The Best of 2020 – 6 Safe Travel Adventures

The year 2020, started just like any other year, January and February were uneventful. It was when we hit March that things changed. We all learned about a new virus, the coronavirus, which seemed to have started in China. It was spreading fast so we had to go on lockdown which meant staying home as much as possible. Businesses and schools were closed. Restaurants could no longer serve customers for dine-in. Only “essential” businesses would be able to stay open. It was a very scary and confusing time! It was sometimes hard to know where to turn for the most accurate information. We got our information from the CDC since it’s their job to identify & control contagious diseases.

We learned that the cruise lines were closing down, international travel was banned, and even some states had travel restrictions. It was a mess! It still is a mess 9 months later. Some restrictions were lifted and then reinforced again! In some ways, now, in December, things are worse than ever! The only hope is that the vaccine is on the horizon. We can see a light at the end of the tunnel. As a traveler and travel blogger, this is good news!

Once we got through the first several months of the Pandemic, some things started to open again, with restrictions and safety precautions in place. Some of these were; campgrounds, hotels, dine-in restaurants, Disney World, and domestic flights. When we thought about venturing out again, we decided it would either be camping or cabin rental. Most of our travel was kept to our own state of North Carolina. In that way, we didn’t have to figure out the state restrictions, in some states you were required to quarantine for 14 days!

My husband and I were able to have 6 travel adventures in 2020.

6 Travel Adventures

1. Camping at Raleigh Oaks RV Resort
2. Cabin rental at Cherokee, NC
3. Cabin rental #2
4. Florida vacation – housesitting for my son & daughter-in-law
5. Fall cabin rental with my Mom
6. 3-day weekend, Airbnb in Wilmington, NC

1. Camping at Raleigh Oaks RV Resort

This camping experience was a little different from what we were used to. It was the month of May before we decided to venture out after being in lockdown for 2 months. A few campgrounds and RV resorts were starting to open back up with restrictions and safety guidelines. First of all, we had to make our reservation online. That meant choosing the date, site, and payment in full. When we arrived at the campground, we were directed to a box that had our receipt and campground map. All the campground buildings were closed. No restrooms, showers, rec room, office, or camp store.

We found our campsite and set up camp. They had not restricted the number of campers, but when we arrived the campground was not full. At that time, we didn’t know about masks, but the campers mainly kept to themselves. We were able to buy groceries in town, and on a few nights, we ordered food delivery.

Because we were in control of our camper and how clean it was, we felt safe there. We did not let anyone else come in our camper or even to our campsite. It was still a very relaxing and enjoyable getaway at Raleigh Oaks RV Resort!

2. Cabin rental at Cherokee, NC

NOTE: THIS CABIN IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR RENT

We ventured out again in June 2020. This was a six-night getaway. We felt that a cabin rental would be a good choice for a safe getaway. We could clean it ourselves and stay isolated. In a hotel, we might run into other people in an elevator or lobby, making it riskier. The Smoky Mountain Cabins are cabins that we had rented before. The owners are very good about maintaining the property and keeping it clean.

I brought our own Lysol spray and wipes. After a little cleaning, we felt pretty safer. In our cabin, we had a kitchen area, a living room area with a TV and fireplace, a king-size bed, and a bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. Outside, we had a front porch with chairs, a backyard with grill and picnic tables, and a hot tub.

We found many activities to do in the Cherokee area. Most of what we did was out in nature, where we could keep a distance from others and had fresh air to breathe. You can read more in this post, 6 fun things to do in Cherokee, NC. Hiking to Mingo Falls was one of our favorite things to do!

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3. Cabin rental #2

NOTE: THIS CABIN IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR RENT

We were still feeling a little leery about traveling, but we decided to rent another cabin for a 4-day getaway in August. It was also with Great Smoky Mountain Cabin rentals and was cabin #16. This cabin is also in the Cherokee area. Since we only had 4 days this time, we mainly hung out at the cabin, cooked our own food, and relaxed on the front porch or in the hot tub.

**Note: We do sometimes eat out in restaurants but they have to meet our safety guidelines. The booths and tables must be spaced at least 10 feet apart, we won’t sit in the back of the restaurant, and we have to feel that the staff is taking the virus seriously by requiring everyone to wear masks.**

4. Florida vacation – housesitting for my son & daughter-in-law

In September we had the opportunity to housesit for my son & daughter-in-law while they went away on vacation. A free trip to Florida was too hard to resist! We knew that it would be safe to stay in their house. Their house, near Tampa, is about a 12-hour drive for us, so we decided to stay one night at a hotel to split up the drive. I don’t really feel safe in a hotel, but we needed the break. We cleaned the room ourselves, brought our own pillows and blankets, and often washed our hands. When traveling, it’s important to limit your stops. If you have to stop(which we did), try to find clean places, wash your hands, and then sanitize your hands once you are back in your car.

During our week in Florida, we did eat out a few times, mainly at breakfast or early dinner. At the time, this part of Florida had a mandatory face mask law. Anyone in a restaurant without a mask would be fined, as well as the restaurant owner. We would not enter a restaurant if we felt it was too busy or unsafe.

My son has a pool so we spent a lot of time by the pool, we also spent some time at parks and the beach. Besides the beach, we really enjoyed the “Turtle Park”, otherwise known as the Narrows. When heading back home, we decided to make the drive in one day to avoid stopping at a hotel.

5. Fall Cabin rental with my Mom

NOTE: THIS CABIN IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO RENT

We couldn’t resist heading to the mountains of Western North Carolina one more time, in the Fall! This area of our state is so beautiful with the Fall colors. We once again rented a cabin but this time it was a 2 bedroom cabin and we took my Mom with us. The drive to the cabin was spectacular with the Fall colors at their peak! The 2-bedroom, 2-bath cabin worked out great for us. It also had a kitchen, a dining room, a living room with a TV & fireplace.

I wrote a review of the Great Smoky Mountain Cabins. I highly recommend that you consider renting from them if you are in the Cherokee area. They are reasonably priced, well maintained, and clean.

The Fall is one of the best times of the year for spotting Elk. We found these at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center just inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

6. Weekend in Wilmington, NC

This was our last trip of 2020. We wanted to head in a different direction since we had been to the mountains 3 times. We decided to head for the coast and the city of Wilmington, NC for a 3-day weekend. Wilmington is near the coast of North Carolina. Our Airbnb hosts are “super hosts”, I always look for that when renting from Airbnb. Their site showed the Covid cleaning guidelines so I felt that they had gone the extra mile with cleaning. When we first arrived, we did use some Lysol wipes just to make sure. We really loved the one-bedroom apartment we had! It was on the 3rd floor and had a great view of the Cape Fear River. We had a deck out front with 2 chairs and a deck out back with a table where we ate our meals.

The Wilmington area has a lot of fun things you can do;

• River Road Park
• Great seafood at Fish Bites
• Carolina Beach
• Kure Beach Pier
• North Carolina Aquarium
• Fort Fisher Historic Site
• Wilmington Riverwalk
• U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial

In Conclusion…

We all agree that 2020 has been a crazy year! I am looking forward to 2021 and the promise of a vaccine to end this pandemic! I hope and pray that all kinds of travel will get back to normal. Nobody really knows what “normal” will look like? I believe it will be a new kind of normal, but I still have a lot of hope for the New Year!

Do you have travel plans yet for 2021? I would love to hear about them. Please leave a comment and share this post your family & friends.

**To stay up to date with our posts and adventures, add your email address HERE and receive our newsletters directly in your inbox! You will also receive our free printable, “My Bucket List”.**

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*You may also enjoy reading; The Best of Largo, FL

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