traveling responsibly this summer

We’re starting to hear from clients who are eager to take a break from their quarantine routine (quar-routine?) and get away for a while. Even if they’re not planning those big international adventures for this summer, our clients are reaching out to us for help in planning vacations which, while socially distant, will still bring them closer to their loved ones.

So, with that in mind, here are a few things we’ve been researching, or which have otherwise caught our attention!

Travel with Your Social Bubble

We don’t purport to be experts on infectious disease, though we’re certainly paying attention to everything that our suppliers are doing to make sure that their properties and venues are sanitary and safe. But we also know that some folks out there are self-isolating and charting their contact with others so that they can safely create social bubbles, or "pods.” Basically, folks who are isolating in separate locations agree to quarantine for a period of time and limit contact with people outside their “bubble” or “pod” so that they can socialize normally with each other.

If you’ve been self-isolating in coordination with others, so that you can hang out in real life, you might be wondering what would be involved in taking your whole “bubble” on vacation with each other. If that’s the case, a professionally-managed vacation rental could be a good option. We’re not talking about an Airbnb or VRBO property, where the booking site doesn’t do anything to vet or verify their rental properties. By booking a professionally-managed rental property for your group, we know that we’ve got a vendor that we can trust to prioritize cleanliness, and we also have a contact for the property manager, so that we can ask the necessary questions to ensure that the property meets your standards.

So what say you, Pod People? Wanna take your “bubble” on vacation? Let us help you find a rental that’s safe and sanitary, so that you can isolate together even while away from home!

What You Need to Know About Roadtrips.

We’ve been paying attention to this, ourselves because we’re planning our own epic summer road trip! A road trip could be just the adventure that you’re looking for, but there are still a lot of things to think through. Will you have a sanitary and safe place to stay? Will those National Parks and tourist sites be open for visitors? Are there restrictions in driving from state-to-state? Do stay-at-home orders apply in places where you’re just driving through?

Whereas you might never have considered hiring a travel advisor to help you plan a family road trip, these are extraordinary times and you could wind up spending a whole lot of time searching yourself to death to make sure that your trip goes as planned. But, since we’re staying on top of all of that we can tell you, for example, that right now, the world-famous Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota is closed, but the northern section of nearby Badlands National Park is open (but not the visitor center, or the southern part of the park). Relying on a professional travel advisor to research and plan your family road trip vacation has never made more sense.

We might not be able to stop the kids from fighting in the back seat, but we can tell you that Yosemite is closed and Yellowstone is open. We might not be able to find a restroom at the precise moment that you need it, but we can find accommodations that will meet your standard of cleanliness and we know the best barbecue restaurant in Kansas City that does curbside pickup. We can’t stop your GPS from “recalculating,” but we can calculate the best value for a roadside motel somewhere near the Grand Canyon. So, give us a call, if you’d like us to work on planning your road trip!

Know and Observe the Standards of Social Distancing.

Just because you can go to the beach, doesn’t mean you should go to the beach. But if you do go to the beach, make sure that you’re taking steps to keep yourself and others safe from a highly-contagious virus. Find a beach that’s out of the way, and leave if it starts to get crowded.

And when you’re traveling and exploring, keep a respectful distance from others. Wear a mask on the plane. Don’t crowd people in line. Be patient with others, and most importantly, be kind. You might not think some of these precautions are necessary, but these days it’s more important than ever to be respectful and responsible when dealing with other people. Of course, we all have rights, as people who live in a civil society. But along with those rights comes the responsibility to avoid endangering the health and safety of others.

Traveling was difficult even before we found ourselves face-to-face with a global pandemic. So, traveling’s not going to be any easier for anyone for a good long time. But in the same way that we’re taking great care to plan trips for our clients that are calculated to minimize risks, everyone else has to do their part, too.

Thinking of traveling this summer? We’re ready to help you. Give us a call!