My Pandemic Road Trip Tips

Earlier this month, we went on a road trip. The first trip of any kind that I've taken since March 2020, and the first trip my husband has been on since September 2019. While we've been doing our best at home and doing many short staycations, it was nice to leave our house and get in new surroundings. We made sure we were as safe as possible - for us and others - to make sure we were following guidelines. So, now that I've taken this trip, let me give you some tips on how to safely take a road trip during this time.

Bring a mask for (at least) every day of your trip 

Masking is still important and 100% necessary wherever you go. I have plenty of masks that I rotate through (as you probably have seen on my Instagram) and I washed them all before I left and packed them all in their own separate bag. Once we've worn one for the day out, it went into the laundry and we used a new one. 

Luckily, everywhere we went people were masked up (there was one guy not wearing one, but he was outside and standing at least 6' away from cars while scanning tickets for the ferry), even when we drove past people hiking, they were wearing masks outside all on their own. Every business we went into had a sign that asked people to either use their handwashing station or use the provided hand sanitizer before going in. Anytime we were out of the car, we were masked up and had sanitized our hands. 

Bring your own food

While we stopped for food a few times on the way there and back, we also brought our own. We always bring food for the dog, but I also bring snacks, drinks, and items to make sandwiches and such. When we arrived, we went to the grocery store for a few other things, because most places weren't open, even for take-out. 

When we did stop for food or got food at our destination, we ordered ahead and picked up or used the drive-thru. There was one exception, and that was one breakfast at a coffee shop, but we ordered our food and then waited outside for 20 minutes until it was ready. As always, we either ate at a park or back at our rental, after cleaning our hands, either with sanitizer or washing or both. On the evening when nothing was open for pick-up, we made our own food in our rental's kitchen (I cobbled together a delicious cinnamon peanut butter French toast with bananas). 

My rest stop MVPs

Bring bathroom essentials

Nature calls on road trips. Right now, you can't go inside to use public restrooms, so your choice is basically rest areas. Now, I've been to a lot of very badly-maintained rest stop bathrooms, so I knew I needed to be prepared. I brought a bag that had toilet paper, paper towels, water, sanitizing spray, TP Kits, Fanny Pacs, lotion (for after all the handwashing), potty bags for the dog, and plastic bags for garbage. 

You never know what you'll encounter on any given trip, and we were lucky to stop at rest stops that were well-stocked and clean, but that doesn't mean you always will. I'm very happy I brought all these things, especially since a few places had hand dryers that didn't work well, and I needed the paper towels to properly dry my hands, and one didn't have soap, so I was able to use my sanitizer in a pinch.

Keep your phone charged

This might sound really stupid, but I also kept a back-up battery with me, for when we were using our phones in the car while it wasn't running, like sitting at the ferry dock for over an hour. This is not just for playing on your phone though. Here are other reasons I keep my phone charged:

• To look up dining establishments
• And to order food via app or phone call while on the move
• For directions
• To take pictures
• not just of cool stuff you see, but because of Covid, rest stops no longer have brochures like they normally would, so you may want to take a picture of an ad or a map they have posted to remember later
• Keeping your e-tickets and confirmations handy
• Communicating with your travel companion(s) if you've split up

Have some cash on hand

While most places aren't accepting cash, sometimes there's a place where you're going to want to have some dollars in your pocket. We encountered a toll road. We tossed some money into a box for donations at a sculpture park. We also came across some vending machines that couldn't get a signal to use our credit card. It's just always good to have a little bit, even if it's just $20 in small bills. 

Keep an eye out for viewpoints

Normally, I'm so focused on doing other things that I usually pass up most viewpoints on a road trip. This time, with almost everything being closed, now is the time to stop and just take in the view. We saw so many lovely things, got to get out of the car and stretch our legs a bit more, and let the dog get out and potty more often by doing this. If I could have gone inside a restaurant (safely), I probably never would have driven up the hill to get this view, or any of these.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle)

Visit state parks and other free outdoor activities

Staying outside is great and a pretty low-risk activity. We drove a lot, but we also got out of the car a lot in sparsely populated places to explore and take pictures. Some of my favorite things were on San Juan, where we found lime kilns, and sculpture park, and some really pretty views in general. 

Enjoy a walk around town to enjoy free art

I tend to do this wherever I go regardless, because building murals are amazing, but it's also a much different experience than seeing art in an "art" setting, like a museum. I enjoy both ways to view art, but I especially like to view street art and sculptures throughout a city. Now that many things are closed, or you may not be comfortable going to those things that are open, this is a really wonderful new way to view a city and learn about their artists and the history of the city itself. 

Roche Harbor is a quaint little town with a gorgeous harbor full of boats, feels a bit like a seaside European town, and has their first lime kilns on display. While no longer working, you can see these kilns and learn about them and their role in the limestone and other labor industries. 

With so many things closed entirely, or just to walk-in traffic, road trips are actually much less stressful, because you don't have too many options on what to do. It's a great time to learn to prepare for future trips and also to plan for repeat trips when it's safe to do more things. We were only gone 4 days, but it felt a lot longer, because we actually relaxed and weren't able to pack our time with things. We are also thinking of doing more road trips in the coming months. 

Have you taken any trips during this pandemic? 

How To Save On A Weekend In Cleveland, Ohio

Visiting cities and booking vacations or spontaneous weekends away may not be possible at the moment, but there’s nothing wrong with planning ahead and thinking about where you want to go once it’s safe to roam. Many of us are eager to book breaks, but enjoying getaways can be expensive. In this guide, we’ll look at ways to save on a weekend in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio.

Image credit: https://pixabay.com/photos/cleveland-ohio-america-panorama-4100096/

Getting there on a budget

Depending on where you live, you may be thinking about driving, catching a bus or train or flying to Cleveland. Whichever options you’re exploring, it’s always beneficial to compare costs and to think about who is going. If it’s a long journey, flying is the quickest option and it will enable you to maximize your time once you arrive. With flights, you can save a fortune by being flexible on dates and times and exploring different airlines. Use the Internet to look at prices before you book. If you’re thinking about driving or taking the train or coach, plan your route and get some quotes. You may find that if you’re going in a big group, it’s cheaper to hire a coach. 

Searching for hotels online

Cleveland has an array of hotels to choose from, and you can explore everything from budget-friendly guesthouses to more luxurious Cleveland Ohio romantic hotels with whirlpool tubs online. If you don't want to stay in a hotel, you could also look into hiring an apartment for the weekend or even doing a home swap. When you search online, you’ll get a huge range of options to choose from and you can compare prices on different websites to make sure you get the best deal. It’s also worth investigating booking directly with the hotel and seeing if there are any discount codes or coupons you can use to save on your booking at the checkout. 

Picture from https://pixabay.com/photos/cleveland-ohio-architecture-skyline-454067/

Saving on attractions and activities

If you’re visiting Cleveland, Ohio, you may have a packed itinerary in mind. From beaches and water sports and zoos and markets to basketball games, brewery tours and museums, there’s a whole host of attractions. Sightseeing is wonderful, but it can be pricey. To save money without missing out, look for free activities and museums with free entry, book tickets for concerts, shows and sports fixtures online in advance and investigate ticket bundles, which enable you to save on multiple attractions. It’s important to note that if you’re desperate to catch a game or visit somewhere that is incredibly popular, you may need to book early. Sign up for ticket alerts and follow attractions or sports teams or venues on social media so that you can move quickly once tickets become available.

Cleveland, Ohio is a fabulous city to visit for a weekend with your partner or with friends or family members. If you’re looking to enjoy a brilliant break without blowing the budget, take some time to compare prices for flights or coach hire online, use the Internet to look for the best deals on hotels and book tickets for attractions online.

Celebrating Lunar New Year at Home

Gung Hay Fat Choy! That means Happy New Year! This year we celebrated Lunar (or Chinese) New Year. It's the Year of the Ox, which is the second animal in the Lunar calendar, because in the mythology, the Ox would have won the race of the animals if it hadn't been for him helping the rat, who then crossed the finish line first since he was carried the whole way. 

Those born in the year of the Ox are said to be hardworking and honest. I'm a Snake, who are said to be humorous and sophisticated, and Eric is a Goat, which are strong and resilient. Each animal has a story and serves a different and unique purpose. You can learn more here. 

Since it's unlikely we'll get to be in China on Lunar New Year, we decided to have a staycation that combined both travel and a celebration. I got these funky firecracker headbands, because this is a celebration and the most fireworks are actually set off in the world on that night. 

We visited the Great Wall on our "trip" and ordered food from one of the most popular Chinese restaurants near us. 

We ordered shrimp fried noodles, because long noodles signify a long and prosperous life. You aren't supposed to cut them or bite them, otherwise you cut your life short. Shrimp also signify fortune and wealth. 

On the right you have crab and pork bao. Dumplings are a staple on Chinese New Year and most people eat them for every meal. The Chinese words for dumplings literally translate to 'exchange the midnight hour', meaning you are trading new for old, and by eating dumplings, you are sending away the old and welcoming the new.

The green dumplings are vegetable and mushroom, and then we had a spicy cucumber salad. Spring is the time to plant new seeds, so vegetables are a very important part of Chinese New Year. Mushrooms are served, as they translate to a word that sounds similar to blessings or fortune. This is all very important in Chinese tradition...and very delicious for us. 

We always try to have a fun drink to toast with, and this meal was no exception. I ordered a jasmine green tea topped with sweet cream and added honey boba. It was delicious, except for the boba, because it was like the consistency of gummy bears. Not my favorite, but it was interesting, for sure. Gānbēi!

Check out these adorable tea cups I got with ox on them. They have cool indentations for your fingers. 

If you're ever on vacation with me, chances are this is what you'll be seeing a lot of. I love trying new foods and it's one of my favorite parts of traveling. I'll try almost anything once. It's a wonderful way to learn about other cultures, I think. Plus, it's totally delicious. I recommend asking locals where they like to eat and try out some of those places. Chances are, they are affordable and family-owned and sometimes really popular. These are the best places to eat, in my opinion.

While we stuffed our faces, we watched some videos about Chinese New Year and the Great Wall of China. I found that videos geared a bit more toward kids are more preferable for us if we're learning things, because they're more fun and interesting. 

You knew there'd be dessert, right? Of course you did! Knowing we had a lot of food for our main meal, I opted for a smaller dessert of sweet taro buns. These are round, and round shapes signify family togetherness. Though we didn't have our whole family around us, we had each other and the dog, which is our own little family. 

For some reason, I'm a big fan of taro. It doesn't have a lot of flavor, which can be good or bad, depending on your tastes. I happen to like the consistency and it was really appealing with the sweet bun. Eric added a bit of sweetness to his with some fig jam and we were both happy. 

You also can't beat dessert on the Great Wall, right? Did you know that it's not even a full wall, but a bunch of pieces of walls that are sometimes connected? Did you also know that tourism is eroding the wall? If you didn't, now you do. You're welcome! 

So, my table consisted of stuff I already had and a few things I bought to spruce it up. This cherry blossom branch with butterflies is actually a headband I made for my last in-person Harry Potter party where I was The Fat Lady who guards the Gryffindor Common Room. I just set it in a short vase I had and hid it behind this gold fan, and added this amazing Mr. Men book I found where they all celebrated Chinese New Year. I already had the red tablecloth and I used my plain white plates, though I wished I had invested in some black ones specifically for this, but I've since discovered that white represents gold and brightness, so I guess I lucked my way into it working for this. 

There's this lucky red door backdrop I found that was massive and we ended up tucking it under the table for all the extra length, and also so it wouldn't look all bunched up in the pictures. I really love it. I also thought this was the moment to have a special banner, so I splurged for the 2021 Ox banner (which was actually not that much. I just can't use it again.)

Besides watching some videos about the Great Wall and the story of Chinese New Year, we also watched an amazing dragon dance and learned about all the traditional New Year foods from a lovely comedian. This was a little more spendy than our usual Destination Date Nights, but we ordered from a fancy-ish place and it was a special occasion. This topped out at around $165. We ended up with leftovers though. 

If you also want to throw your own celebration or want to get started on next year's, here's a list of how you might want to enjoy a destination staycation of your own:

• A good backdrop - Great Wall backdrop
• or two - lucky door
• A New Year banner
• Here's a beautiful, but generic, one
• A cool dragon
• A set of hanging lanterns
• A tea set
• A Chinese fan
• Mr. Men book
• Firecracker headbands
• Chinese cookbook
• Learn conversational Chinese with this book
• Plan your trip with this Monocle guide book
• A good YouTube playlist. Here are some vids we watched:
• Fortune Tales
• The Story of the Chinese Zodiac
• Lion Dance
• 8 Lucky Foods
• The Great Wall of China

You can learn a lot about destinations by engaging in their celebrations. Even if you can't be there, you can still do it at home and enjoy it without the crowds. This is especially good if you have kids and they aren't super into trying new things, like foods. It's also a lot cheaper than traveling during a festival, though there are usually local Chinatown celebrations that can give you a good look into what it would be like in China.

Have you ever celebrated Chinese New Year? 

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I may be compensated should you choose to make any purchases through them. This allows me to keep this blog running for you. Thanks in advance!