Covid Puts Crimp in Vacation Plans For Some, Others Take Advantage of Low Fares

These days, it’s hard to get out. With travel restrictions and many places closed for the long run, it’s tough to go out and enjoy yourself when you need a break.

“Because of transportation restriction this year, we canceled all possible trips via air,” said Tong Z., a Longfellow parent and this reporter’s father.

One option has been to visit National Parks. According to the National Park Service, parks are open to the public, and all you have to do is follow the CDC guidelines, and you’ll be good to go.

I think even you and your little brother played with water on the Potomac River, so I think we had a good time,” recalled Tong after a successful trip to Great Falls National Park. “At least it helps release the tension in people a lot. At least they have somewhere to go, to go out of their house, to walk, that would provide people at least some release.”

One family took the opposite approach. They took advantage of the low airfares to travel all the way to Tanzania, which was less affected by COVID. Eighth grader Phillip D shared some details of his trip with us.

During his trip, he recalls being nervous getting on the plane but ultimately feeling safe. The trip included safaris, with a fair share of lions and rhinos, and a visit to the Ngoro Ngoro crater. His family returned without a single case of COVID.

It is important to note that they still had to wear masks and only took them off in areas where people were few, like the reserve, where hyper-social distance is available.

Phillip’s family were lucky that they could go in November, as additional travel restrictions have ramped up since then, with cases in the US ever increasing.

Even though many places are closed, others are open, and the possibilities are near endless, from your nearby park to the shores of somewhere safe.