What To Do When Everyone Wants To Go On A Socially Distant Trip - Your Mileage May Vary

There are many things we think we know about coronavirus that we didn't know just a few months ago. We generally have a better about how the virus spreads and which activities are considered riskier than others. We're not as worried about catching the virus from touching a box from Amazon.com or our groceries.

Another generally agreed upon fact is that being outside is safer than inside. A combination of sunlight and air circulation decreases the chance of getting coronavirus, but it doesn't totally eliminate it.

It's no surprise that when people are making plans to travel right now, they're trying to be smart and head to places where the activities are outdoors. There's just one problem with that plan, everyone has come up with the same idea. Check out these posts from other websites about staying at a house on the river in Texas or booking a house on Lake Huron in Michigan.

If you haven't already done so, it will be challenging to find that cabin in the mountains, house by the beach or anything near one of the National Parks. These locations were already crowded before they became the safest places to visit during a pandemic.

Thinking about renting an RV instead of traveling by plane and staying in a hotel. Too late for that one, as rentals are one of the only parts of the travel industry showing an increase in bookings. The people who rent houses, cabins, yurts, mobile homes and other social distancing favorable accommodations know there's high demand right now so they're pricing accordingly. Roughing it in a cabin could end up costing you more than staying in a nice hotel did before all of this happened.

The thing to remember is you're making these changes to your routine because you want to travel while making sure you stay safe while doing do. Is making a trip to a lake that's going to be packed with other people the best way to keep your distance from everyone? Probably not. You need to keep an open mind to things you might not have previously considered. You can also use some of the same tricks that you learned to find award space on airlines.

Be flexible

The more flexible you are with your dates and location, the better your chance you'll find something. If you're set on going to a specific beach on a single weekend, it might be difficult to find what you want.

Think outside the box

We're seeing a shift in the type of vacations that people want to take. Not many people want to visit cities like New York, Los Angeles or Chicago right now and instead are heading for the hills, literally.

So if everyone is going in one direction, can you head in the other? It's not a good idea to travel to a hotspot but what about places where you can find outdoor activities and a reduced number of guests?

Locations that depend on cruise ships to bring visitors are empty right now. When the Caribbean islands open up, it could be a good time to visit. The Bahamas is a quick flight from the east coast and they are opening up in July.

Another place where we know there is not going be any cruises all season is Alaska. They have reopened to visitors but there are rules for guests wanting to come to the state.

Both of those places require getting a COVID-19 test before travel, which isn't a bad idea before going anywhere.

Final Thoughts

I'm not saying I think everyone should be going out and traveling right now. Everyone will make that decision based on their own evaluation of the risk involved. I do have to realize that people are going to travel and a number of them are looking to visit places where they will feel more at ease.

Therefore, it's no surprise that the great idea about getting in touch with nature for a few days seems to have been shared with everyone else. You can still try to find a place to stay but be patient and flexible. The obvious choices for travel locations, like the National Parks, beaches, rivers and mountains are already booking up. Expand your search a little bit and hopefully, you'll find something that works for you.

#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands