For many people, summer means vacation time. Individuals and families from around the world generally plan to travel during June, July or August. This is the time to see relatives, explore new places and relax. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, restrictions may have been put in place that affect your travel plans. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to forego having a summer vacation and taking a break from daily life. Travel comes in many forms and there are still plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy yourself without being stuck in your house.
Accessible Camping
Maybe you have been bitten by the travel bug and are experiencing cabin fever because your plans to travel have fallen through. Although flying by plane may not be an option for now, you can still get out of your house and even out of your town. Even though there are restrictions in place for many public places, health officials encourage U.S. residents to spend time outside. In fact, parks and campgrounds around the United States are starting to reopen to the public. Because you can practice social distancing much easier while you’re outdoors, your next destination could be a cabin in the woods. Read our Wheelchair-Accessible Outdoors Guide and Power Wheelchair Features for Camping article to learn more.
Staycations
Before you reject the idea of a staycation because of its name, just know that staycations aren’t the equivalent to staying in your house all day, doing nothing. Like a vacation, staycations still require some planning and aren’t meant to be boring. It’s up to you to make your staycation as fun as you want it to be. Planning requires some creativity and research on your part, but there are many benefits to planning a staycation.
Inviting a friend or family member to stay in your home or traveling to theirs isn’t ruled out either. According to National Public Radio, going to a vacation house with another family is considered a low risk activity. As long as both families have been quarantining and limiting their exposure to others, it is a relatively safe activity. They recommend exercising caution, such as cleaning the major surfaces in the house upon arrival and talking to the friends or family with whom you will stay with about other precautions. For example, everyone can take stay in quarantine during the two weeks before arrival and while you’re together, to risk exposure. Although you can’t do many activities outside of the home together, it can be refreshing to see a familiar face after being in quarantine for an extended period of time.
Accessible Air Travel
Some airlines are still operating, but with social distancing procedures. Because of the precautions they are taking, there are less seats available on flights, making planning a trip more complicated than usual. The upside of traveling by plane right now is that travelers are seeing tickets decrease in price because not as many people are traveling. However, out of the types of travel mentioned, traveling by plane puts you at the highest risk for contracting COVID-19 through contact with other people or contaminated surfaces. If possible, we recommend driving to your destination.
No matter if you choose to go camping, invite friends or family to your house, or book a plane ticket, we suggest practicing social distancing and safety guidelines as best as you can.
