When will we start traveling again?
2020 hasn’t gone as anyone expected, and most of us are already excited to see the year end. We’ve had trips, weddings, graduations, and family reunions postponed. We have stopped seeing friends, limited seeing family, and are missing out on celebrations big and small. We are struggling to read the emotions of others through their face masks. We are adjusting to changing work lives, paychecks, and home lives. We all need something to look forward to. The desire to dream raises the million-dollar question: When can we start traveling again?
Ultimately, deciding when you feel safe to travel again is going to be an incredibly personal choice. For us in the industry of adventure, we are seeing some positive signs: Iceland is starting to open (very carefully and deliberately) to tourists, and Vietnam is beginning to issue tourist visas again in July.
One of the trips that might be a good choice for those of you who are desperate for a getaway (and really…who isn’t?!) closer to home is our Idaho rafting trip in late August. The very nature of this adventure is all outdoors. You’ll be off the grid, in the wilderness, and for almost all the trip, you won’t be in enclosed spaces.
Changes our ground operator on the river has made in light of COVID:
- All single accommodations: we have, at no cost to you, upgraded every woman to a single room in the lodges and a single tent along the river.
- More space in our transfer vehicles: we usually try to be eco-friendly and use as few vehicles as possible. This year we are committing to using enough vehicles to give you plenty of space on the drives to and from the Salmon River.
- Distance on the rafts: we have added more guides and more rafts to allow for appropriate distance between travelers while on the river
- Health requirements: Our ground operator in Idaho has instituted health screening for all travelers. This will include a temperature check and answering some standard questions. If you or a member of your household cannot meet the screening criteria, you will not be able to join the trip.
- Face coverings: we will ask you to bring a face covering – a mask, Buff, or bandana. While you won’t need to wear them frequently, you will be required to wear them at certain times, like at your indoor orientation meeting and in the vehicles while driving to the river.
- COVID Code of Conduct: Each woman on our trip will need to agree to abide by a COVID Code of Conduct.
There are many more changes in addition to this (hand washing, sanitizing, food preparation—you name it and our partners have thought of it), and we’d be happy to provide more information if you’re interested in joining this great adventure.
Mostly, we think this trip could feel like a fresh start. Nature is healing, calming, and rejuvenating. Being in the company of other women around a campfire under the stars just might remind you that not everything is canceled. Nature is always there for you.
We know that taking your next trip is a deeply personal decision, but whenever that is, we are here for you.
