There is so much uncertainty while navigating a global pandemic. The fear can be overwhelming and it is so easy to shut ourselves away in our homes in an attempt to avoid contracting the deadly virus. Unfortunately, we cannot continue to put our lives on hold out of fear.

“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.” -Bethany Hamilton

Here are 5 things my family and I did to keep safe while traveling during a pandemic.

1. Plan ahead: We often don’t plan our road trips too far in advance because we don’t like feeling rushed and would rather stop when we feel like it, instead of having to drive more or less because of a reservation. Well, that is not always possible to do during a pandemic! Planning ahead ensures you have a place to stay when you get to your destination and gives you time to find a back up option, which is much harder to do when you’re tired and cranky from a long day of travelling. Book your hotel, campsite or AirBnB ahead of time!
2. Bring extra masks: We travelled with an almost two year old who had spent 1/3 of his life wearing a mask in public so he was pretty good at it. But let’s face it, he was still not even 2. That mask would come off and end up on the ground or his personal favourite, used as a sucking toy. Needless to say, it’s a good idea to bring extra masks for yourself and for your children in case you find yourself in our shoes with a soaking wet mask and a very proud toddler.
3. Sanitize: As I mentioned previously, travelling with a toddler, pandemic or not is no joke. Those little people put EVERYTHING in their mouths, especially when they have a fondness for thumb sucking. Hand sanitizer was a travel necessity to keep my anxiety at bay while we were out and about. I also recommend bringing some sanitizer wipes so that you can wipe things down that you or they might be touching frequently, like highchairs in a restaurant for example.
4. Be flexible: It’s important to have a plan (see step 1) but one of the key elements I found travelling in a pandemic is to be flexible with expectations. Since travelling with COVID-19 is still so new, there are likely to be bumps along the way even with the most carefully laid out plans. Being flexible makes these bumps feel a little smaller and can increase the overall enjoyment of the trip.
5. Get Outside: All of the doctors and health officials have told us that COVID-19 is spread through close contact with others. Getting outside allows you plenty of space to socially distance from others and enjoy the beauty that our country has to offer.

My family and I love to travel and explore, so when the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, we were disappointed to have to cancel the trip we had planned to visit the east coast of Canada and the United States. 

Once British Columbia eased the travel restrictions for inter-provincial travel in the summer of 2020 we planned a ten day road trip through BC and even hopped the border into Alberta. We explored the province we have lived in for most of our lives, but had thus far failed to take advantage of. We were able to see first hand why they call it “Beautiful British Columbia”.