2020 - Travel in a Pandemic - Part A
Alex had been to 46 states at the beginning of 2020. So the perfect plan to get him to 48 is Vermont during Spring Break, and Washington (we'll save that for later) in the Summer! The best laid plans...Welcome to COVID-19 Pandemic 2020. They don't call me Crazy Lady for nothin'! I work for a major grocery chain - I have COVID-19 training 101 & 102! COVID-19 has nothing on me! Plus, gotta keep my angels busy (yes, pretty sure I have more than 1)!
So I load up on hand sanitizer, soap, water, food, and blankets in case we have to sleep in the car (yep, I've done that), and take the most direct route to Vermont. Avoid family, so there is no cross-contamination. And, we arrive in Vermont the evening of March 20, 2020. It's too cold for the car, so slept in hotels, ate drive through food in the car, and I prayed I was doing everything right.
When Alex dipped his fingers in the freezing waters of Lake Champlain, I knew I was right where I should be - teaching my son to be cautious, take precautions, but to LIVE. We stayed in the adorable town of Brattleboro, and got to see the "Against The Grain" factory, which is our favorite Gluten Free bread!
On our way we stopped at South of The Border, ordered food, and ate it outside on the back of our car - we only saw 2 other people there. We drove as far as we could and slept in a hotel in Virginia - contactless, registered online, Chik-Fil-A in front of hotel, so drove through and got our dinner (gluten free buns there are great!). The next day we drove to Vermont, our hotel had limited guests, we were able to drive to various places over the 2 days we stayed there, doing most of our touring from the car. The Ben & Jerry's factory was closed to tours, but we were able to go up the hill and tour the cemetery - so funny to see the retired flavors!
There were very few cars on the road - which made travel very easy. Here are my top 5 recommendations for travel during a Pandemic:
Carry hand sanitizer, Lysol type spray, alcohol wipes, and soap. Use hand sanitizer before and after pumping gas, use wipes to sanitize credit cards, handles, and merchandise.
Carry water. We had a 5 gallon jug, and other containers of water. Some water was used to wash our hands, some to drink, some to rinse off things.
Cooler - filled with all your favorite go-tos. We did lunch meat and cheese, and yogurt.
Snacks - beef jerky, chicken in a can, cheese sticks, not just the munchy stuff.
Masks - I hang mine on the steering column, fill my glove compartment with them, and 1 is always in my purse.
If you stay in a hotel, spray the doorknobs, remotes, sinks, toilets, shower handles, anything you may touch. Wash your hands frequently, use your hand sanitizer, wear a mask when out of the car near people, and have fun. Please note, that our trip was pre-mask, therefore we do NOT have masks on. However, we socially distanced the entire trip.
PS Don't forget to keep your immune system boosted - we do EmergenC and Multi/Probiotic Vitamins. Find what makes you feel good and do it!
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