and each of the kids got one shirt to take home. Shane wanted to go into Cocoa Beach Surf Shop (next door) which was where the two of us grabbed a shirt. This was what made everything great! Not doing what we normally do, but also not depriving...just being smart and doing things differently.

While some might think that vacationing is something that can be skipped. For some people, skipping time away is mentally not healthy. Some people need their vacations and need to be able to let loose while they enjoy their change of pace.