In the quest to find a silver lining — any silver lining — to the seemingly neverending health crisis, it occurred to me that I don’t necessarily have to be at home just because school is starting. Work is still remote. School is still remote. Can’t we be remote?
My family learned a couple of lessons while traveling this summer. I filed plenty of stories on the road — writing early, during downtime, and at night. My kids kept up tutoring from Airbnbs. My husband took plenty of calls. Wouldn’t we also enjoy a dip in a pool or a brisk afternoon hike after our Zoom meetings and remote-learning obligations are over come September? Or even … October. Beyond?
Yes, it’s a luxury and a privilege to even consider travel, on top of the rent or mortgage, to simply be somewhere else. Yes, any and all plans must pass muster with local public health decrees and mandatory quarantines. But after 150+ days of quarantine, a simple change of scenery is perhaps money better spent than even therapy.
Some things to consider, for a very different kind of endless summer.
Las Vegas
Yes, Vegas. Hotels there are offering midweek remote working specials to make up for all the lost tourism dollars in the spring and summer.
Mexico and the Caribbean
Believe it or not, there are still a few countries that will accept American travelers, despite the way the pandemic looks in the US. While you can’t drive across the land border with Mexico, you can fly to destinations like Cancun and Cozumel, and in the Caribbean, St. Lucia and St. Maarten, among other islands, will welcome you with a recent negative COVID-19 test, and Barbados will let you stay for a year. See more destinations here — and remember that the situation changes from day to day.
Into the woods (but not too far)
You can have a work-cation (edu-cation?! life-cation?) almost anywhere there is electricity, WiFi, a table, and, ahem, coffee. When booking, the most important thing to confirm is the strength, speed, and reliability of the internet and cell service. So, go far afield, but not so far that your phone won’t work.
Near family
One hallmark of summer travel is seeing extended family. And what can extended family provide that so many working families need right now? Extra hands. A weeklong (or longer?) Airbnb near the family, or more intimate accommodations based on everyone’s negative tests and comfort levels, can help alleviate the incredible burden that working families with school-age children are feeling now that school’s back in session.
#vanlife
For the intrepid! Digital nomads make this look easy — “home” consists of a laptop, reliable WiFi connection, and wherever you can park. #vanlife is not an unreasonable choice — though it’s a lot tougher with kids.
(That said, roadschooling is a thing.)
House swap
If you live in a desirable locale, consider this affordable alternative to Airbnb: a house swap. Plenty of sites let you offer up your home to a like-minded family, from anywhere you’d like to be for a while.
Anywhere that isn’t here
Is there somewhere a short drive away that you’ve never explored? With a pool, maybe? Or rambling woods that kids can explore after “school” ends until dinnertime? As long as you have your ducks in a row when it comes to connectivity and whatever else you all need to accomplish work and school during the required hours, maybe now — off-season, pre-holiday, mid-pandemic — is the time to do all the things you have to do during the week, but with a view.
