I am sure like all of you my summer travel plans have changed drastically. Bryan and I had planned a trip to Namibia with friends that I have wanted to do for ten years and now it is not possible. It is definitely going to be a year of alternative plans.
I have now decided that it is the perfect year to visit places in the United States. I have traveled for years to faraway places all over the world but I have never seen so many of the amazing destinations here at home. I had always put off US travel because I felt like it would be easier to see those places when we were older and when we didn’t want to take all the long international flights.
There are so many beautiful places to explore in the US so this will be the summer of road trips for me. I do not feel comfortable flying yet so most of my trips will be within 1-2 days driving distance where I can take the proper precautions to social distance. I started my road trip series on May 1 when many of the states started to open up. I drove to New Orleans and also visited family and friends in Tennessee en route.
I do not enjoy driving but I found the lack of planning and scheduling was freeing and made the trip less stressful. I feel more in control driving with the coronavirus situation.
So far, I have started to make my summer wish list that range from places within an hour from my house like The Ark in Kentucky to a trip out west to see Mount Rushmore and the Badlands at the end of June.
Other destinations for the summer include The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama and a trip back to New Orleans to see friends and tour the Whitney Plantation. I am trying to tie stories together on this blog that not only show nice photos but also tell the history of cultures and places.
In the late summer and Fall I plan to visit Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. I will also probably make stops at the Biltmore and Dollywood along the way.
If work does come back, I will most likely still be driving and trying to take more time to get to and from destinations to find interesting places along the way visit and take photos.
I have literally worked all the time for the past 20 years so I am really trying to embrace the time off and see friends and family that I have not seen in many years to catch up and slow down. This is definitely not what was planned but I plan to make the best of the situation with Road Trip 2020.