The U.S. isn’t Europe, by any stretch, but August is still high-time for family travel. It’s one last chance to get a change of scenery before school and, in some places, reopenings put more structure into the day. And for those of us who have more or less been sheltering in place since, oh, March, stir crazy doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Still, the virus is out there, and that changes what we can and will do. Mandatory 14-day quarantines in some states make a weeklong getaway unreasonable — is a few days of sand between your toes worth 14 solid days at home, with no work or groceries or anything? And for hot spots like Los Angeles (where I live), no one wants us anyway right now.
Here’s what end-of-summer family travel looks like for a handful of U.S. moms.
A safe place in the mountains
Michelle Filleul, a mother of two from Massachusetts, is escaping to the White Mountains of New Hampshire after several other summer trips, including one to New York City, were canceled because of the virus. “We decided to go with an Airbnb because we felt it would be one of the safest options to get away,” she says.
A house — any house — with a pool
Shannon Peavy, a mother of twins from the Silicon Valley, is renting a home about an hour’s drive north — specifically one with a pool. “I didn't really care where it was, as long as it was under two hours to get there,” she says.
Staycation, all I ever wanted
“COVID-19 has resulted in a huge spike at my work, so I've been working too many hours,” says Lesley Ling, a single mother of two in Ventura County, California. “I've promised the kids a work-free staycation this summer, and we're all looking forward to it.”
Third time’s the charm
Shoshana Lewin, a mother of one, is taking a day-and-a-half driving trip to Vail, Colorado. But it wasn’t her first choice. “This was the cruise to Alaska that became the flight to Myrtle Beach that became the driving trip to Vail,” she says.
Traveling with the pod
Some families have pods in place to provide a social outlet for parents and kids alike. Leah Lerner, a mother of two in Los Angeles, has already traveled with the two other families in her pod for a few days near Santa Cruz, California — and is hoping to do so again.
Thwarted by the surge
“My brother, a few states away, offered to take the kids, but I resisted because COVID-19 is so bad here,” says Sarah Wright-Killinger, a mother of two in Los Angeles. “I so wish they had that time with him, but I don't want to hurt his family (or mine).”
The annual trip back home
“We might try to bomb across the country in two or three days and see [my family] for a week and then bomb back,” says Marija Thomas, a mother of two from Michigan. It would be the first year since moving to California in 1992 that she hasn’t gone home for the summer.
Hitting the road
Erin Gore is renting an RV to drive from the Bay Area to Painted Hills, Oregon, and back with her family of five — including a new baby. “Yes, RV with a 5-month-old,’ she says. “I am sure it will be memorable.”
Frequenting the family home
Cassie Shortsleeve, a new mother of one, is planning trips to her husband’s family home on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island — which is more available than usual this year. “We usually just go once a summer, but because of COVID-19 and renters canceling their stays, it’s opened up a few additional weekends for us to get away,” she says.
Staying nearby
Iva Marie Palmer, a mother of two in Los Angeles, has been eyeing nearby getaways, like a few nights at a cabin in Big Bear or a room in Manhattan Beach. “My husband's work schedule seems to be worse or at least as bad as previous summers, so we are reined in by that,” she says.
Staying at home
Sabrina Grimes, a teacher and single mom of one in Los Angeles, is minding her city’s stay-at-home orders, after her other summer plans were canceled. “Darn pandemic,” she says.
