Spring Break Trip Ideas or Just Don’t

[Cindy's Mom]

DH and I went to Key West this past October We stopped at Publix and got more/heavier "room snacks" than we would normally so we wouldn't be dining out 3 meals a day. We were conscious to social distance at the pool, ordered food from the pool and ate upstairs in the room - we make sure we got a room w good sized balcony and we spent a lot of time out there. We are early people - at the pool by 10, then we are hitting up a happy hour at 4ish, light dinner and in bed by 9p. We ordered uber eats because maybe we had too many mojitos... I say this because we were not out and about when all the crowds were out. we had a blast too. This is pretty much or normal vacation style, so we were good. I did hate that our Uber drivers weren't masked and they would mask shame us.

 

[sk!mom]

DH and I went to Key West this past October We stopped at Publix and got more/heavier "room snacks" than we would normally so we wouldn't be dining out 3 meals a day. We were conscious to social distance at the pool, ordered food from the pool and ate upstairs in the room - we make sure we got a room w good sized balcony and we spent a lot of time out there. We are early people - at the pool by 10, then we are hitting up a happy hour at 4ish, light dinner and in bed by 9p. We ordered uber eats because maybe we had too many mojitos... I say this because we were not out and about when all the crowds were out. we had a blast too. This is pretty much or normal vacation style, so we were good. I did hate that our Uber drivers weren't masked and they would mask shame us.

Where did you stay? Last time we rented a house with friends.

 

[disykat]

We are hoping to start with seeing more of family as things open up and we are vaccinated. I'm not even thinking about big trips yet. We would consider a local (within a few hours) trip in a less populated area focused around outdoor recreation.

I happy for the people who have been all over the place and stayed healthy. I've been very limited/safe and have been sick with a virus (not identified as covid, but similar symptoms) for two months. We think DH brought it home from work, despite his workplace also following covid safe rules (which should protect from other viruses as well.) Although reasonably mild since I'm not going anywhere anyway and have time to be sick, this illness has been long lasting and has definitely made me very leery of thinking we're safe because we're following rules.

OP, I'm jealous you are able to be vaccinated so soon! I know very few people who have been vaccinated, despite knowing many who are supposedly in the first group. Things are rolling out very slowly in my area. It's going to be a long time before we're vaccinated since neither of us has any kind of priority. Right now "catches everything" is not on the list of high risk!

 

[hsmamato2]

Even if you've both received both doses of vaccine, be aware that you can still get COVID, albeit a lighter case, and it's unclear at this time whether you'll be contagious if you do get it.

It's going to be months before any sense of "normal" life is going to return. Mostly due to how slowly the vaccine is being distributed, and the numbers of people saying "I'm going to wait and see if there are any problems with the vaccine before I get it." Plus it will take at least 2 weeks after your last dose for full protection for you.

We have a booked trip in April (moved from a canceled trip last March), and I'm hoping it gets canceled, also. Just because, I think any sort of springtime travel will be not so safe still.

This is (sadly) true. Even at full 2 doses, you can still contract and transmit covid. So anywhere you go should still be somewhat careful.(OP said they have been,which is great) So I'm assuming (fr my family) masks are still a big thing- that leaves out theme parks for us....but since we canceled all of last years travel I'm hoping to go somewhere drivable for us that feels like a vacation. So far I'm looking at the coast of Maryland,or nearby- and hoping that I feel safe enough to make the drive/stay at a hotel by then....

 

[Magical2017]

No travel plans for Spring Break here. We have not traveled since last January and are really itching to go somewhere. However, our spring break will consist of local outdoor venues like hiking trails. We are within driving distance of Hershey Park as well as the DC Smithsonian Zoo (if it opens back up) but the idea of being in crowds right now is not appealing.

 

[aggiedog]

OP, my approach seems very much like yours. This summer we rented a fun house an hour away in a big city (we live in a very rural area.) The house was a huge, funk-ily decorated Victorian with a pool. We spent the whole week getting good, international take out, playing board games, and watching movies. Not the usual family vacation, but it was a nice get away. We were set to do the same over Christmas, but had really hoped to have a couple of the college kids' roommates come too. That got canceled as everyone would have had to go home for Christmas and THEN to our vacation. Too much germ mixing for me at that point.

So, I vote for Key West, or some other area where you can rent a house/condo, get takeout or eat outdoors, and that requires a minimum of points of contact with lots of the public during travel.

As an aside, to fellow readers, I'd like to add that the vaccine currently has not been proven to prevent contraction or spread of the virus. The studies were designed only to determine if it kept the vaccinated individual from getting sick. I'm confident further studies are in the process to determine transmissibility, but until then, we have to act like we're contagious even if vaccinated.

Also, a negative test to get on a plane or enter a country is only as good as the number of people that person has encountered a few days prior and several days after the test. If you are too early into your infection, you will test negative. If you get exposed while walking out of the testing center, it's moot. A good study came out from New Zealand (where they have great control over entry and tracking) about a man who was negative right before the flight, came down with symptoms while in quarantine, and ultimately had infected several people on the plane.

And, finally, going to WDW, eating in restaurants, etc, and not getting sick in no way implies you were never infected or contagious. Studies indicate that at least 50% of transmission seems to occur in asymptomatic people just going about their business. My hospital has mandatory testing before routine surgeries and 5-10% of my patients test positive despite have no symptoms.

OP, I'm betting you know all this already, and I'm not singling anyone out. I'm just presenting facts so that everyone has them. I'm a physician and just want to make sure everyone knows the complete range of consequences for their decisions based on the science we currently have.

 

[sk!mom]

OP, my approach seems very much like yours. This summer we rented a fun house an hour away in a big city (we live in a very rural area.) The house was a huge, funk-ily decorated Victorian with a pool. We spent the whole week getting good, international take out, playing board games, and watching movies. Not the usual family vacation, but it was a nice get away. We were set to do the same over Christmas, but had really hoped to have a couple of the college kids' roommates come too. That got canceled as everyone would have had to go home for Christmas and THEN to our vacation. Too much germ mixing for me at that point.

OP, I'm betting you know all this already, and I'm not singling anyone out. I'm just presenting facts so that everyone has them. I'm a physician and just want to make sure everyone knows the complete range of consequences for their decisions based on the science we currently have.

The only reason we haven't done something like rent a house is because our house is pretty relaxing so we haven't wanted to spend the money just to sit around in a different locale. But maybe, at this point, we might consider a beach house somewhere.

I very much appreciate your comments. We have been very careful and conscious of doing our part to slow the spread, and certainly to not be responsible for spreading it. We are pretty sure that neither of us have had it as we haven't had any illness since March. We did both have terrible colds after a trip to NYC in late January (DH actually started to feel bad while still there.) Dh still blames the coughing kid behind us on the plane and wonders if it was Covid. I don't think so since neither of us lost taste or smell.

A big question mark for us has been the question of could we contract and spread even after a vaccine so thanks.

I don't know if your user name is because you actually are an Aggie, if so, Gig 'em from a fellow Texan and Aggie MIL.

 

[aggiedog]

Class of '90, Whoop!

I really think that studies will show the vaccine also slows/stops transmission of the virus. That said, this virus has defied so many expectations and assumptions that it's anyone's guess.

Every one of my patients that have tested positive for pre-op have said the same thing "I'm not sick, I haven't been sick..." That's the issue. This virus can infect you and you shed virus to others completely under the radar. You simply can not assume you don't/didn't carry it based on how you feel alone. It's maddening from an epidemiologic stand point. At least with ebola, you know darn well you've got it.

Sorry, back to spring break...

 

[DisLiss]

Safety issues aside, I think one thing to keep in mind that just because someplace is open now doesn't mean they will be next month or the month after that, kwim? Especially with numbers still rising in many places and the variant of the virus making it's way across the US now as well. I realize that everyone hopes to avoid another lock down of any sort, but we still see restrictions changing and businesses going back and forth between being open or closed based on cases popping up within them, so plans in general are simply less firm these days no matter what they may be. And I could definitely see states putting different restrictions in place during the popular Spring Break months as some did during the holiday travel months.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Someone mentioned Arizona. Sorry to say right now we're the highest per capita in the world for new cases of the virus. Normally there's all kinds of tourism with MLB spring training, and "snow birds" escaping the winter weather, but I sure wouldn't want to travel here this spring.

 

[kymom99]

The only reason we haven't done something like rent a house is because our house is pretty relaxing so we haven't wanted to spend the money just to sit around in a different locale. But maybe, at this point, we might consider a beach house somewhere.

I very much appreciate your comments. We have been very careful and conscious of doing our part to slow the spread, and certainly to not be responsible for spreading it. We are pretty sure that neither of us have had it as we haven't had any illness since March. We did both have terrible colds after a trip to NYC in late January (DH actually started to feel bad while still there.) Dh still blames the coughing kid behind us on the plane and wonders if it was Covid. I don't think so since neither of us lost taste or smell.

A big question mark for us has been the question of could we contract and spread even after a vaccine so thanks.

I don't know if your user name is because you actually are an Aggie, if so, Gig 'em from a fellow Texan and Aggie MIL.

I didn’t lose taste or smell. I also never ran a fever.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I was salty in another thread about this question. If it were me, I wouldn't go. It's just not worth the risk to me for a nice vacation. I wouldn't get any kind of pleasure out of freaking out everywhere I went.

We have a positive case in our family, and I first heard it immediately after the Capitol break-in, so I was super done at that point.

 

[barkley]

Of course. You can't be a moron. You don't just hop on a bicycle and start riding 600 miles away from your home or car without a plan. Millions ride the same trails and routes every year, it's pretty well known where you can camp and where you can't.

given that last year during the height of our area's popularity for cyclists some areas where individuals bike or camp while doing their trips were shut down w/less than 24 hour notice by local authorities it's not a moronic move to keep aware of what's happening in an area one is planning to go. our region has a tremendous mix of federal, state, tribal, local and privately owned lands that are popular with cyclists, some are open and some are closed-some that were ordered closed last summer but then allowed to reopen have publicly threatened to do same day closures due to what they perceive as visitors refusing to follow the safety precautions they've put in place.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Where did you stay? Last time we rented a house with friends.

We stayed at the Doubletree - I have some Hilton points and an ocean view isn't that important - my family has a place in Delray Beach on the ocean so that's never a priority when we going "exploring" They have golf cart rentals right there - and it was just easy.

 

[Colleen27]

This is (sadly) true. Even at full 2 doses, you can still contract and transmit covid. So anywhere you go should still be somewhat careful.(OP said they have been,which is great) So I'm assuming (fr my family) masks are still a big thing- that leaves out theme parks for us....but since we canceled all of last years travel I'm hoping to go somewhere drivable for us that feels like a vacation. So far I'm looking at the coast of Maryland,or nearby- and hoping that I feel safe enough to make the drive/stay at a hotel by then....

We don't actually know this to be true. An absence of proof (in this case, that the vaccine prevents transmission) is not the same as proof of absence (that it does not do so). What we have right now is an unknown - we know that the vaccine is highly effective in preventing symptomatic infection. However, the studies that established that didn't include surveillance testing to monitor for asymptomatic transmission, nor did they attempt to address whether those who do contract the virus after vaccination develop a high enough viral load to be contagious. Because the virus tends to enter through and replicate in the nose, which itself functions as a pre-antibody part of the immune system by trapping contaminants before they go further into the body, it is theoretically possible that someone who is vaccinated could be carrying a high enough viral load in the mucous membranes of the nose to be contagious even though the vaccination keeps the virus from invading further and causing illness. Most immunologists I read in the press right now are saying it is too soon to tell but that there's good reason to be optimistic that the vaccine will trigger enough of an immune response to keep the viral load at sub-transmissible levels, and Pfizer, Moderna and Astra-Zeneca are all currently conducting studies that will offer more clarity on how well their vaccines prevent transmission.

Best recent overview I've read on the matter is here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/health/covid-vaccine-mask.html

Someone mentioned Arizona. Sorry to say right now we're the highest per capita in the world for new cases of the virus. Normally there's all kinds of tourism with MLB spring training, and "snow birds" escaping the winter weather, but I sure wouldn't want to travel here this spring.

That was me. And in all honestly, I see 2-3 months as an eternity in covid-time. If you had tried to plan a summer vacation based on where the virus was widespread in March, or a September getaway based on virus conditions in July, you'd have missed the mark by a mile. I figure the same is likely at play here; just because a state or region is in bad shape now doesn't mean it still will be 10 weeks from now (and vice-versa; when we went to CA in October, they had some of the lowest covid rates in the country... but look at where they are now, just 2.5 months later).

Fortunately I plan a lot of my travels at the last minute even in ordinary times, and the financial incentives are in favor of doing so more now than ever. So we'll leave the final decision on our spring break travels until late Feb. at the earliest, when we're only trying to predict which travel destinations are reasonably safe and reasonably open 2 weeks or so in advance. If AZ is still in rough shape then, TX or UT or some other place with national parks and monuments we haven't yet visited will win out. If not, AZ is likely to be at the top of the list because we only had two days there on our cross-country road trip in '19 and it wasn't nearly long enough.

 

[DLgal]

My take on travel this year is this: until the widespread mask wearing has ceased, nationwide, we aren't traveling anywhere. Just not worth it to spend money just to sit around somewhere other than home and do all the same stuff we can do here. But we also live in a place people come to for vacation so we don't feel the need to have a change of scenery. I'd feel like I wasted money on a "pandemic vacation." I wouldn't truly be able to have fun and relax.

 

[Runnergal]

We traveled by plane for the first time since before the pandemic over the holidays. We went to SW FL. It was amazing and felt so good to get away and be in the sun. I will say that we stayed at two different hotels which had very different rules/enforcement. It can be a bit jarring coming from a place where everyone wears masks. Due to our home state’s quarantine rules we had to find a place to get tested while we were down there, and then my kids had to do remote school while we awaited the results of our second test, but it was worth it. I wouldn’t hesitate to travel over spring break.

 

[hsmamato2]

My take on travel this year is this: until the widespread mask wearing has ceased, nationwide, we aren't traveling anywhere. Just not worth it to spend money just to sit around somewhere other than home and do all the same stuff we can do here. But we also live in a place people come to for vacation so we don't feel the need to have a change of scenery. I'd feel like I wasted money on a "pandemic vacation." I wouldn't truly be able to have fun and relax.

I feel much the same way this past year... We live in a fairly nice area,and have access to public beach spaces in summer (can easily avoid crowds) so I never felt the need to go somewhere so similiar to my own (very) comfortable home overnight... I am itching to go visit somewhere different however...
**************On the topic of the vaccine- I have read the 56 page FDA notes associated with the release of the 1st one. The studies indicate 95% efficacy at reducing severe symptoms,and that's it so far. No other promises. So I don't expect too much,and I will continue to assume it's easy to transmit this virus,even if vaccinated until they tell us otherwise. I'm disappointed in what it promises to do,to be honest, but I'm glad that my Mom can get the vax,and hopefully not get horrible symptoms if she gets exposed.

 

[aggiedog]

*On the topic of the vaccine- I have read the 56 page FDA notes associated with the release of the 1st one. The studies indicate 95% efficacy at reducing severe symptoms,and that's it so far. No other promises. So I don't expect too much,and I will continue to assume it's easy to transmit this virus,even if vaccinated until they tell us otherwise. I'm disappointed in what it promises to do,to be honest, but I'm glad that my Mom can get the vax,and hopefully not get horrible symptoms if she gets exposed.

I'm not involved with the vaccine, so feel free to ignore me. I'm assuming they went for "does it decrease the incidence of Covid illness" as an endpoint because ultimately we're trying to keep people from filling up hospitals and dying. In a non-pandemic situation, I'm sure they would have also looked at transmissibility, etc. Because of the tempo of this development though, I think they went for the one goal they needed. Any more arms of the study would have required more supplies, more data, more management of data, collecting of samples, etc. Give it time. We'll know more as time goes on.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm not involved with the vaccine, so feel free to ignore me. I'm assuming they went for "does it decrease the incidence of Covid illness" as an endpoint because ultimately we're trying to keep people from filling up hospitals and dying. In a non-pandemic situation, I'm sure they would have also looked at transmissibility, etc. Because of the tempo of this development though, I think they went for the one goal they needed. Any more arms of the study would have required more supplies, more data, more management of data, collecting of samples, etc. Give it time. We'll know more as time goes on.

agreed. I want it to work,I REALLY do!