Here we are, almost a year into the pandemic and for most of us, we’re just hanging in there as school remains virtual, socializing is nonexistent, and let’s face it, we’ve run out of dinner recipe ideas.
Travel feels like a dream at this point, even though it’s still technically possible as airlines are still flying and hotels are still open. (See what it’s like to fly right now and stay in a hotel.)
Yet, there’s hope—as this week as shown.
To be honest, I’ve struggled with writing about and promoting travel during the past year because it has been such a wild landscape—new rules to navigate and strong opinions abound (#travelshaming is everywhere.) It’s also been a little disheartening to see an industry I’ve been so intimately acquainted with, crumble on all sides. Not to mention, most of my energy is spent here at home with the children.
But the travel industry is resilient and the people who work in travel are adapting to the changes and uncertainty with their usual “we can do anything” aplomb. They are inspiring. Still, I realize that everyone has different feelings on travel. But I also realized my job is not to tell you to travel, my job as a travel advisor (see below) is to help you when you want to travel.
So should you be thinking of a trip six months or a year from now, or maybe even a road trip to a vacation rental next month, I’d love to assist. Even if you just have questions about what it's like, is it possible, and how to do it, I'd love to chat. And as always, if you have your own experiences to share, I'm really eager to hear them too!
In the meantime, I’ll get working on some tips to share from the adventuring we have done over the past few months. But for now, I've dropped in some ways that we've been keeping busy here. Keep scrolling to read!
While 2021 might not look or feel much different from 2020, there are more signs of hope that we will find a way out of this craziness soon.
Stay safe, healthy, and happy,
Juliana
RADDISH KIDS: My 9-year old loves cooking and she loves this subscription cooking box which comes with tools and recipes to make meals, side dishes and sweets. (Some parental assistance is needed.) Here’s my referral code: QBN92Y.
DIY GUMMIES: We adapted a recipe from Well + Good (it’s the kombucha gummy one) and bought some cute candy molds from Michael’s and had ourselves some fun making gummies.
DISNEY PAPER PARKS: It’s insane that Disneyland has not been open since March. But you can build your own Disneyland with Disney’s Paper Parks series. (Parental assistance definitely required; perhaps from a huge Disney nerd.)
ADVENTURE FROM HOME: Virgin Limited Edition, which has many amazing properties throughout the world, is putting together a special Instagram Live series for kids, showing them around their cool lodges and reserves. This actually begins on January 28.
MOVIES: We’ve watched so. many. movies lately. It probably deserves a full post but let me give you the top-rated ones (by the kids)—Home Alone, Billy Madison (Lol, I know), Good Burger, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin (live-action), Mulan (live-action), Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and Trolls, 1 and 2.
TV SHOWS: Finding TV shows for both parents and kids to enjoy is tougher than a movie. My girls love watching Full House, both the original and the reboot, and have also started watching Saved By The Bell (#Ifeelold.) But The Imagineering Story on Disney+ was great for everyone. Happy to take your TV show recs if you got ‘em!
BOOKS: My 8-year-old got hooked on Percy Jackson, my 9-year-old has a little bit tougher of a time reading books. They both like the Rebel Stories for Girls series and those crazy Guinness Book of World Records fact books. As someone who grew up as a book nerd, it’s a little distressing that they don’t read as much as I do but we’re working on that. (Roblox is cramping my style though.) The 3-year-old loves books about golf and sports and the Press Here and The Book with No Pictures are still a big hit with him as they were with his sisters.
MUSIC: Hits 1 on Sirius XM is a way of life. But for guaranteed giggles, put on some Parry Gripp. My apologies in advance.
BTW, here’s a shot of me and my fellow travel advisors with Beyond Travel. You can learn more about what we do here.
