Jump to content

Post Corona Travel


lion

Recommended Posts

My wife said she needed to talk with me. I thought it was something serious, but apparently she wanted to discuss where we should plan to visit when it's safe to travel. 

We decided on Hawaii. 

Are people daydreaming of future trips? And if so where?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Headed to Maine in a month, as restrictions on those of us from away have lifted a bit (our selectmen did wait until after property tax payments were due to send a note to the summer population telling us we were unwelcome - I got a good laugh out of that), though we will have to quarantine at our house for 14 days, which seems totally reasonable to me.

Planning on heading to Zermatt between Christmas and New Year's this year (using travel credits from cancelled spring break trips)...doubt we will have the whole family on a plane before then. I truly miss travel.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was supposed to go to Vietnam with my Mom.  At this point- given that they have no deaths from Covid- I kind of think we should have gone and gotten quarantined somewhere nice 😆.  But that is where I would really like to go.  I don't know when that will be possible as my Mom is older.  A colleague is supposed to have a wedding in Austria in October, I don't know that I will feel comfortable with that, as much as I would like to go.  We will see though.  At some point I think this summer I will go to Hilton Head, as my in laws have a big house there that they don't rent that we can use.  Although I am not sure when Hubby and I will have enough of a break from work to do it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are taking smaller steps and rented a yurt (!) on Airbnb around July 4th weekend. The yurt is on the owners property and they are overseeing the cleaning between guests etc. The property is 70 acres and it's just the family farm and their yurt. Hiking trails, mountains, swimming pond, outdoor deck. 

We found several similar types of rentals, yurts, cabins, A Frames etc. for rent in the Charlottesville/Shenandoah area.  Also in W. Virginia and Poconos areas.  All easy drives from DC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just want to go to Rhode Island, where I grew up, at the end of August. We go every summer to see family and go to the beach. Unfortunately a major component is staying with my parents (who enjoy spending time with my 6-year-old). They're in their 70s, so I'm not sure if it's happening this year. We usually fly and we thought about driving instead to minimize the chance we'd infect them (though we'd still probably be stopping in roadside bathrooms), but I still haven't worked out everything in my head. We usually go for Thanksgiving, too, and I'm not even sure that's going to happen this year. I kind of feel like it won't be safe to get up close and personal with them until there's a vaccine, but maybe I'm wrong. The guidance I've seen on safe activities this summer with high risk populations involves seeing them but keeping a safe distance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a 2 week vacation for this July which we moved a year to 2021.  Was supposed to sail and live of the coast of Croatia for a week and then spend a 2nd week in Sicily and surrounding region.  

No plans for any travel yet just local sailing on the Chesapeake and hanging out at my pool which we just refurbished. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife and I have a tradition. We take each of our nieces and nephews to NYC with us for a weekend - they generally get to pick what we do during the day. Then, we ask them what kind of food they want to try because they love it, or if they are game for something different. Either way we go all in. Two down, three to go. One trip, this year, was cancelled because of this pandemic, but it will happen, just a TBD future date is all.

As for our time off, I am not sure when or if we'll do something this year. It's kind of sad. I'm very cautious about this pandemic because, while I may not be immunocompromised, I do believe if I caught this it would have its way with me given how I handle regular flus post-lyme-disease. I'm hopeful for science, data and a vaccine, but this will take time and I'm patient.

I think if we do not go away this year, I might take time off and plan to go all out making amazing (and difficult, time consuming, complex or some mix of these) food for a week at home. It would be a challenge, memorable and fun (and tasty).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/3/2020 at 9:58 PM, Pool Boy said:

We have such a list. Sicily or Sardegna or both. Japan. Spain. Finland. Poland. Croatia. Patagonia (OMG I want to go so bad). New Zealand.

Alsaka. Morocco. Portugal. Germany - to do it properly with my wife (we ended an Alpine tour for a day and a half in München, not long enough, especially for her - I've been there many times for family) - probably the Mosel Saar Ruwer region - or Berlin! - or Heidelberg - or Köln! The Maldives befre the succumb to climate change.

I could go on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/3/2020 at 3:23 PM, ktmoomau said:

I  At some point I think this summer I will go to Hilton Head, as my in laws have a big house there that they don't rent that we can use.  

Scratch that... 

Well we decided that post-Corona we are going with our good friends to Croatia and Austria.  It's good to have things to look forward to, even if it might take a while. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are fortunate to belong to a sailboat club which has several cruising boats.  2 weeks ago we sailed from Annapolis to St Michaels. St Michaels was empty Sunday to Tuesday.  The Marina had bikes we could borrow and we were the only ones in the brewery there.

Our 35th Anniversary will be an overnight from Annapolis to Rockhall.  I joked with my wife that our dinner decision will be the single or double crabcake.

October we will go back out for another 4 nights, destination TBD.  

We have way too many Bonvoy points and free nights.  They will be unused until there is a vaccine and I feel really confident the world has this beat.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/3/2020 at 9:07 PM, dracisk said:

I kind of feel like it won't be safe to get up close and personal with them until there's a vaccine, but maybe I'm wrong. The guidance I've seen on safe activities this summer with high risk populations involves seeing them but keeping a safe distance.

So- I am going to see my Mother who is older.  But I feel very lucky as she has a really nice front porch, back porch and she has an old fashioned house which has a whole house fan which draws fresh air through the house and up through the attic.  So my Mom and I have put in a protocol- if some of this is helpful for you.

I generally try to quarantine the week before I see her.  I make only absolutely essential stops along the way- for these I have my mask and disposable gloves, wipes and throw the wipes/gloves away when exiting.  I wear my mask when inside with her, or outside if I am worried we might not be as distanced as we should be (esp with kids I think this is good, it's what I do with my nephews- when they were up Mom wore her mask as you never know when someone was going to get hit by the other and come screaming, crying into your arms).  I have a bunch of masks.  I sleep upstairs with windows open, so that my air goes out and doesn't populate her space and I can have my mask off all night.  We try to be outside as much as possible. When making meals, I keep one side of the sink with warm, soapy water, anything I touch goes in there, and then I put it into dishwasher (I avoid things that can't be dishwashed, except knives that I hand wash).  I wipe down the kitchen and bathroom frequently with wipes and use a separate bathroom than her.  We try not to touch each other and have no purposeful touchings- which is so hard.  I put all fabrics that I have used- towels, sheets, blankets in washing machine when I leave. We have assigned seats in her home, so that I have certain seats and she has her seats. Etc. Etc.  There are a few more things, but you generally get the point.

When my brother and his family was up, my Mom stayed up the street at my Aunt and Uncles house and they stayed at my Mom's house and she came home a few days after they left to let fabric services decontaminate, and then wiped down all the other surfaces. And they all saw each other outside.  Don't know if you have other family up there and could do something like this.

It is a fair amount of extra things to think about, but I found writing down the protocol I would have and sharing with her, my aunt and uncle, etc, made us all feel better, and we all know the rules.  It is so hard with kids.  Now that I have done it twice, we have the protocol down more and it is easier.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ktmoomau, those are all very helpful things to think about and thank you for sharing your protocol. However, I'm quite sure my family isn't going to do any of that stuff. 🤣

I'm still undecided about whether we'll go. I spoke to my mom and she wants us to come. She says she doesn't have that much time left (I mean, she's not THAT old -- she's 73) and she misses us. She'd especially like some time with her granddaughter (who's 6). She'd rather take the chance and spend time with us. My mom is a homebody anyway so doesn't go out that much, but she's been going to the grocery store this whole time and not during senior hours because she doesn't like to get up early. My father has been golfing and playing cards indoors with a group of guys (most of whom are older than he is). I sincerely doubt they're wearing masks. He's been sharing golf carts and will attend an indoor golf tournament dinner with many people (I'm not sure what the limit it in RI for indoor gatherings, but it'll be close to that limit). The piece de resistance is that my brother and 7-year-old nephew have been coming down from Boston every other weekend to stay with my parents, and my brother's live-in girlfriend works in a hospital (not directly with COVID patients but still).

So I kind of feel like if we go we're not the ones who will be breaking their bubble. The bubble was already broken by my brother and by my parents themselves. One of my co-workers took her young kids to stay with her mom for a week and she said the way she thought about it was that her mom had some guy in her house helping her clean out her basement, so her mom wasn't being that careful and it didn't seem that risky for my co-worker and her family to be in the house, too. That's kind of how I'm also leaning, but I still haven't decided for sure. If we do go we'll definitely limit our interactions with anyone else during the 2 weeks before. We may get tested before we go, too. Your protocols for visiting definitely seem much safer than what we'd do.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are equations with only variables- no constants so solutions are difficult.

I have a 6 month old granbaby that I haven’t held since March. And to make this pertinent to travel, I’m hoping to find a fall beach rental but my kids worry that they might expose us older folks.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

After being largely imprisoned for 6+ months, I just took a 5-night vacation: Virginia Beach, Chincoteaque, and Philadelphia (after a brief visit to Ocean City, MD - I can't believe Sportland and Playland are still open!) - I just got back yesterday, and will let you know if I come down with an ailment. With the exception of the oceanfront Virginia Beach hotel (which was fine, but it was still a well-worn beach hotel, not quite as meticulously deep-cleaned as the other places), I felt quite safe. The number of people dining out in Philadelphia this past weekend was remarkable, but just about everyone seemed to follow social-distancing protocols.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did end up going to Rhode Island to see my parents (and other family). We got tested before we left and then crossed our fingers that we didn't pick it up between the test and our arrival (pretty unlikely as we're mostly home, except that we flew). I really wasn't freaked about flying. Everyone was masked, middle seats were empty, and I always thought airports and airplanes were filthy, so treating all surfaces as covered in germs was nothing new to me. We sanitized a lot and everything turned out fine. We've been back for 3+ weeks and no one got sick -- very thankfully!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're finally getting out again over the past month. Haven't traveled out of the area yet but planning on Cincinnati for August to see my wife's family and another family gathering in November at the Smokey Mountains, TN.

Woo-hoo! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We just got back from a multiday road trip from DC to Denver and then a 10 day stay in Denver.  We stayed in higher-end hotels during the drive and weeknight hotel prices were pretty good, we were paying about $150 a night, staying one night per hotel.  In Denver we stayed with famly so that was easy.  We stayed one night each in Louisville, St. Louis, and Kansas City.

We found that the further west we drove the less mask wearing became compared to DC.  By the time we reached Kansas City it was like there wasn't a pandemic going on.  Pretty much no one wore a mask, indoors, outdoors, in restaurants, at the hotels, even the staff.  All three hotels we stayed at had signage about wearing masks.  At the Brown Hotel in Louisville all staff were wearing masks.  At the Westin in St. Louis all staff wore masks but some had noses exposed.  At the Fontaine in Kansas City most staff had masks on but not all.  

All the hotels had limited food service.  So if you are staying at hotels plan accordingly.  We ate in the bar area at the Brown Hotel and as mentioned all staff had masks, and it felt like they were sticking to Covid protocals.  We did take out in St. Louis.  And we ate indoors at a restaurant in Kansas City, and as mentioned it was like there wasn't a pandemic.  Regular seating, I only saw one or two staff wearing a mask, and our waitress was not.  

In Denver, pretty much no one wore masks outdoors and I believe mask wearing was required to enter businesses.  The one restraurant I ate at had ample spacing between tables.   

When driving we found at most rest stops and quick gas/food stops it was about 50/50 with mask wearing.  A random Starbucks we stopped at in Missouri had no indoor seating and all employees wore masks (I took that to be a corporate Starbuck's policy rather than local protocals) 

We flew home from Denver via United.  I'd say there was a very high 95%+ compliance with mask wearing at the airport and the flight.  It really felt like a normal airport/airplane experience, just most people had a mask on.  I even got yelled at by surly TSA staff for not moving quickly enough through the security screening, so that hasn't changed (but seriously, I don't envy TSA right now, it looked like a really high stress job and security screening at the Denver airport is always a nightmare)         

We are both vaccinated, so after a certain point we decided to trust the vaccines.  I'd say right now it's pretty much a mixed bag on mask wearing and other Covid protocals.  So it really comes down to your own personal tolerances re: Covid protocals, masks, social distancing etc.  Good luck!                 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick question for the group.  I've come back to visit my daughter in DC and need a fit to fly test to get back to London.  Shockingly, I can't find any places that have antigen tests available so that we can get the results back within the 3 day window for travel.  Has anyone done this before and can guide me on where to find a test?  Preferably on the MD side, but I'm getting a bit desperate with only 5 days to go.

I'm somewhat aghast at this situation.  In London, we get free COVID tests (albeit not usable for travel) and there are testing centers everywhere.  The ones here all have 3-5 day turnaround times. What good is that?

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, zgast said:

Quick question for the group.  I've come back to visit my daughter in DC and need a fit to fly test to get back to London.  Shockingly, I can't find any places that have antigen tests available so that we can get the results back within the 3 day window for travel.  Has anyone done this before and can guide me on where to find a test?  Preferably on the MD side, but I'm getting a bit desperate with only 5 days to go.

I'm somewhat aghast at this situation.  In London, we get free COVID tests (albeit not usable for travel) and there are testing centers everywhere.  The ones here all have 3-5 day turnaround times. What good is that?

Will one of the rapid ones do? My husband got one at a CVS location in SW DC last week.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I understand it, you need a PCR test to re-enter the UK. Check to see if your departure airport has a facility that will give you the results of a PCR test in 45 minutes to one hour. I know that was an option when I flew to Portugal out of MIA. 
Also, have you checked at all of the minute clinic type places near you? As a last resort, you may have to go to a private lab and pay quite a bit of money for them to do a quick results PCR test. If you Google “rapid result PCR test near me” you should get lots of hits. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, dcandohio said:

As I understand it, you need a PCR test to re-enter the UK. Check to see if your departure airport has a facility that will give you the results of a PCR test in 45 minutes to one hour. I know that was an option when I flew to Portugal out of MIA. 
Also, have you checked at all of the minute clinic type places near you? As a last resort, you may have to go to a private lab and pay quite a bit of money for them to do a quick results PCR test. If you Google “rapid result PCR test near me” you should get lots of hits. 

Thanks (to each of you) - the UK allows antigen test above a certain level of specificity or a PCR test.  Unfortunately, none of the minute clinics had antigen slots, only PCR, and those were few and far between.  The airport place was either $200 or $250, which definitely seemed kind of nuts.  We were able to find a mail kit from Qured that they could overnight that came to less than $70 per person for a supervised antigen test. If this fails spectacularly, I'll let everyone know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, dracisk said:

For future reference, we got PCR tests last week at one of the Montgomery County sites (the Dennis Avenue Health Center) and had our results in 24 hours (they told us it would take 48). We made appointments late the night before.

Wish I would have known - their website says 3-5 days.

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, zgast said:

Wish I would have known - their website says 3-5 days.

Given that you need to get on a plane you were probably safer doing what you did. We heard from neighbors that turnaround was quick (and we didn't absolutely need our results quickly), but if the website says 3-5 days I'm sure it could potentially take that long and then you'd be SOL.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, I thought it would be amusing to post what the restaurant selections look like when your post-corona travels are back to DC. 
 

zaytinya - This place is still packed 15+ years in. Strong mezze selections (easier when you’ve been there so much) and a few grilled meats made this a good start. 

Cava Grill - so this was the first place my son wanted to go, oddly. Still the king of fast casual. 
 

Hawkers - ok. Hanging my head in shame. You warned, but it was right outside the window and how bad could it be????  The Roti canii and chicken wings were good (we ordered seven things)

 

Philly and NYC interludes

 

Gringos  - mostly a liquid dinner, but I’d note that the Bethesda location appears far superior to Park Potomac in terms of quality

 

L’Auberge Provencale - great food with good company over a leisurely dinner

 

Et Voila - this place was spot on - every dish - for a birthday dinner for eight. Menu doesn’t change much but he nailed every entree and the staff were wonderful in accommodating an emergency table change. Probably the best cooked dishes of the travel. 
 

China Bistro - Did someone mention dumplings?  Still our favorites. Seemed quite slow for a Saturday lunch. 
 

Barrel and Crow - still knocking out good American bistro cooking in Bethesda. 
 

You can tell we’re Bethesda-based, so many choices were favorites/proximity/outdoor-friendly. Was great to see so many of our favorites survived with the same staff. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I traveled to Sarasota, Hilton Head x2, Charleston and other places locally (within 2-3 hour range) since May.  We are still evaluating were to take a big trip. Friends who were going to get married in Austria have once again postponed the reception (they got legally married).  My work schedule has really picked up so major travel likely won't happen for a few months.  I would have loved to have hit Europe this summer with so few tourists, but alas that is what it is.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/23/2021 at 3:28 PM, ktmoomau said:

Well I traveled to Sarasota, Hilton Head x2, Charleston and other places locally (within 2-3 hour range) since May.  We are still evaluating were to take a big trip. Friends who were going to get married in Austria have once again postponed the reception (they got legally married).  My work schedule has really picked up so major travel likely won't happen for a few months.  I would have loved to have hit Europe this summer with so few tourists, but alas that is what it is.  

Yeah, we basically decided we were going to need to limit our travel to domestic only for 2021. We've been to Oregon now twice since May to see family, and did a trip to Key West before Delta really picked up. Our "big" trip on the schedule now is Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My bestest friends and I are turning 40 this year and next and are doing trips to celebrate each milestone birthday. We all went to college together and lived in the same dorm and it's been nice to see how our interests have evolved since the early 2000s. Also, birthday lady has to sabre a bottle of sparkling wine. 

First trip was to Door County, Wisconsin back in June. The birthday gal lives in Green Bay and her family owns a cabin up in Door County (about 75 minutes away) so that is where we went. Lots of outdoor moderate outdoor activities and a lovely sunset sail. I love the Lake Michigan and the midwest in a way that is very unexpected from a San Diego born and raised gal and a 17 year DC resident. 

Second trip a few weeks ago was to West Texas. Let me repeat: West. Texas. We flew into Midland/Odessa airport and spent a day in a half in Marfa and then two days in Terlingua to explore Big Bend State and National Parks. Re: COVID precautions, I will say that I consider myself pretty lax by DC standards (although I will observe boundaries set by others) but by Texas standards I am hard core. But no hostility by others for indoor masking and other precautions, thank goodness. 

The last two of us are planning to combine our birthday trips for one big extravaganza. We are thinking Turks and Caicos or somewhere in the Caribbean in Spring 2021.  

Otherwise, a quick weekend trip to NYC for @MichaelBDC and me in early October and then to San Diego for Christmas and that is our travel for 2020. Glad to be able to travel again but I am still eagerly hoping/yearning for true post-COVID times. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, eatruneat said:

The last two of us are planning to combine our birthday trips for one big extravaganza. We are thinking Turks and Caicos or somewhere in the Caribbean in Spring 2021.  

Otherwise, a quick weekend trip to NYC for @MichaelBDC and me in early October and then to San Diego for Christmas and that is our travel for 2020. Glad to be able to travel again but I am still eagerly hoping/yearning for true post-COVID times. 

You lost an entire year (as have we all)! 🙂

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...