Stay Home, Stay Safe Tips for “Travel”

During the pandemic we had weddings postponed and trips canceled. I anxiously awaited my daughter’s test results, who made it safely home from Barcelona and into quarantine. Many of us can fill in the blanks with similar stories about how we’ve had to adjust, accept and change plans.

While at home together, or with electronic connections to our nearest and dearest, we’re still free to walk, drive and get out and discover — or rediscover — places that make us happy.

Here are a few tips to make the most of your summer from anywhere:

Go Somewhere Local

On a recent sunny morning, I drove to the beach and walked a boardwalk. I spotted a father carrying a kite and walking behind a little boy; a mom sat at a table while two toddlers were climbing on a playground in the sand, a couple pushed a stroller and two sassy tweens were skateboarding. It felt “normal,” safe and good for my mental health. No car? Take a long walk somewhere.

Pack a Picnic

Can you walk to a local park? Bring PB&J, a BLT or meatloaf and ketchup on white bread. All of a sudden, simple, childhood comfort food, school lunch menus feel appealing. Kids today may be more familiar with chicken nuggets or they could discover something new from their parents’ tastes.

Family picnic. Photo: Lightfieldstudiosprod | Dreamstime.com

Create a Family Photograph Hour

Instead of watching a video, pull out some old photographs. Go through them together — even if only one person touches them — or leave them on a table, jigsaw puzzle style, with a big “do not touch” warning. Even if it’s a FaceTime or Skype activity, tell a story about the who, what, where and when, if not the why, of some pictures.

Return Somewhere Special

My late husband proposed to me on a teeny-tiny island during a walk at a local arboretum. The next sunny morning, tomorrow perhaps, I’m going there for a walk, hopefully one of my daughters can meet me and walk with me at a socially appropriate distance. Many of us have one place where we go to relive happy memories. If you haven’t yet shared that place — or a local one — with your kids, this is a good time to do it.

It’s in situations like this families can share old stories and new adventures.