3 Ways Americans Were Able to Enjoy Life and Travel During the Shutdown of 2020

Travel across the United States and the world took a huge hit during the spring and summer of 2020, the two busiest travel seasons. This was all due to the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of which we’re still feeling today as of 2021.

While most of our conventional international travel methods were shut down completely as countries closed their ports and borders, this left many people feeling that the age of world travel is over. However, many countries have reopened, and travel is seeing an upswing once again.

For citizens within the United States, travel was restricted, but traveling by car from state to state went largely unregulated. This meant that any travel enthusiast could still travel within the boundaries of national borders with relative ease despite restrictions.

Here, we’ll explore how some people coped with the travel restrictions of 2020.

Fishing Trips

One of the more timeless activities you can engage in is going fishing. And, while many national and state parks closed temporarily, most reopened after a month or so with few guidelines and restrictions.

Despite the closures of some state and national parks, there are numerous unregulated bodies of water around the United States. In fact, you may have heard a friend or relative mention his or her favorite fishing hole that nobody knows about, and these hidden gems exist all over the country.

Whether you’re wanting to engage in a light day of catch-and-release fishing, or you’re on the hunt for that monster Bass and wanting to try out a new Bass fishing tackle kit, the options for going fishing are numerous, and are unlikely to be affected by restrictions imposed by local or federal guidelines.

Road trips

Despite the fact that most restaurants and bed & breakfast venues closed their doors and went to complete take-out or curbside services, many hotels remained open. Though these hotels and motels largely stayed operational, they did impose guidelines.

For those who had to satisfy their urge to get out of the house during mandated shutdowns, taking a road trip was the only viable option. While numerous businesses went without patrons for several weeks, those who took road trips were able to see the country and have lodging at their disposal, even if they had to forego shopping at curio or antique shops.

Road trips invite any traveler to experience a changing landscape and to marvel at the sights of the natural world in places that they’d normally never experience at home. For any travel enthusiast, a weekend road trip was a saving grace during the shutdown of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Staycations”

Perhaps the most logical of any experience during the shutdown was the increasingly popular and economical strategy of a “staycation.” This is the act of vacationing at home, and simply taking time off to relax in your own environment while saving money.

So, what did people do during the shutdown? Many people got physical. Online sales skyrocketed during the months of April through August, and this was most evident in the health and wellness industry along with the exercise equipment space.

Items such as bicycles, home gyms, sports equipment, exercise videos and the like flew off of the shelves during the spring and summer of 2020, and many items were placed on backorder because vendors couldn’t keep up with the demand from quarantined consumers around the country.

The staycation might be an evolving trend as prices are driven higher and vacation packages become less affordable for the middle-class, but be sure that this is a trend that is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

No matter what the future holds, Americans love their hard-earned vacation time. And be sure that as future shutdowns and restrictions might be considered, this won’t keep some citizens from enjoying travel in any way they can manage.

With all of the methods available to vacation in the United States, pandemic or not, a shutdown can’t extinguish the adventurous spirit that most Americans are born with.