Our decision to travel during this pandemic may not be the same as yours and that’s okay! Comfort levels and life experiences vary and lead to us making the best choices for our family.
We can all agree that the pandemic has turned everyone’s world upside down and that was no different for our family. While our day to day life thankfully wasn’t altered, our travel plans were suspended indefinitely. My happy place was taken from me and I was bitter. You see, we typically travel 6-7 times a year and put at least 30,000 miles on our RV. By the time the pandemic hit, PART of our family had gone on ONE vacation and I, unfortunately, was not one of the lucky ones. Looking back, I definitely wouldn’t have passed on that trip!
[easy-image-collage id=23410]
While phase one of the pandemic ruined all of my happy place plans for the last four months, I have spent those months making lists and planning for the day this was finally over. Silly me, I really thought this would be over.
Once we entered phase two and understood the restrictions, I was able to modify our plans for travel for the safety of our family. While many of the national parks were still heavily restricted, there were a few places that were accepting reservations.
Our first trip was a test trip! A two-day mini-vacation to the beautiful beaches of Orange Beach, Alabama. Our plan was to book at a state park, not enter gas stations, and maintain a safe distance from all other beachgoers. I was surprised at how well people were following social distancing orders. On the beach, everyone was six feet apart from other families. In the water, though the current has a mind of its own, families were in groups and actively avoiding coming into close contact. I was proud, really proud and we had a blast (minus the heat exhaustion that my littlest battled). It felt like a win so we have decided to embark on another journey a little further away.
We are leaving for beautiful, slightly cooler, crisper, Colorado! My real happy place.
The same rules apply for gas stations along the way. One person is the designated pumper, with gloves, and NO ONE goes inside. We are camping at state parks or boondocking and don’t anticipate coming into real contact with any other families.
I plan to enjoy the break from reality and social media and enjoy my family and nature the way it was intended. Pandemic or no pandemic, I choose to safely travel. Do what brings you joy!
