I realize the time has passed, but for anyone following that may be in the same or similar situation:
I saw an article about Bermuda and Aruba waiving normal restrictions and allowing year long visas for people who can work from home, I’m pretty sure students would be ok too. That would be pretty tempting for me. Even now if I didn’t still have a kid at home that would be pretty tempting. I don’t need a nice place, a shack with moderately reliable internet walking distance from a beach would be great for me. I don’t want to live like that forever, but I could do 6 months.
As a parent, I wouldn’t be as big of a fan of overseas, and I doubt the internet is reliable enough. Mostly just a random musing because I have had several trips canceled in the last 5 months and I’m ready to go anywhere.
I LOVE this idea and would be totally open if any of my children came to me with this suggestion. If I could get out of room and board and give it to them that gives them a great budget to work with. My only requirements would be you must be in driving distance (probably up to 5 hours) and it must be a short term lease (end at 2021). So I do not know where you are located but I would go to Cape Cod or Maine
Not if there is a need to socially distance oneself. So most of the sites and sights are difficult to access, the restaurants and cafes are likely closed, and even walking the streets while avoiding people will be an issue.
Not to sound rude, but I wouldn’t feel right going to a small town right now. I’ve heard some small towns are getting angry due to being overrun with people from larger towns. I’d personally just stay home. I guess it wouldn’t matter if you stay at a cabin and are self-sufficient…
@twoinanddone I live about 15 mins away from Dana Point and used to live there when D was in high school, it really isn’t that small. No town in that area is really small, at least not these days.
I’m with Natty. I live in a college town that has had to go to all online instruction, but not before the off-campus students came back. There is a lot of tension here around students not following guidelines. We locals do NOT appreciate the college students partying in off-campus housing. And if I lived in Dana Point I would not appreciate students coming in and setting up shop either.
As long as they are following the rules, I don’t see how it matters if they are college students or newly remote software engineers. Lots of young adults are using this opportunity to try out a new area or lifestyle.
I live in Chapel Hill. I think we made the news worldwide when the students returned and brought so many cases of COVID with them and spread it around partying. I think we would have less spread of the virus if everyone stayed home. The long-time residents of college and tourist towns have some pretty mixed feelings about both students and software engineers coming to set up shop. It is a fairly fraught atmosphere. Same thing in tourist towns. They do need tourist money, but don’t want the virus. We have tons of people from out of state coming to North Carolina to have a COVID vacation. It is pretty annoying. Why don’t they just stay home in their own state and spread their germs there?! I won’t go to the beach in my home state this year because of all the people from out of state. See Myrtle Beach and West Virginia for examples of this. My mother-in-law has a home in the NC mountains and that is the only place we have been and the town has been packed with tourists. It’s crazy. Now is not the time.
For those who are interested in going abroad (and can afford to) for a virtual semester/quarter, here’re a few other countries, besides Bermuda, that welcome Americans:
Mexico, Aruba, Barbados, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Czech and Estonia.
December 22 update. Dana Point was a great decision. Cheaper than the dorm. We visited Orange County, for the first time, in October, and it was wonderful break from the east coast cities we are accustomed to. My son enjoyed a premium lifestyle he will not enjoy again until he makes the bucks. Now onto the spring semester. Swarthmore seniors and juniors are allowed on campus this spring. Freshman and sophomores are not. Spring semester rules - must purchase meal plan, no alcohol, cannot leave campus, no gatherings, limited library hours. One friend group will spend the spring semester in Nashville with bars, music, airport, Vanderbilt and virtual classes.
