Tag: florida

2020 Family Vacation

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…it just wasn’t meant to be I guess.

To be honest…I’m probably just super tired at the moment. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind of a week, and as I sit and type this out I’ll try and provide as much information as to what we were thinking at each stage of our trip.

As we were starting to pack the van for Florida, we became aware that Covid-19 was starting to hit locations in Europe, but there were still no concerns with regards to our vacation.

March 10th, 2020 – Drive Day 1 – Drive to Pittsburgh PA
We opted to try something a little different, and left in the evening for a one-night stay in Pittsburgh. This actually worked out really well, and the following two days of driving were actually pretty easy, and allowed us to leave a little later in the morning (meaning a better nights sleep).

March 11th, 2020 – Drive Day 2 – Drive to Pooler GA
We would normally stay in Moorseville NC as a halfway point, but as we already had a few hours under our belt, our location to sleep was able to be pushed to just inside the GA state line. I actually really liked the Pooler GA area, and we stayed at a good hotel, and were able to get both gas and Starbucks before jumping back onto I95 and moving for the morning. I’d definitely stay in this area again.

March 12th, 2020 – Drive Day 3 – Drive to Naples FL
Up bright and early! There’s nothing like getting to Florida, only to drive for ANOTHER 8 hours to get to your destination. We arrived just after lunchtime and were able to relax and chill out around the pool for the afternoon. It was great to be able to hang out in the sun…and NOT drive.

March 13th, 2020 – Vacation Day 1
We enjoy the pool, some light discussion with other Canadians around COVID-19 and its impact in Europe. The television has mentioned that the virus doesn’t seem to like temperatures greater than 26.4C. So perhaps if there is an issue we’re better to just stay in Florida?

We’ve just received notifications that sports etc will have no one in the stands due to the concern of Covid-19.

March 14th, 2020 – Vacation Day 2
So…there’s been an explosion of growth with Covid-19 in Europe. Canada is talking about closing the border to inbound flights from Europe. There’s still no mention of actions to take with regards to US travelers. Canadians Abroad and Miami Consulate services are unable to provide either information or guidance around COVID-19. Naturally…our travel insurance has a clause about health benefits not being covered if your country is telling you to come home. Ironically we Canadians on vacation in the US have had no such directions. There has been NO blanket statement for all Canadians to come home…just travelers to Europe.

We’ve also just learned that when we return we’re going to have to isolate for 14 days…that sounds…not fun.

We’ve also just discovered that hockey and cheer are likely done for the year. Turns out this might really be more serious than we all thought?

Frustration is setting in, and we’re trying to figure out what is best for the family vs the need for a vacation. Our main concern is if the situation locally deteriorates, or if we get sick…so we have some thinking to do.

We had to do some basic necessity groceries, and discovered that toilet paper, water, and cleaning products have completely disappeared. We’re decided that we are going to come home. Now we’re just waiting to see what the in-laws are going to do.

It’s official, we are rescuing the in-laws and going home tomorrow. That’s right…we’re filling up the Odyssey to the absolute maximum.

March 15th, 2020 – Vacation Day 3
It’s clean the condo day. I’m still not sure that I agree with “having” to clean the condo. It’s another 24 more hours in an area that is starting to annoy me a little bit. People aren’t distancing as much as I’d like…I’ve realized that I’m starting to get super protective of my family and am trying to be a little more relaxed. I’m starting to freak out a little about the 3 day drive with my in-laws…but it’s too late now! We’re committed.

March 16th, 2020 – Escape Drive Day 1 – Drive to Savannah GA
At least it’s an early morning, and we can get some miles under our belts. It’s actually crazy busy on the highway, like nothing is going on at all in the world. I’m really second-guessing myself…Are we making the right decision? I’ve got lots of questions and not a lot of answers. We’re staying in a slightly different area, but it’s close to the airport so if things go south…we’ll grab a flight. The in-laws survived the drive, and did really well. The kids are my hero’s today…they are crammed in beside each other in the back. All 3 of them.

March 17th, 2020 – Escape Drive Day 2 – Drive to Pittsburgh PA
Thank goodness for Elite benefits! I was able to score TWO hotel rooms with no reservations (they are full). I’m amazed, this area of Pittsburgh is now a ghost town…like the earth has suddenly stopped working. Again, the in-laws and kids did great, and the end is now in sight! We just have to make the border.

March 18th, 2020 – Home!
We are home. We made if quickly through the border and home (OMG did I just drive 5000km in 6 days?). While in the US, there were no US cars on the highway from Pittsburgh all the way to the border-crossing. I really feel like we’re threading a needle of some sort!

Perhaps most importantly…the in-laws (who never do the drive) and kids actually held it together, and we’re all still talking to each other. #winning

March 18th, 2020 – Self Isolation Begins…
So now our 14 Day isolation begins. At least I know it’s not us, and we’re starting to hear from more and more friends that are heading home…so I definitely feel like the right decision was made.

I’m seriously exhausted.

Why we drive to Florida.

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I get a lot of questions when it comes to family vacation, so I thought I would take a few moments and explain why we drive.

My inlaws own property in Florida, and for the past 17 years my wife and I have gone down once or twice a year. We have taken different routes, driven at different times of the day, and we have varied the number of days of driving. We’ve gone down and spent a week, as well as stayed for an extended period of time after #3 was born so that the kids could relax, and I could work from the condo an join the family here and there for pool time together.

Over the years we’ve discovered that it’s a relatively cheap vacation for us…if we drive. This seems to be the one thing that people get caught up on…so let me demo some numbers for you.

If I were to fly and score the deal of the century on flights…$99 a seat. It would cost me $500 to fly down, probably $100 in luggage fee’s, car rental (van) in florida is almost $1000 a week. So that’s $2500 in just transportation costs, and 2/3 of that cost will be in US dollars too.

Driving down costs us $200 in gas, and I can stay at hotels using points that I’ve earned with business trips, hockey & cheer tournaments. Adding in hotel and food along the way we’re usually in the $500 range to get down, and another $500 to get back.

Before we go I will take the van into Honda and have them give it the once over. I explain what we’re doing and ask for the “what needs to be done for a safe 5000km drive”.

If we run into issues, yes…it could be a hassle, but car parts are also significantly cheaper in the US than they are here…and many services are also much cheaper to perform. I’ve actually done scheduled maintenance on the van in the US and saved hundreds of dollars in one trip (transmission fluid service).

We’ve done many things over the years to entertain the kids on the drive. The smartest was to provide each kid an ipad, and use offlline Netflix and Disney+ for the drive. We used to have a plex server that I would use on a laptop, and had wifi setup in the car so that the kids could watch movies and play Minecraft…I may setup wifi in the car permanently…but the Plex server is now outdated and complex enough that it’s actually a hassle to use now…so for the kids…Netflix and Disney are perfect.

It’s not ever easy, but it’s a beautiful drive and we’ve learned to take our time and deal with the slowdowns as they come. That’s really what you want to do on a vacation anyways, right?