Should You Travel in the U.S. During the Coronavirus Outbreak? For One Mom, The Answer is “Yes”
Let’s be honest: We could all use a vacation right about now. After months of staying home because of the COVID pandemic, Heather Thibodeau felt the same way. So, when the Maryland mom of three learned school would be virtual through January, she decided to turn this bummer year into a blast.
Heather, her husband Dave, and their kids ages 9, 12 and 13, packed up and went on an epic, month-long, family road trip—working full-time jobs and virtual school from stops across the country.
If you’re like me, you’re probably asking yourself: “How do they juggle all that?” and “Can I do it too?”
That’s exactly why I had to catch up with Heather and ask her all the questions! She happened to be on the Utah leg of her journey when we chatted about the joys and challenges of traveling during the coronavirus outbreak. Here’s what she had to say:
What Inspired You to Go on a Family Road Trip During the COVID pandemic?
My husband and I wanted to turn lemons into lemonade. We all know there are so many things to be stressed about this year with COVID. We wanted to do something different, something positive that our kids would remember about 2020 to drown out some of the bad.
So as soon as they made the school announcement we started planning. Fortunately, my husband’s been able to work 100% virtually and I run a DIY home blog, Heathered Nest, so that’s all online too.
How Did You Decide Where to Go?
We’re planning a little bit on the fly. It’s nice to be able to do that, especially with the wildfires out west. We wanted to make sure we wouldn’t end up in a situation where we’re having to deal with that kind of stuff.
There’s just so many things happening right now. You have to be a little flexible.
But we knew we wanted Utah to be our final westward point. We also knew we could stand driving 12 to 14 hours a day. So, we started with those things in mind.
What Places Have You Road Tripped to?
Our first stop was Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri because we looked at a map and it was a good midway point between our home on the East Coast and Utah. We spent a week there and did lots of COVID-friendly activities like enjoying the lake and pool and going hiking. It wasn’t crowded at all.
Then we spent a night in Breckenridge, Colorado, just to break up the drive. My kids had never seen the Rockies and we went on the alpine slide there.
From there Moab, Utah, was only four hours away and we stayed there for a week. We’re trying to see all five national parks in Utah. We’ve seen Arches and Canyonlands so far.
Now we’re in Hurricane, Utah, for another week. We’re going to see Zion and Bryce national parks. Then the plan is to spend a week in West Yellowstone and then go to South Dakota to see The Badlands, Custer State Park, the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore before heading home.
Where Do You Stay Overnight?
We renovate campers, so for a hot second we thought about taking a camper. But I’m so glad we didn’t do that because we all need space to work and do school.
Also, the campgrounds are slammed with people right now.
So, we’re renting a series of vacation rentals, usually one week at a time.
Did You Book Accommodations in Advance?
We don’t book far in advance because we want flexibility on the road. We’ll search AirBNB or VRBO to see how many places are available for the general time periods we’re going to be in a destination. We want to make sure there’s enough inventory to choose from.
Then we book as last minute as we can without completely screwing ourselves out of being able to find someplace that’s decent. We weren’t even sure of the path that we were going to take home until a couple of days ago.
How Do the Kids Do School While on a Road Trip?
We travel from location to location on a weekend day so that by Monday morning we are planted and ready for the work week. We always make sure that the places we rent have good Internet connectivity because a lot of places in more outdoorsy destinations don’t.
Because of school and work, we have to stay on Eastern time. So we try to get the kids in bed early so they won’t be total zombies the next day. Here in Utah it’s still light outside at their bedtime. We get some pushback from the kids about it but we say, “So sorry, but if you want to keep doing this, you’ve got to go to bed early.”
It’s dark when the kids get up in the morning for their Zoom meetings too. But they just roll out of bed and start their days. The benefit of being in a different time zone is that it gives us more time in the afternoons to see and do things.
What’s Been the Best Thing About Schooling From the Road?
Travel is so educational. For example, we saw the Milky Way at Arches. My kids stayed up later and were tired for school the next day, but my feeling is…who cares? They saw the Milky Way!
The Pueblo cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado were amazing too. We have never seen anything like it.
What Steps Are You Taking to Make Travel Safe During COVID?
To be clear, I’m definitely a full-fledged believer and COVID respecter. Honestly, I’ve been kind of shocked how easy it is to be as safe as possible while still traveling. The steps we take to minimize coronavirus exposure include:
- Staying in private vacation rentals.
- Wearing masks and staying away from crowds, even on hiking trails. (In the national parks, I’d day about half the people have masks on.)
- Making our own meals.
- Ordering groceries online. We haven’t stepped foot into a grocery store. While we’re on the road, we Google the closest grocery store that has either delivery or pickup and place our order.
- Keeping tons of snacks like granola bars and trail mix and drinks in the car for the kids.
- Stopping at less-crowded rest stops for bathroom breaks. If the parking lot looks full, we’ll just go to the next rest stop. I make everyone wear a mask and I touch everything for them while wearing gloves. That’s been our routine and it’s worked really well for us.
- Bringing along a $38 camping toilet that we keep in the back our car. We’ve used it a couple of times when on back roads.
- Stocking the car with hand sanitizer, masks and gloves to make any unexpected pit stops safer.
All in all, it’s going well. I was a lot more scared of traveling during COVID before we started. But now I’ve realized it isn’t so bad. You just have to be cautious.
How Has Your Family Benefitted From This Trip?
As sucky as COVID has been, the whole thing has brought our family together in a way that I don’t think would have happened otherwise. Because my kids are at the age where friends are super important and that’s normal and great. But I think right now our family’s super close because we’re all we have.
So just having the time together and the new experiences have been such an incredible blessing that’s come out of something really, really crappy.
Would You Take a Family Road Trip During COVID Again?
I have zero regrets about doing this. In fact, I think we’ll do it again if in-person school gets pushed back in the first part of the year.
This road trip has taken the whole year from complete and total bummer to, wow, this is really cool and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It’s a little tough on our wallets, but at the end of the day this is a priority for me. If I’m going to spend my money, I want it to be on experiences like this. It’s so worth it.
Who’s feeling inspired? Me too! But I know not everyone can run off for a month, especially if your kids are going into the classroom or have sports going on right now. If that’s the case for you, consider planning a shorter road trip for when your schedule opens up. It’s good to have something fun for everyone to look forward to!
Happy travels,
P.S. Since our interview, Heather started her own travel website. She chronicles her family’s adventures through national parks and provides helpful tips at NationalParksMom.com.
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