Reflections: Vacation During a Pandemic

Although I would say that overall, this vacation was much like any other that we have taken, there were some things that were different about going on vacation during this global coronavirus pandemic.

There were certainly many others who had made the same choice that we had, and who went ahead and took their trip.  Things were not super crowded, but we never went anywhere and found it deserted, as often happens when we go for a weekend in the fall!  That said, social distancing was never an issue.  There were not so many people gathered in any one place that we all had to crowd together.

Indoors, facing coverings were required.  Any time I was going to do something indoors that would require covering the whole time, I took my regular hat/shield and used that because it is more comfortable, easier to see though, and, actually, easier to hear with.  If we were going in somewhere to eat, or if we were mainly outdoors, and just going in somewhere for a minute, I would use my pink "crushable" hat/shield.  That one is easier to carry around, although it is not as nice to see through, and I have something of a hard time hearing people when I am wearing it.  I think the plastic the shield is made from is thicker, and it sits closer to my ears.

Most places where we wanted to go were open.  Restaurants were open for takeout, and many were accepting eat-in customers.  We don't do bars or the nightclub scene, so I really have no idea how any of that might have been impacted.

Outdoor areas were more or less normal.  With plenty of room for everyone on the beach, and at the Ecological Preserve, everyone could safely enjoy being outside barefaced, breathing the healthy fresh air freely!

 

Although we were able to do pretty much everything we wanted, there were a few things that we had originally planned that were impacted.

Several years ago we had visited a theater and had seen a very fun magic show.  When we originally planned our trip in February, we had hoped to return, but their season is cancelled.

We also had hoped to go out on a boat tour, but those were also not running.

Finally, we avoided the boardwalk.  They were requiring face coverings on the boardwalks in Delaware, and we just weren't interested in walking around at an outdoor attraction with our faces covered.  We don't always go to the boardwalk, but, again, when we had originally planned the trip before all of this, the boardwalk was on our list.

And while we would have enjoyed doing these things, not being able to do them did not impact our overall enjoyment of the trip in anyway, especially given the fact that we almost did not get to go at all!

Really, I was so grateful to be able to go and spend time by the shore, and to have time to play with the dogs in the water, that I didn't really miss these other activities.  They will keep for another time when life gets back to normal.

In the end, the biggest benefit of this trip was psychological.  Just having a change of scene, and spending time in a setting where things just felt a lot more normal and relaxed was refreshing, and it provided a much-needed mental boost! 

And, of course, I will forever be grateful to have had this trip with Dean Dog.  I strongly suspect that it will be his last one.  I will always be glad that we got to go and share this time with him.