Traveling this holiday can be safe with some basic ideas to keep things safe and healthy. Outside ... [+]
gettyHolidays are about family and friends, and yet this year with fears of travel and gathering it puts everyone it a tough position of how to handle the holidays. The easy out is to accept that technology can be a substitute - a “Zoom Christmas” for example. But this doesn’t have to be the case, as there are five good ways to allow safe and enjoyable holiday travel over the coming weeks.
Think “Some”, Not “All”
For many, holidays mean big gatherings with a lot of people. This doesn’t have to be the case. Visit relatives or friends you haven't seen in a while, or ones that would particularly relish the visit, or some especially close to you. Ship presents to everyone else if you’d like, but keep the visit to a small group where everyone is conscious of the surroundings and accepts the small compromises it will take to keep everyone safe. This kind of gathering may prove to be even more intimate and mean more to you and those who visit, rather than a raucous gathering where not a lot of deep conversation ever happens.
Take Advantage Of Testing
Testing is more widely available and is inexpensive. It’s reasonable to ask those whom you’d visit to be tested within a few days of your arrival, and for you to do the same before you leave. This would greatly reduce the risks of transmission, especially if paired with common sense measures like wearing masks, washing hands, and general distancing. Testing is not foolproof, of course, but with no obvious symptoms and a negative test, spending a few days with some close relatives or friends could be much more comfortable.
Avoid Quarantine Locations
Some locations, like New York, have onerous and heavy-handed quarantine requirements to visit. If you would have to quarantine on arrival or when you get back, this isn't the best place to travel this holiday. You might want to skip the ball drop too. That may mean you don't have options, if all of your relatives in NY, for example, or if you do. But going back to point one, there may be very good options to avoid quarantine requirements and stay very safe using common sense protocols, and still visit some people in some places.
Do Something Mostly Outside
There are beautiful parks open and the holidays can be great time to go for a hike, camp out, or create an outdoor adventure that works very well in this environment even if it’s untraditional for how you might otherwise spend the holiday. Combined with testing from point two, the right smaller set of people could even meet to do this beyond your own family but not anything huge. In fact, looking at a big sky at night often puts daily troubles and anxieties into perspective. That emotional lift may make this one of the best holidays ever for you.
Know The Risks But Avoid The Hype
Obviously visiting those with medical complications is difficult, yet some of these people may need the contact the most. You can asses the risks reasonably accurately based on who you see and where you go, and take strategies to mitigate that risk significantly. Airplanes are now proven quite safe. It’s easy to fall into the trap of “it can’t be done”, so avoid that fixed mindset and adopt a growth mindset that instead asks “what can be done and how can it be done?” The business conference I recently attended did exactly that, and the result was a real conference that everyone who was there felt was well done and they felt safe attending. If that can happen, so can a holiday visit to someone you really want to see and who really wants to see you. Zoom is great for business, but it is a pale and unsatisfying compromise for the holidays. Don’t acquiesce without thinking about what can be done to make this a great holiday!
The Link LonkNovember 04, 2020 at 05:07AM
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Five Ways To Avoid A Zoom Holiday Season - Forbes
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