Hey friends, it’s been a minute since we’ve posted here! In that time, we’ve: adopted 2 cats and a big ‘ol saint bernard, bought a house, and continued sharing our travels over on Instagram.
I’m part of a lot of great travel communities on Facebook, and there’s been so much discussion about how / when / if adventuring is appropriate during self isolation and how covid travel can be done responsibly.
We all have our own opinions, and I don’t want to shove mine down anybody’s throats, but here are some tips I’ve picked up if you’re on the cautious side like I am.
If your area has confirmed cases, don’t travel to an area that doesn’t
Asymptomatic carriers are a huge risk for vulnerable people, and if an area hasn’t had confirmed cases it’s best to keep it that way. We live in Rock Island County where there have been numerous cases, including our loved ones, so we are being careful not to hike or visit any nearby counties without cases (there are still a few!).
And if you are going to visit an area without cases – be responsible. Covid travel is risky, so you have to be smart. Stop for gas in a larger town before you get there, don’t run into the grocery stores for snacks, and take social distancing seriously even if the people you might run into aren’t.
Hike on private property (that you have permission to be on)
If you’re one of the lucky ones with an uncle who owns acreage or an expanse of woods behind your grandparent’s home try exploring those areas before swarming to public parks.
Garrett and I spent a lot of time hiking in the parks early on because they were deserted (despite remaining open.) But like clock work, as soon as the temperatures hit 60 degrees they started overflowing with people who weren’t being as diligent about distancing as we would like. So last weekend, we went to my dad’s house on the river and walked around the woods.
Word of warning: Garrett did pick up some poison ivy during this exploration despite his long socks! Be extra careful if you’re off the beaten trail. And second word of warning: trespassing isn’t cool, and can even get you in legal trouble, make sure you have permission to be in an area.
Hike early in the morning
We’ve been talking about going back to Wildcat Den State Park (our fave!) and beating the crowd by getting their super early. It starts to pick up around 10 am but is almost deserted at 7am. If you can force yourself to be an early bird, you can likely safely hike at any open parks near you.
With that said, there will probably be other people with the same idea. Please be respectful and keep your distance! So far we’ve been able to do a good job maintaining 10+ feet from anybody we might pass.
Go backyard camping
I’ve been trying to convince Garrett to set up camp in the backyard one of these weekends. I’ve got two reasons for this idea:
- We need to train our pup, Maisie, to sleep in a tent. I’d rather train her at home than out at a campground in case it’s disastrous
- It sounds like fun and I haven’t camped in the backyard since highschool
If you live in a house with a yard big enough to pitch a tent, it could be a really fun way to pretend you’re out in the wild somewhere and get those same camping vibes while keeping everyone in your household safe.
Sanitize often!
Garrett and I have become hand sanitizer fiends – before and after getting gas, before and after getting groceries, before and after basically anything. Remember – you may be a carrier without even knowing it, so sanitizing before touching things in a public space is just as important as sanitizing after. The key of covid travel is to protect not only yourself, but others, tooo.
This will all be over soon
Remember, this is temporary. We may come back to a new normal and things might not ever be exactly as they were, but this will pass. And one day we can all be the cranky old folks rocking in their chair telling the youth of the future about living through a global pandemic. Young neighbors will knock on our doors asking to interview us for their 7th grade history projects, and our grandchildren’s jaws will drop when they realize that we’re really that old to have lived through the Covid times. It may feel like this is dragging on for forever, but we’re living through something that nobody will ever forget. Stay safe and keep your chin up.