Should I Take a Family Vacation During COVID?

Imagine traveling to the store with a two year old and a four year old on a Saturday. Now take whatever vision you have in your head and amplify it times five. Then throw a virus in there… that you could get by touching things… or being within 6 feet of another human… in a space where you are sitting smushed together like sardines. Scary right?

In the beginning of this pandemic we were all scared. Scared to leave the house, scared that we would run out of supplies, and most of all scared that we would catch COVID. After a while of being in the house scared with two young children (Aiden, 4 and Kameron, 2), you want to get out of the house. YOU HAVE TO. So after my husband and I contemplated over and over whether to go on a trip or not (because we usually take at least 3-5 trips a year) we decided that it was time. 

The only thing to figure out now was how to keep ourselves but most importantly our children safe. As we all know, children like to touch EVERYTHING. So what steps did we need to take to ensure that while traveling throughout the airport, on the airplane, and to our destination that our children remained COVID free? Well, here’s how we did it and it has been going well so far. 

Photo by Matthew Turner on Pexels.com

Packing & At The Airport

We pack our things regularly like we would if COVID wasn’t a thing but this time we added hand sanitizer, wet ones sanitizing wipes, little masks for our four year old (because our two year old was not going for it), and the stroller. As far as others, if we feel like they are too close then we create more space or ask them to. Now the stroller was KEY for us because if we strapped our two year old in, he wouldn’t be able to walk around touching things and it’ll take the worry of transferring COVID from a surface to him.  Now even though the stroller takes up space, has to be checked in and blah blah blah it was a lifesaver so at least consider it. If we could, we would have brought our two seater stroller because our four year old seems to touch more things than our two year old does but that thing is like a limo so that’s out of the question. 

On The Plane

When you get on the plane, it’s a different story. I get on the plane first so that I can get to our row and whip out that pack of wet ones that we talked about earlier and wipe everything down because please understand that they will want to touch EVERYTHING on that row. For the most part of the plane ride Kameron falls asleep so we don’t have to worry too much about him and while he’s asleep we sort of place the blanket over him as a shield. Aiden on the other hand either stays on his phone or falls asleep so we don’t have to worry too much about him either. 

At The Destination

Now let me be honest with you. Once we reach our destination we carry on like a regular trip but we just are a bit more cautious. We wear our masks, wash and sanitize our hands, and keep our distance. In my opinion, that’s all we can do. If we stress so much about COVID while we are out and about then I feel we should have just stayed home. When we travel back home it’s the same steps as before only now the lingering thought of, “ Did we catch anything while we were out?” is in my head. Since I am in a field where I get tested at least twice a week, that rules out our worries and if I feel that the kids may be showing symptoms, I bring them to urgent care to get tested and it’s always nothing. Just me overthinking and overcautious. 

Here’s my stance on traveling during COVID: GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! You and your family are going to go crazy being cooped up in the house all of this time. Trust me, it’s healthy. When you do travel, or leave the house, be cautious and safe, but enjoy yourself. 

For more from the guest author, Mece, visit her Mommy Chronicles, LLC instagram: @mommychroniclesllc and her personal IG page: @meceneal

Mece with her sons Kameron, 2 (L) and Aiden, 4 (R) and husband

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