Just because COVID-19 is around doesn’t mean your kids are any more excited than normal about sitting at home all summer long. We all need safe trips to take during the pandemic; because we all need to get out of the house! Here’s a roundup of ideas for planning safe summer activities.
Rough It
Some of America’s nicest campgrounds are tailor-made for a pandemic. We’re not talking about the campgrounds where you rent a spot within 20 feet of another family and share bathroom facilities the whole time. We’re talking about truly remote sites where you can be all alone.
Thankfully, it’s easy these days to stock up on camping gear online, so you can plan your trip even if you’re not able to get to the store. To find the best places for camping this way, you’ll need to get creative. We recommend these:
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- White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire
- Baxter State Park, Maine
- Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
- Big Bend National Park, Texas
- May Queen Campground, Colorado
These are just a few suggestions. Try Googling “remote camping sites” and find something great near you.
Boondock It
Boondocking is RV lingo for “remote.” It’s simply camping outside developed campgrounds, and if you aren’t up for camping in a tent and already have an RV, consider Boondocking, even if you’ve never done it before.
In general, you’re allowed to do this anywhere on federal public lands as long as you’re within a specific distance of any established road. While you can’t cut down trees to get there, you can go off-road as your vehicle will allow.
The US Forest Service has information on where you can go. This is a great way to get out of the house, see things, and stay away from people, but you don’t have to endure the more extreme roughing it of remote tent camping.
Road Trips
It can be safe to take a road trip during the pandemic. The two biggest concerns on a road trip are always food and shelter, but the country’s hoteliers are ramping up their safety protocols: cleaning often, using hospital-grade cleansers, and instituting contactless-check-in. Meanwhile, lots of restaurants offer drive-through and curbside pickup, so it shouldn’t be hard to get the food you need if you do a little research and planning ahead of time.
To keep your road trip safe, be sure to pack plenty of PPE and sanitation gear. You’ll need gloves for gas station stops, hand sanitizer, and some masks. Even if you and your family don’t want to wear masks regularly, bear in mind that some communities you stop in may require them in public places. As you plan your trip, be sure to keep stops to a minimum and limit your contact with others.
Instead of destinations where crowds gather, like theme parks and museums, choose outdoor destinations. Now could be the perfect time to introduce the kids to some of America’s battlefields and the history that goes with them. You might try Gettysburg National Military Park pictured above.
With some planning and a willingness to think outside the box, the summer of the 2020 pandemic could be your best year for trips ever.
