Travel lessons learned during the pandemic enhance frugal travel
Just three years ago, we were all taken aback when news of COVID-19 spread like wildfire and quickly shutdown the country and the world. Who could imagine thousands of Americans lost to the virus, families torn asunder, lives and livelihoods put on hold and the strange new world we faced? Fortunately, most of us were vaccinated and boosted, we’ve learned how to carefully function in the face of the virus, and lives have almost returned to normal. For regional, national or world travelers, that means more of us are traveling, seeking to catch up with friends, family and treasured bucket list travel destinations.
For us, that means traveling locally, regionally and getting back into multi-country trips. As we consider our options, we’ve dusted off pandemic travel lessons, as well as practicing frugal travel to extend our travel budget. Here are suggestions:
Pandemic travel kit and safe travel practices: We continue to pack our pandemic kit, include hand sanitizer, face masks, latex gloves and quick test kits (as well as our vaccination cards). If we can, we prefer to dine outdoors and keep big crowds at a distance. Better safe than sorry.
Reconnecting with friends and family: As the pandemic progressed, most of us spent considerable time and talent connecting to friends and family via phone calls, Facebook messaging and Zoom. Use those same skills you’ve polished to reach out to those friends and family and plan a real visit with them, in late summer or fall, when many of your activities can take-place out-of-doors, including visiting new scenic wonders.
Spouse Susan shares a desire to reconnect with friends and family. We are currently almost halfway into a trip to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, with multi-day stops in the Spokane and Seattle, Washington areas, sandwiched around a week-long housesitting assignment in Kelowna, BC . We have already revisited old Spokane friends and favorite places like Spokane Falls and Riverfront Park, and discovered new favorites like the mountain-framed views of lovely Okanagan Lake in West Kelowna, BC. In a week, we will also visit old chums in Seattle, with free lodging being part of the visit.
Focus on frugality in travel: With travel by personal vehicle, I ensure we have correct tire pressure, fresh oil and filter change, and drive with a “light foot” on the accelerator. By doing that, I can induce almost 30 miles per gallon from our Ford Escape 4wheel drive SUV. We also pack our own drinks and snacks in a small cooler to avoid unnecessary stops. Those snacks and drinks also save us money and time on the road, stretching our travel budget for more exciting travel investment. Money saved went to a lovely dinner at the Cedars floating restaurant in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Motels, or camping: On this trip, I have packed a “light camping box” with two air mattresses, several coverlets, extra propane for our small camp stove. I am making the assumption we will find several scenic provincial parks in British Columbia, and will be able to sleep comfortably in the back of our vehicle. Spouse Susan seems not too eager for that experiment, preferring stops in local, often rustic motels (my hope is that several BC provincial parks may entice from her several camping stops); time will tell!
If traveling and seeking a motel, we have learned to book late the afternoon of the day we need a motel, using Priceline or other last-minute booking sites, garnering typical savings of 30 to 50% off normal room rates. Other than the busiest of U.S. or Canadian holidays, we have never experienced booked out motels, so waiting to book until late afternoon is a worthwhile practice.
We are also members of the Affordable Travel Club (affordabletravelclub.net), which allows us to contact one of several thousand members in the USA and Canada and spend a night enjoying their hospitality; you merely tip them $20 after they provide you a bed (and breakfast) and send you on their way. In the coming week, we will contact several Canadian members who live outside Vancouver, BC, to book a few nights and explore their love of their country before we visit old friends in suburban Seattle. The ATC is also how we have arranged a dozen house-sitting assignments in seven years, leading to eight nights lodging (free) in a spectacular home overlooking Okanagan Lake.
Managing and making real your travel bucket list: stop dreaming of that grand, “someday trip” and plan more immediate, realistic destinations. Rather than wait for a family trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, as example, consider easier-to-access destinations that offer similar grandeur (such as Highway 108 destinations in the Sierra, Lake Tahoe or Lassen Volcanic National Park, all just hours from San Joaquin County).
Hike and bike: Many of us have rediscovered how fun it is to hike (or, cross country ski or snowshoe) and to ride bikes. Plan to include hiking and cycling in your future travel plans. We have dusted off our bike carrier and will pack bikes on many future travel trips (for fun, exercise and seeing more local sites than traveling on foot).
Plan now: With pent-up travel demand, favorite pre-pandemic destinations, like national parks, monuments, seashores and ski destinations will be booked heavily in late summer and into fall and winter. If you plan to go, book your lodging now, or your campsite through recreation.gov. Plan now, and weave family members into the conversation, for your travel holidays in late 2023/2024.
Where are you off to? Contact Tim, tviall@msn.com. Happy travels in the west!
This article originally appeared on The Record: Travel lessons learned during the pandemic enhance frugal travel
