Things to consider for your first covid trip
Monday, 13 July 2020
As someone who travels as much as I do, this virus has hit me hard. I have now been in the UK since the end of November last year and I am missing the sense of adventure big time. With no plans to leave the country any time soon, it's looking like my next few trips might be more of a staycation; although that's not a terrible thing; I actually think it will be a great excuse to make England more of a priority and see what else my home has to offer other than the hustle and bustle of London.
This past weekend, I took my first trip since everything went crazy and it was pretty great actually. I've got a separate post about what I got up to but it's definitely got me excited for more UK travel and just travel as a whole again, I guess I kinda just forgot about it with everything that's been happening. Now that I've got my first Covid trip under my belt, I'm hoping to see Manchester and Newcastle at some point this year, maybe a cute trip to a holiday cottages in Devon and also do some more coastal trips to the likes of Bournemouth and hopefully back to Brighton again as well!
Here are a few new things we needed to consider for our first post covid day trip!
Drive if possible
Trains have been okay from what I've experienced so far but for an actual trip, rather than just going into London for example, I'd always prefer to go in a car. We rented a hire car for 3 days at £70 which was pretty similar in price for both of us to get train tickets but driving means that you're in your own space and there's no stress with spreading germs, wearing face masks, being scared to touch anything etc.
Plan your accommodation
This is something I don't often do but it's not a smart idea right now. Hotels are now allowed to open from 4th July but just because they can, doesn't mean they all will so it may be harder and more expensive than usual to find somewhere to stay.
Stock up on snacks
Eating wasn't sure a problem as much as eating what I wanted to eat. Not many places were open and all that we could find were greasy spoons and Mcdonalds which was a shame because as you know, eating is a huge part of why I like to travel so much. I was pleased to have snacks on me (I'm always pleased to have snacks on me to be fair) because there were a couple of time where it took us a while to find places to eat. Sadly, it's not as easy as it used to be to pop to the shop or a restaurant to find some food so it's also good to research any particular restaurants you might want to visit beforehand as well.
Research your activities
Most things are not going to be running as usual, some might still not be open at all so make sure you have a look online before you leave to avoid disappointment. We wanted to visit a war memorial and almost had a panic when we arrived; turns out it was just the car park that was closed due to Covid so luckily we were still able to have a wander around once we found somewhere else to park.
Carry your PPE
We did have to get one taxi after our 11km hike and although the driver couldn't care less, I was very pleased to have my face mask in my bag and hand gel for once I got out.
I can't lie, travel isn't the same as it was before and there were a couple of times that I felt a little on edge, mainly because of other peoples attitude towards it but it won't be like this forever and I'm excited for whatever adventure is next!
Are your planning to travel any time soon?This past weekend, I took my first trip since everything went crazy and it was pretty great actually. I've got a separate post about what I got up to but it's definitely got me excited for more UK travel and just travel as a whole again, I guess I kinda just forgot about it with everything that's been happening. Now that I've got my first Covid trip under my belt, I'm hoping to see Manchester and Newcastle at some point this year, maybe a cute trip to a holiday cottages in Devon and also do some more coastal trips to the likes of Bournemouth and hopefully back to Brighton again as well!
Here are a few new things we needed to consider for our first post covid day trip!
Drive if possible
Trains have been okay from what I've experienced so far but for an actual trip, rather than just going into London for example, I'd always prefer to go in a car. We rented a hire car for 3 days at £70 which was pretty similar in price for both of us to get train tickets but driving means that you're in your own space and there's no stress with spreading germs, wearing face masks, being scared to touch anything etc.
Plan your accommodation
This is something I don't often do but it's not a smart idea right now. Hotels are now allowed to open from 4th July but just because they can, doesn't mean they all will so it may be harder and more expensive than usual to find somewhere to stay.
Stock up on snacks
Eating wasn't sure a problem as much as eating what I wanted to eat. Not many places were open and all that we could find were greasy spoons and Mcdonalds which was a shame because as you know, eating is a huge part of why I like to travel so much. I was pleased to have snacks on me (I'm always pleased to have snacks on me to be fair) because there were a couple of time where it took us a while to find places to eat. Sadly, it's not as easy as it used to be to pop to the shop or a restaurant to find some food so it's also good to research any particular restaurants you might want to visit beforehand as well.
Research your activities
Most things are not going to be running as usual, some might still not be open at all so make sure you have a look online before you leave to avoid disappointment. We wanted to visit a war memorial and almost had a panic when we arrived; turns out it was just the car park that was closed due to Covid so luckily we were still able to have a wander around once we found somewhere else to park.
Carry your PPE
We did have to get one taxi after our 11km hike and although the driver couldn't care less, I was very pleased to have my face mask in my bag and hand gel for once I got out.
I can't lie, travel isn't the same as it was before and there were a couple of times that I felt a little on edge, mainly because of other peoples attitude towards it but it won't be like this forever and I'm excited for whatever adventure is next!
*In collaboration with Hotels.com, but all views are my own.