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Vacationing during a Pandemic

November 18, 2020 /

While we did not travel anywhere at all from mid January till end of July, we have been on 2 vacations since then and are leaving for our Thanksgiving beach trip on Saturday. I have heard of some who haven’t been anywhere at all since March while others have traveled by plane, some have taken family vacations while others have not. I think each family and situation is different and people need to make these decisions based on their family needs and abilities.

Is this our new normal?

I personally do not think things will be back to what they used to be. Things might not go back and forth for lockdown to open back for business over the next few years and hopefully a vaccine will curtail the spread of this virus but there will be restrictions and stronger flus and viruses.  If not Covid, there will be others: while science is a gift I think modern society sometimes does things they shouldn’t with science and what we have seen in movies about virus outbreaks is happening or will happen to a certain degree. Now what do we do with that? Do we hole ourselves up in our house and never leave? For me, that is not an option. I take precautions, wear my mask when in stores and around “crowds” of people and do the things that will help reduce the risk of me and my family getting this virus. We will probably eventually get it and hopefully in a mild form. We spend time outdoors, we try to eat right, we take our vitamins and we do things for our mental health. I think good mental health can transcend to your physical health. And last but not least, we put ourselves in the hands of God. So I plan to continue to live as normal as possible with some new routines in place.

Mental Health and Family Wellbeing

One of the reasons I bug my teen about being holed up in his room is that I believe that fresh air and daylight are good for your mental health and mood. Where am I typing this post? On the porch! We try to occasionnally hike or bike, I take daily walks, we plan vacations. Spending time away from our routine has always been our way of life and we need it now more than ever. Kids have been full time in school since September apart from a couple weeks of hybrid school for the high schooler as they were quarantining so many kids (contact tracing: 9 kids sick, more than 150 quarantined) but who knows when that will change. So yes, we have gone on vacations. Now what has changed a little but not much since we were already doing this is what we do on vacation.

Vacation Activities During a Pandemic

We’ve never been much of a Disneyworld type of family where we vacation and do activities that involve crowds and lots of people. We have mostly planned vacation here and abroad exploring the outdoors and architecture. Now that we want to stay away from groups of people and do not feel like choosing activities where we would be required to wear our masks all day, we make sure that our vacations are focused on outdoor activities. In North Carolina, we spent time by the river, hiking and visiting the beautiful Smoky Mountains. We rented a condo and mostly ate in. In South Carolina, we did eat out more but all the restaurants followed guidelines and again, we chose activities that were outdoors and away from people. For this beach vacation, we are renting a condo again and will be eating in and our two main activities will be biking and playing on the beach.

If this is a type of new normal, we need to adapt. Not everyday will be easy. The hardest for me is when kids do virtual school so I am so very grateful that so far we have been able to send them to school. I really expected them to go back hybrid or virtual by mid October but cases in their schools have been minimal. I am grateful for a small city school systems of only 4 schools: Primary, Elementary, Middle and High school. If schools goes back virtual, I am hoping to create a better routine than I had in March/April and if the weather is colder we will find some ways to still be outdoors. I will have to be creative. And I know there will be good and bad days. And I know that I am in a way better situation than others so if you do not feel the way I do or in the place I am, that is okay! This is not about comparison, this is about what works for my family and why we do what we do. I hope everyone finds a way to escape from the daily routine even if it is only a hike or a picnic or in winter a snowball fight or fort making. If you have a backyard, take advantage of it. An outdoor patio if you are in an apartment.

Take care,

A bientôt!

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30 Comments

  • Penny

    November 18, 2020 at 6:16 am

    Oh well done you for doing a risk assessment and deciding what to do. My decision is to be very cautious and we haven’t gone away and are really feeling the lack of a holiday. But next year!!! Your decision-making sounds so eminently sensible especially wearing a mask and doing the kind of vacations you do which are mainly outside. Also can I congratulate you on mentioning the pandemic – so many blogs are ignoring it and, really, that isn’t real. I love your blog which combines your lovely family and clothes and trips to places near where you live, which is so interesting to me living in the UK. Good for you – I loved reading this post x

    • mimifce

      November 18, 2020 at 9:32 am

      Thanks, Penny! It does affect all of us in small or big ways and even though it may appear in pictures that my little family lives the same as usual that is not really completely accurate. I am grateful we have been able to make adaptations to still get away. And I love having you visit my blog. That is one of my favorite things about blogging is reading about others in other countries!

    • Nancy

      November 18, 2020 at 10:29 am

      We have been two days away in September. I want to go so bad to the UK, ha ha, but that will take a few months. I’m glad you could get away for a while. Being outside is fantastic!

      • Jill James

        November 19, 2020 at 5:21 am

        You are wise to do what works safely for your family and enjoy some time away from home. Things have been different here as travel between Australian states hasn’t been possible for much of this year but that is now changing as there is no virus in much of Australia.
        I think as long as everyone is sensible travel is possible ( sadly not everyone is cautious). Your little man is such a cutie.

  • Jennifer

    November 18, 2020 at 7:20 am

    I’ve only done one vacation since this all started and that was on the 4th. It was so nice to get away. I’ve gone out of town for work a couple of times but that doesn’t really count. I’d love to go to some other places!

  • Midlife and Beyond

    November 18, 2020 at 5:53 pm

    I agree with all that you have said in this great blog post. We are all trying to get through this as best we can while taking care of our children and families. My two boys are both living alone and working from home. I worry about their isolation, even though they are in our “social bubble” as we in the UK are once more in “lockdown I worry that the alone time will take its toll. It’s not normal to be by yourself for long periods of time especially when young. I think this will go on for a while, but we have to hope for normality at some point.

    • mimifce

      November 18, 2020 at 6:41 pm

      Exactly! I don’t believe in extremes. I try to have balance and make smart choices. We do have my mom in law living with us so we definitely are careful with that, I do her groceries and we really don’t get super close to her.

  • Laura Bambrick

    November 18, 2020 at 10:50 pm

    Like you said, I think we should all do what is right for our own families. Each of our situations are different. We didn’t take any vacations this summer just because we were hoping to do Disney which I don’t feel comfortable with right now. We are similar in that we are taking precautions as much as possible, but not holing up in our home. I’m glad you were able to get away for a few times!

    • mimifce

      November 19, 2020 at 7:34 am

      I definitely stress out more nowadays at the slightest runny nose! But the kids have been healthy longer than usual. The last two weeks has beeen the first time anyone had a cold.

  • Veronica Lee

    November 19, 2020 at 4:10 am

    You are so right! Every family and situation is different.

    Our vacation in Italy was cancelled 2 days before the departure date. Thank God! Italy was lockdowned on the day we were supposed to arrive in Milan! We haven’t gone anywhere since March except for the monthly road trips back to my hometown to visit my aged parents.

    Your munchkin is super ADORABLE!

    • mimifce

      November 19, 2020 at 7:35 am

      We had planned to go abroad before all of this happened but thankfully had never found good tickets. Probably will be 2022 before we do.

  • Claudia

    November 19, 2020 at 6:18 am

    Love your post and your open opinion about this situation. I agree with you, wehave to do the best out of it, for us and our families. But also protect and respect the decision of others. I didn’t go on Vacation, but I go out a lot. Leave the house for a walk, drink a good coffee with a friend, enjoy my Grandson and helping others where I can. Giving love and time is always a good idea!
    Love, Claudia

    • mimifce

      November 19, 2020 at 7:32 am

      Exactly! I think it is good to have some balance. We pretty much do not eat out and the kids do not do things indoors with others. Apart from school and some outside play with close neighbors that is the only interaction they have been getting.

  • Shea

    November 19, 2020 at 7:34 am

    This was a great post, and I totally agree that families have to do what’s best for them. It sounds like you’ve been very smart and cautious in the vacations you have chosen to take, and it also looks like they’ve been fun! We haven’t traveled anywhere, but we usually like to go visit a new city and explore and eat out, and that just doesn’t feel right for us right now.

  • Michelle

    November 19, 2020 at 11:03 am

    While I am hopeful that a vaccine will make Covid less likely to cause mass death, I agree that the normal we once knew is not likely to return – at least in full. In regard to travel, my husband and I took a quick trip to CA in October. We wore masks, avoided crowds, and chose outdoor activities. We chose restaurants with patio dining. (The risk of contracting Covid is 20 times higher inside.) We tend to be super cautious due to our ages – my husband is 64, and I’ll be 57 next month. Statistically, our age group has a greater chance of being more adversely affected. And it’s not just the risk of the death, some are left with permanent disabilities, others have long Covid. (Of course all of these outcomes occur in all age groups.) But the odds of contracting it can be greatly reduced by understanding which activities are high risk vs low risk. It seems to me (with my science background) that you have a pretty good handle on that.

    I do find myself frustrated with the cavalier attitude that some have in regard to the virus – basically pretending it’s no big deal, refusing to wear masks, etc. But that’s another topic.

    Michelle
    https://mybijoulifeonline.com

  • Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom

    November 19, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    We have done some in state trips when numbers were somewhat under control, but not they’re all ablaze again! 🙁 My preteen would stay in her room ALL day if I’d let her! That waterfall is so pretty!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

  • Kathrine Eldridge

    November 20, 2020 at 6:08 pm

    I love that you are trying to get out as much as you can safely. We went on a national park trip in June and I’m so glad we did. We masked all the time and everyone else around us did too. Virtual school is difficult but I’m lucky because my son is in high school. Having little ones has got to be so hard. Thanks for sharing your perspective on this pandemic. Take care my friend!

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

    • mimifce

      November 20, 2020 at 7:26 pm

      I remember your trip (and the bear)! Yes, for our family, it really helps for us to have some time away, just us and be together. Definitely grateful the kids are still in person!