Vacationing in the time of Coronavirus

I am nearing a milestone birthday: This October I will be turning 65 years young. With past and current memories to last a lifetime, I am nevertheless challenged, yearning and unfulfilled. How do I balance work and vacation?  I am now reflecting on the many bucket list moments I had dreamed and planned for decades.  How I would love to turn back time when my now adult children were kids.  Finding myself  now living in jeopardy with the current Pandemic I am concerned and conflicted.  Should I take the risk and travel outside my home?

Coronavirus has made vacation and travel a foreign word in 2020. Bucket List Moments have deeper meaning, more than ever before. We don’t know how long it will be before we can plan for those special moments.

I remember well the decades when my kids were in school. Those were fun times. We would typically plan vacations as getaways to be with other families, visits with relatives, travels to beaches, or stops at interesting educational destinations. Sometimes we would actually stay at home to simply enjoy a family holiday.

The day to day was predictable, calculated and scheduled. Yes, it was sometimes overwhelming, exhausting and challenging, but nowhere near what is today. Challenges were incidental in retrospect. I became accustomed to enjoying life with no obstacles.

The difference between then and now is monumental. The new normal requires creativity and flexibility to make special moments with new restrictions in place.

Though we may be living in quarantine, family vacation is more important than ever before. It just may look different than it did. This new normal forces us to prioritize what we have taken for granted and seize the pleasures of life with those we love the most.

Do not neglect the need to recharge, refocus, redirect your energies.

Summer vacation can be as simple as renting another home, changing the pace or scheduling new activities in the place you live.

Don’t forget that challenging times can be rewarding. This doesn’t happen naturally. To make memories, we need to plan intentionally these times together.

HOW TO PACK FOR A VACATION

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1. Gather your clothes you may need on your trip. Set up a garment rack if you have the space, adding different garments and using them to create outfits. A perfect packing hack is to then edit so you don’t overpack.

2. Pack garments that can serve double duty, like yoga pants you can use for pajamas and for daytime use. Bring a sarong that can be a beach towel and a wrap. Pick a sweatshirt that’s cozy for workout and for nighttime chill. Select items that are casual for daytime, but if you add a scarf, you can use it for a nighttime outfit.

3. Use packing cubes to contain your smaller items such as underwear, socks, pajamas, bathing suits, cover ups, tees, cosmetics, toiletries, and medicine. TIP: Place packing cubes into drawers when you arrive at your destination. This keeps items tidy and dust free in drawers and no fuss in pack up when you are ready to return home.

4. Roll and fold clothing. Tightly roll softer, wrinkle resistant garments like tees and cotton pants. Roll jeans, folding first and then rolling from foot to waist.

5. Place the heaviest garments on the bottom layer of your suitcase.

6. Place folded items on top. Next fold stiffer and or wrinkle-prone garments like starched cotton shirts and blazers. Fold blazers inside out.

7. Drape longer pieces like pants and skirts over the top. Fold longer items in half, filling the length of the bag with them and alternating hems and waists.

8. If traveling on a plane, choose bulkier items to wear and or carry on the plane to free up luggage space.

9. Use purse pillows to keep the shape of handbags. We love these from Fabrinique. Use code Imagine10 to get a discount.

10. Line suitcase with belts, rolled scarves, shoes and handbags in duster bags.

11. Choose three pairs of shoes: casual (such as a sandal), an evening shoe, and a sneaker. Wear the heaviest pair in route.

12. Cover the entire pile of clothing with a laundry bag. You will use this to separate out dirty clothing as you travel. Place dirty clothing folded flat into a laundry bag. Balled dirty clothing will take up space in the bag. When you return, call Clean NYC to pick up your laundry, that way you have more time to unpack!

13. Keep layers snug and smooth to prevent movement.

14. Store inexpensive jewelry in pouches and soft jewelry cases. Do not take costly valuables. Wear other important jewelry en route to ensure it won’t get lost or stolen.

15. Don’t forget to add a luggage tag onto luggage for identification.

While we all may have postponed a vacation or two during this season, there are ways we can sneak in quality get-away time with our families.

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