Is it safe for you to travel with your children? Are you able to visit a summer destination or get on a plane? The question may be bubbling in your mind as you start getting the itch to plan trips for the rest of the year. You start wondering whether and how can your family travel safely.
Thanks to the vaccinations that are becoming more readily available to the general public, a majority of the population now has access to vaccinations. For example, here in Florida, residents 16 and over are now eligible for the vaccine. While that may not help families with young children, families with teenagers will soon be immunized against the virus. And we expect more people will begin to travel as a result.
So how can your family travel safely when that happens? What are the safe options available to you, especially if you have younger kids who aren’t vaccinated yet?
Here are a few options you can try while we wait for everyone to receive their vaccinations and for the pandemic to finally end.
HOLD OFF ON THE EXTRAVAGANT TRIPS
Summer is typically a time when people make their long family travel trips, such as heading to different countries and to more exotic locales. The travel landscape has changed due to travel regulations, which means the opportunities to travel abroad are fewer. But you don’t need to travel 5,000 miles away for a vacation: you can travel elsewhere within the United States with your kids and still practice full safety.
We recently published a blog article about “toe-dip trips,” where travelers only need to drive a few hours away for a short getaway.
We published a blog about toe-dip trips, where travelers only need to drive a few hours away for a short getaway. You can do this and travel to some of the lesser-known/lesser-traveled destinations, like seeing a Triple-A or Double-A baseball game instead of going to a Major League baseball game.
OUTDOOR OUTINGS
Summer may be too hot for outdoor trips that involve camping, however a late summer or early fall camping trip may be more comfortable. The weather will be cooler and you’ll be outdoors and appropriately separated from the crowds.
While national parks are the obvious choice for camping, there are plenty of state parks and even private campgrounds that allow for overnight camping. Plus, if you really want to go camping in the summer, some of the state parks have air-conditioned cabins. (Yes, we know it’s not real camping. But air conditioning!)
Being outdoors is also much safer than being cooped up inside. Even so, you can (and should) all wear masks and practice social distancing. And of course, you can take your masks off when you’re camping and no one else is around.
You can also spend time outside in crowded areas, like Disney World and Universal Studios, which are employing serious sanitation and safety measures, as well as limiting attendance, in order to keep families safe throughout the parks.
OTHER UNUSUAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
There are plenty of other outdoor activities you can do with your family as well:
NAPA Valley Wine Tours. Your kids may not be old enough to taste wine with you, but they can still experience the beauty of Northern California and see some gorgeous landscapes and wonderful architecture.
Cave Tours. Most states have a cave system you can explore. For example, Indiana has Marengo Cave, the largest private cave in the state. There’s Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and Ruby Falls in Tennessee. And there’s the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve in — where else? — Oregon. Even Florida Caverns State Park offers tours for the whole family. All cave tours are complying with CDC regulations and allowing limited visitation.
Rent an island. That’s right, you and your family could have a whole island to yourself. There are islands in Maine, Florida, Minnesota, South Carolina, and a few other states that offer island nights for as low as $31 per person. You and your family will be out of the public sphere, but still able to travel safely. Some of the islands are made for hikers and campers, others — like Hilton Head, South Carolina — have hotels and luxury amenities available.
Where are you going to head on your next family travel outing? Where are you going to go? What would youlike to do first? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook page, or on our Twitter stream. You can also find us on our Instagram page at @TravelproIntl.
Photo credit: EvaMospan (Pixabay, Creative Commons 0)
