How to travel with your family these days


There are many ways to connect with your loved ones; doing sports together, watching tv, cooking, and more. One of the biggest things to do together is to go on a trip, to travel in your home country or visit another country entirely. Going on traveling trips is always a happy memory when you are able to look back on it.

Before 2020, you could just pay for your plane tickets and be done (after going through all the fun of the airport security and screening!) Now with a pandemic going on, trying to travel is much harder. The sickness affects everyone, but gets to the young and old more so than everyone else. Now, with most of the world shut down, how can one travel? Besides being careful and following the guidelines here are a few things to help and think about.

Traveling with old and young

Most families have a couple of people who are younger or older than the rest. So does this mean that they can’t travel anymore until the pandemic is gone? Not completely. When booking or planning a trip, you now have to be much more careful where you go. Nothing too crowded, but still fun for everyone. So maybe put Disney World off for now.

Some things that could still be fun are going to the beach during the week day, looking up uncommon travel spots, or maybe visiting a museum. One thing you should always do is call ahead and make sure they are open, figure out how busy they are, and determine when their slowest times are. Yes, the companies may get many calls asking the same questions over and over — but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

What to pack

Where you are going determines what to pack. Hitting the beach? Towels, sunscreen, bathing suite, and sandals. Going on a hiking trip? Bug spray, lots of water, hiking boots, and sunscreen. Wherever you go, you will always have to pack right to have an enjoyable trip.

Now, with Covid-19 you will have to add a few more things to the travel bag: reusable masks, disposable gloves, and hand sanitizer. Not the easiest things to find right now, but very important. These things may seem small, but are very necessary! The mask is so that nothing is spread by mouth. The gloves will help slow down spreading from one hand to the next. Hand sanitizer is useful both for when you change your gloves, and if you can’t find a box.

Many places now will not serve you if you don’t have a mask, so bringing one won’t hurt and it may save you and your trip.

How to plan ahead

It has been optimistically announced many times that Covid-19 was going to be gone by now. Because of record heat, because we all stayed inside, because we flattened the curve. This inconsistency has ruined many trips for many people, and nobody is happy about how troublesome travel is right now. It is rather difficult to try to plan around something that is so unknown to us, so what can we do?

One thing is to call, call ahead and see if the hotel has heard anything about closing or limited space in the future. Call the forestry people, and see what parts may be closed in the national park. (No one wants to drive or fly somewhere, just to find out that it’s closed!)

Another thing to do is to watch what the CDC posts about new cases coming out. Are the numbers high, low, or about even? If high then it might be safer to just not go. If low, try to aim about two to three weeks out and watch the numbers while you carefully think about your safety. If the numbers stay even, then aim about a month or more out, minimum. Again, watch the numbers and always plan carefully. Safety should always be put first when planning, especially when it comes to family and friends. The last thing anyone needs is a huge doctor bill, a sick relative, and that much extra stress in life.

What to do while out and about

You have carefully planned out a trip, numbers are staying low, no one is sick, so you go for it. Now you and your family are on the trip enjoying yourselves, but how can you stay safe while on the trip? This is where the masks, gloves and hand sanitiser comes in handy. If you are on the beach and it’s not crowded, you may not need to wear the mask, but still bring it with you. Just in case somebody approaches closer than six feet.

And it bears repeating, always call ahead and ask to confirm your plans are still on! See if the restaurant is busy, if your seat is still available, etc. If they overbook or something goes wrong, see if they do take out, and arrange to pick up the food by yourself and enjoy it back at the hotel.

Safety in numbers is absolutely not true in this case right now. Whether traveling or while at the venue, wear gloves and bring the hand sanitiser. Avoid crowds, and respect other people’s boundaries as well. It helps keep you safe and it helps keep everyone else safe, as well.

Yes, wearing a mask and gloves can be annoying, but it is the safest thing to do to help get rid of the coronavirus. Please stay careful while out traveling, to help keep everybody safe during these trying times. Yourself, your family, and also every person you meet? All deserve to be healthy while you enjoy your travels!

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