It’s tough to want to get on the road - highway traffic and the inevitable idiotic drivers vs here on my waterfront porch watching Bald Eagles and Osprey fish for their breakfast… (sigh)
I hope everyone gets to take a safe vacation somewhere in spite of the pandemic. I’m glad FIL owns this place even though we never really considered coming here to be a “vacation” before since we’re “just” visiting relatives.
@creekland, the couple of times lately I’ve traveled around 95/DC beltway there has been little traffic, even on a Sunday evening. I suspect it will be a little worse today, but hopefully not bad.
For folks traveling through/near major cities you may need to check on road closures/delays because of the rallies and marches.
Our experience was highway test stops were spotless.
One of my kids did a 15 hour drive from GA to CT. Around DC on the Beltway on a Saturday. This was three weeks ago, but she said traffic was very very very light. She stopped at two truck stops on the highways, one in NC someplace and one in either MD or NJ. They were pretty empty, clean etc. She carried her own food and water, and just ate when she stopped. She said bathrooms were clean, and she never saw more than a few people in these rest areas. She did have sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer with her.
My guess is traffic is heavier now, but not like pre-Covid traffic.
A few weeks ago, we meet the kids 6 hours away. There is a Costco at the 3 hour mark, so I stopped for gas, then parked and used their bathroom which are always clean. That exit has a Chick-fil-a, so I downloaded the app, ordered online for curbside pickup, and ate in the car. One stop worked for me!
Going today to visit my parents that live 100 miles away. We haven’t seen them since early February before H and I were skiing for 2 weeks. We are going to sit outside and only use the guest bathroom if needed. We are easily able to distance from them in their backyard. I want to talk my parents out of doing a cross country driving trip in late June. They are not comfortable flying and my uncle is in the last stages of cancer and my mom really wants to see him. My parents are in their late 70’s and in very good health, but I worry about them doing this trip.
Traffic coming home today was heavier than Wednesday when we went there, but definitely not bad. It was totally within normal parameters for what we consider “good days.” Southbound was very slow in a typically slow section. Northbound was under the speed limit in a couple of places, but not by much.
Only saw one police car. They had someone stopped in the express lanes heading into DC. Usually VA has more out.
@showmom858 - I would risk my health to see my sibling again (maybe for the last time), but I wouldn’t travel just so I could be at a beach. This summer would be a good time to travel. The chance of them catching the virus would be very low if there is no second wave due to to the protests around the country. I would advise them on the best practices - use sanitizing wipes at public bathroom, pack food, if staying at a hotel bring own sheets (disposable), use sanitizer whenever out in the public, etc.
I just booked our Colorado trip for August (a little past mid-August). I can cancel with full refund on the lodging (house) until 30 days out. Airfare was cheap and it’s a non-stop Southwest flight. Even with the restaurants/shops being under a lot of protocols, we still want to go and just…be there. Normally we stay with friends who have a house there, but I suspect their plans are a little up in the air and they probably don’t want to commit to house guests, so we’re fine renting a place. This is totally discretionary, but it is something that I really count on every year to give me a little break from the heat here and the demands of my job- although I always have to do some work while I’m away.
Looking at hotels, I found one that had 72 hour guest free rooms. Rooms that wouldn’t have had guests 72 hours before the next guests used the room. At an increased price of course.
We have a neighbor who owns a condo unit about an hour away (Northern Michigan) on Lake Michigan. He told us tonight that their condo is rented the rest of the summer. The resort told him that their phone is ringing off the hook and that they are busy.
Previously, reservations had been cancelled, so all the activity is recent.
The only problem is that they are short of cleaning crews as they come from out of the country and can’t get here. So units will only be cleaned when guests change instead of every day.
I think people will be going on vacation this summer, just closer to home.
Sounds about right. I know a few folks who plan in doing just that. Our assistant’s kids are huge Disney fans, but the family will go camping on the local coast instead.
We usually work through the summer and take a break in early fall when kids are back in school… our vacation plans are up in the air still.
Not us, i proposed a lot of ideas for vacation domestically but neither DH or kids are interested. I think it’s b/c my daughter is so busy with school and work, the idea of vacation is just not appealing to her. She had big travel plans this summer and they all fell through, so she rebels lol. She is the driving force usually, if she is in, the whole family is in. I could go on vacation with my girlfriends, though, maybe I will.
Judging from my facebook, half of the people I know are in Florida right now (Panhandle- 30A). It’s about a 7 or 8 hour drive from here (middle TN) but it’s where all the families like to vacation.
We don’t have any actual plans for vacation until October, and I’d REALLY like to make plans for the winter, but for now we’re staying close to home.
We actually ate AT a restaurant for the first time today.
I admit, I am still a little “nervous” that we did that, so I don’t think I’m ready to board a plane.
I miss my granddaughter, and both my children. But I can’t see them unless I get on a plane. I think it’s still too soon – DH is high-risk. But boy, do I miss these people.
@TatinG, would that hotel be anywhere between DC and Denver? A friend is moving her D out to Denver and they were discussing renting a hotel room for three nights on each leg of the trip so that when they actually arrive on Night 3, it’s been unoccupied for close to 72 hours.
No. It’s not there. It would be nice if there were a list of such places though.
This hotel was independent and those rooms didn’t show up until I looked at the list of the type of rooms and the prices. It wasn’t on their main page.
We are seriously thinking of rebooking our sailing trip for next May. The week we want and the boat we want are already booked for May 2021. We have a credit for the boat and credit for 7 plane tickets that we need to use by the end of 2021.
Looked into a late June camping meetup with my D and her husband but have instead decided that they will come visit us for the 4th weekend. They are out in the world more but I feel if there is a better time to see them it will be sooner rather than later. I might also try to plan a time for my sister to visit minus her family.
We have a camping trip planned for late August but I’m thinking we should look into another camping trip for mid September after kids go back to school. Our friends in the San Juan islands in Washington have also invited us to visit. That would involve getting on a plane and a car rental and maybe a few nights in a hotel.
I might also consider Hawaii when they reopen.
I can’t worry about things like bathroom stops. If people are shopping and dining in restaurants I can’t see worrying about a few minutes in a public restroom. If I was on a road where we could pull off to the side I don’t have an issue with squatting and peeing in the dirt. I do it when I’m camping in the middle of the night.
I see a big rise in camping and RV vacations this summer. My friends have been desperately waiting for campgrounds to open in So California. Some just now reopening but with restrictions such as same household and ‘enclosed’ camping, which basically means only an RV. Have no idea why these places care about restricting to RVs only. Maybe it has to do with limiting the use of common shower and bathroom facilities