You might think that traveling right now is just out of the question. With all of the regulations and different rules, you might feel it’s too complicated. But it is possible. Our team has been having day trips and short summer vacations, and we have some firsthand tips for you to enjoy your time more.
Our number one tip is patience and planning.
Travel has taken off again. That means a lot of traffic on roads, long lines at airports and new rules that can slow things down when using public transportation. You should build in time for delays. Expect a higher volume of people, so it doesn’t come as an unpleasant surprise. Instead, focus on the pleasant destination. It can be incredibly frustrating when the trip should be routine. One person on our team took a journey that should have been an hour and twenty drive and instead took two and a half. But, she had an audiobook playing in the car and managed to make the travel time part of her trip instead of just a wasted piece of her day.
People around you are likely to be fractious. The best thing you can do is focus on your own day. You should go into your trip knowing what to expect, do some research before heading out. A team member wanted to visit an amusement park. The park now requires masks. To her, that was an acceptable trade-off to go. It’s a private business that could set its own rules, and her desire to go meant she accepted a mask. She saw a family take off their masks, get into a huge fight with security about it inside the park and get escorted out. Signs outside said refunds would not be issued for rule-breakers. That family may have lost hundreds of dollars in park tickets. This year things are different. You have to evaluate what you want to do, enjoy your day the way you want and ignore people around you who haven’t thought things through. Plenty of places are open that don’t require masks. If masks are a deal-breaker for you, steer toward something else equally as fun and go once it’s business as usual.
This year you should change your expectations. We’re experiencing, when we go on trips and hear from everyone going on vacations, how different things are. Even if you are visiting a known place, it’s likely to be different this year. You might not be able to eat at your favorite restaurant when you visit a town. A picture spot you might take a photo in every year might be closed to the public right now. You might be asked to leave contact information if you come in contact with the virus during your stay.
Things are definitely different than usual. But, the one thing we hear from everyone who goes on a vacation at the moment is, “Oh, my goodness, it was great to get away!” Everyone comes back with a smile. Everyone keeps telling us about what they did with their loved ones, the highlights of their trips, what they’ll remember. Sure, everyone also has one thing where they say, “Oh, X was a nightmare,” but they say it with a smile.
It might be more of a challenge this year. However, a day trip, overnight or getaway is still absolutely worth it with some planning and patience!
