On pandemic-era trips

 In retrospect they turn out to have been a good idea. I was perhaps a tad too harsh in judging them early on in the pandemic.

This topic has been in my 'to-write' list for four months at this point. I didn't have enough material to write first, and then the emotions I had were far too strong. Now events have mellowed away, and emotions have gotten more nuanced, so we're in a place to have a decent conversation about it.

I thought going out on long cross-country journeys in the middle of the pandemic right at the heart of pandemic country was a bad idea. After all you're going to be meeting people, interacting with them, gonna catch the bug for sure. Thus, I believed, it was a stupid idea to go out on long journeys during pandemic.

As new evidence comes in, it appears that being out in the open where people are sparse, and spending time in close quarters with your 'bubble' is one of the better things you can do at times like these. So friend SbK and his household of five, including his septuagenarian dad, went out to Florida. They drove there. Sounds insane at first but it's a pretty good concept if you think about it. Make sure you don't go into restaurants or too many enclosed spaces. Get groceries delivered to you, or pick-em up roadside if you can. Live in airbnbs, put doors and windows open for a couple of hours so it's aired out. Don't spend too long of a time in the same place, don't hang out with randoes. There's little chance of you getting sick.

Friend N, Pg, and ykd went on a similar trip in August, I was invited but I turned it down because it was scary then. They've gone on two trips already at this point. Another friend of mine is going on a long journey to Hawaii with her friends. And so on and on and on. If it's an outdoors spot, you're not spending time in enclosed spaces with others for any significant time, it seems to be okay. I should have said yes to those trips after all alas.

And the best thing about this is, since everybody is working from home, you could gather a couple of people, go on a several month-long cross-country trip and not even have to take a day off. A few days in a city, drive off to a different one couple of hours away, see the safe sights, chill soak in the vibe, and onto the next city it is. Safe and fun. If only I drove. And had friends who were into that sort of thing. Which..I guess I do...but I can't drive. No car either.

And the costs split three or four or five ways would be so cheap. Not like you'd be blowing on food or shows anyway. What a great idea it is. Alas. Too late for me now.

This is a work in progress, I have a feeling there's more to come off this.