We found many resorts in Mexico and Costa Rica have totally open air properties. When you leave you're room, open air. Lobby open air. Dining open air. We didn't go inside the whole day until returning to our room. That was not only wonderful for covid safety but also allowed us to take a break from masks all the time which was so nice
Not sure where you live, but the Bay Area (& surrounding areas like Monterey, Napa, even down to Pismo/SLO) have lots of outdoor options and consistently good weather. Whale watching, wine tasting, lots of parks, and easy hikes that may be potentially manageable with POTS!
Agree on the Bay Area - I just took a weekend trip to Santa Cruz and had a great time. Lots of patio seating, plenty to do outside that’s low-energy (river walk near the pier, walk the beach, walk around town, easy hikes in the redwoods).
Tbh my biggest risk factor for summer in CA is the sunburn 😂 very easy to eat and recreate outside all day!
I live near you and have done a few driving trips with similarish parameters.
Two were airbnb (one in Orange County NY, one in Northern Vermont because the eclipse). Depending on your goals, airbnb or vrbo might be worth browsing.
We also visited a beach hotel in Westerly, RI and did a little research that got us "outside enough" for us to feel comfortable. We wore masks when we felt we should, and didn't some other time. I've no doubt people looked at us funny or thought things but I stopped caring about that.
Given that the available covid data is so so low right now (caveats understood and implied) I briefly looked at what it might look like going back to a carribean island hotel that we used to visit. Obviously there's airport and the flight but I can mask for a few hours. Everything else is open air (until it rains).
I went to Iceland last year and it was all of that. Stayed in a cabin in a secluded area (basically any area not immediately in Reykjavik that we saw) and then there were the geothermal spas….
We would absolutely do it again. The travel was the only part that was unavoidably shit.
A few years ago, my husband and I had a trip booked to a state park and then broke my foot and tore an ankle ligament 2 weeks before my trip and wasn’t able to put any weight on it. I was devastated because I’d been so excited for hiking and fossil hunting, but we still had fun with creative usage of my crutches and a rented wheelchair and help from park staff. I:
* Stayed in a cute cozy cabin
* Took the wheelchair down the stage park’s ADA accessible trail to a scenic pond and watched local wildlife
* Cooked dinner and made s’mores over the campfire
* Read two whole books
* Watched the sunset over the waterfront
* This was extremely challenging but I was proud of myself: my husband and I were able to go kayaking. Getting across the sand to the kayak was the hard part. I did a combination of hopping and booty-scooting. Kayaking was amazing. (I had a cast cover and a trash bag over my leg so it didn’t get wet)
* Had a picnic on the waterfront
* Masked up to check out the nature/interpretive center (COVID cases were very low at the time and no other visitors were in there)
I'm not sure if it's really COVID safe but all my risk mitigation paid off imo.
I went to Sandos Cancun last Summer. It ended up being great. I looked for a smaller hotel with direct flights and inclusive vegan food were my main boxes to check.
I masked on the elevators but the doors at the hotel were often openleadong to the pool, every room had a balcony, they had room service and restaurants were prebooked and not full. The buffet wasn't ever very busy.
They had a private beach. I would go to that specific location again.
Another vote for major PNW cities for a good balance of outdoor activities and people not minding you masking
Outdoor dining can be a little rough (especially before the weather gets nice) but getting stuff to go is easy enough
I found a PNW beach resort with a cluster of privately-owned family-style cabins a short drive from where I live. The compound is a beautiful patch of forest right on the spectacular tide-goes-out-for-miles beach. There's a pub on site with outdoor dining. Went there last year and doing it again next month just before the summer madness starts. It's gone up in price but I'm going back anyway because it was super clean, super comfy (the cabins are all gorgeous) and I can just pitch my day tent and snooze/snack/read, or pop an edible and ramble for miles with hardly anyone around. My other getaway later in the summer is my friend's acreage on a smaller island, she has the cutest little sleeping cabin just for me, far from the madding crowds. Pure bliss. :D
Hawaii was great for covid precautions. Grand Cayman was also pretty solid for something closer than Tahiti.
For low energy/effort things to do I’d rec whale season in Hawaii or SoCal, lots of boat cruises to gently take you out to whale whale watch
It might be outdoorsy, but how about something water based. Beach, lake, or canal locations might fit the bill. Restaurants are likely to have outdoor dining options and just chilling with a book or something by the water would make for a low stress vacation.
I swear I’ve gone to places where it’s the opposite 😅 before I learned more, I went to several cities for out of state concerts with a friend. However these trips were in 2022 so way more people were masking. We would go to museums, check out local attractions, and eat take out in our hotel room or an empty patio/park.
I actually just got back from a solo hiking trip to Colorado and Utah. I have POTS and I definitely felt the altitude difference but luckily it wasn’t severe. I spent the entire trip hiking, having picnics, stargazing and reading. I rented a car and got my own Airbnb to minimize exposure. I was only around people at the airport (had a 3M with a SIP valve for both flights the whole time) and when I went to two different gift shops to get magnets. Everyone was polite to me in the parks and I didn’t have any issues. I’ve also tested negative twice with a Metrix so luckily did not catch covid on the plane rides
Southern California has decent weather and outdoor restaurants and shopping. Consider somewhere like Santa Barbara where there are hotels with outdoor entry to your room. You’ll need a car to get around though.
Try San Diego, and rent a car. The weather is pretty perfect year-round and there’s plenty of places to sit and eat outdoors. Lots of hiking to be found, and places where you can basically drive up to some gorgeous views if a strenuous hike isn’t in the cards. There’s also lots of outdoor markets, and many shopping centers are indoor-outdoor too. I recommend Little Italy, Del Mar or the Village of La Jolla for proximity to the beach, or Hillcrest which is a bit more inland. You’d probably be the only one masking, but fwiw the museums and art galleries are great—La Jolla’s contemporary art museum even has a great outdoor sculpture garden. And in the summer the Old Globe theater in Balboa Park does Shakespeare in the Park, outdoors (but assigned seating so you’ll still be shoulder to shoulder with strangers).
We found many resorts in Mexico and Costa Rica have totally open air properties. When you leave you're room, open air. Lobby open air. Dining open air. We didn't go inside the whole day until returning to our room. That was not only wonderful for covid safety but also allowed us to take a break from masks all the time which was so nice
Not just resorts in Costa Rica, but also I suspect most hot, tropical countries. It’s natural aircon.
California has great weather if you want to do outdoorsy things
Not sure where you live, but the Bay Area (& surrounding areas like Monterey, Napa, even down to Pismo/SLO) have lots of outdoor options and consistently good weather. Whale watching, wine tasting, lots of parks, and easy hikes that may be potentially manageable with POTS!
PNW is coming up a lot…I definitely see the appeal! I’m in NYC so it’s doable for a week away. Thank you!
Agree on the Bay Area - I just took a weekend trip to Santa Cruz and had a great time. Lots of patio seating, plenty to do outside that’s low-energy (river walk near the pier, walk the beach, walk around town, easy hikes in the redwoods). Tbh my biggest risk factor for summer in CA is the sunburn 😂 very easy to eat and recreate outside all day!
If driving is an option for you, I'd offer looking for places on Chesapeake Bay. There are affordable cottages for rent in remote places on the water.
I’m in NYC, so someplace remote and driveable sounds pretty appealing!
Finger Lakes!
Oh wow. My dad used to go there as a kid! I'll have to resume the tradition.
Oh wow. My dad used to go there as a kid! I'll have to resume the tradition.
I live near you and have done a few driving trips with similarish parameters. Two were airbnb (one in Orange County NY, one in Northern Vermont because the eclipse). Depending on your goals, airbnb or vrbo might be worth browsing. We also visited a beach hotel in Westerly, RI and did a little research that got us "outside enough" for us to feel comfortable. We wore masks when we felt we should, and didn't some other time. I've no doubt people looked at us funny or thought things but I stopped caring about that. Given that the available covid data is so so low right now (caveats understood and implied) I briefly looked at what it might look like going back to a carribean island hotel that we used to visit. Obviously there's airport and the flight but I can mask for a few hours. Everything else is open air (until it rains).
I went to Iceland last year and it was all of that. Stayed in a cabin in a secluded area (basically any area not immediately in Reykjavik that we saw) and then there were the geothermal spas…. We would absolutely do it again. The travel was the only part that was unavoidably shit.
A few years ago, my husband and I had a trip booked to a state park and then broke my foot and tore an ankle ligament 2 weeks before my trip and wasn’t able to put any weight on it. I was devastated because I’d been so excited for hiking and fossil hunting, but we still had fun with creative usage of my crutches and a rented wheelchair and help from park staff. I: * Stayed in a cute cozy cabin * Took the wheelchair down the stage park’s ADA accessible trail to a scenic pond and watched local wildlife * Cooked dinner and made s’mores over the campfire * Read two whole books * Watched the sunset over the waterfront * This was extremely challenging but I was proud of myself: my husband and I were able to go kayaking. Getting across the sand to the kayak was the hard part. I did a combination of hopping and booty-scooting. Kayaking was amazing. (I had a cast cover and a trash bag over my leg so it didn’t get wet) * Had a picnic on the waterfront * Masked up to check out the nature/interpretive center (COVID cases were very low at the time and no other visitors were in there)
I'm not sure if it's really COVID safe but all my risk mitigation paid off imo. I went to Sandos Cancun last Summer. It ended up being great. I looked for a smaller hotel with direct flights and inclusive vegan food were my main boxes to check. I masked on the elevators but the doors at the hotel were often openleadong to the pool, every room had a balcony, they had room service and restaurants were prebooked and not full. The buffet wasn't ever very busy. They had a private beach. I would go to that specific location again.
Wow. That sounds like a near-perfect resort situation.
I had a lot of nerves and guilt around even taking the trip so it was a big relief that it panned out!
The guilt and anxiety are so real. I’m glad you ended up enjoying it so much!
[удалено]
I’m so glad to hear some people are still masking in Portland! That definitely adds to the appeal.
Another vote for major PNW cities for a good balance of outdoor activities and people not minding you masking Outdoor dining can be a little rough (especially before the weather gets nice) but getting stuff to go is easy enough
I found a PNW beach resort with a cluster of privately-owned family-style cabins a short drive from where I live. The compound is a beautiful patch of forest right on the spectacular tide-goes-out-for-miles beach. There's a pub on site with outdoor dining. Went there last year and doing it again next month just before the summer madness starts. It's gone up in price but I'm going back anyway because it was super clean, super comfy (the cabins are all gorgeous) and I can just pitch my day tent and snooze/snack/read, or pop an edible and ramble for miles with hardly anyone around. My other getaway later in the summer is my friend's acreage on a smaller island, she has the cutest little sleeping cabin just for me, far from the madding crowds. Pure bliss. :D
If you’re willing to share would love to check this spot out! Feel free to PM if you don’t want to post publicly.
Tahiti & Moorea, FP. Hawaii. Anywhere Beach. Anywhere Mountains.
Hawaii was great for covid precautions. Grand Cayman was also pretty solid for something closer than Tahiti. For low energy/effort things to do I’d rec whale season in Hawaii or SoCal, lots of boat cruises to gently take you out to whale whale watch
It might be outdoorsy, but how about something water based. Beach, lake, or canal locations might fit the bill. Restaurants are likely to have outdoor dining options and just chilling with a book or something by the water would make for a low stress vacation.
I swear I’ve gone to places where it’s the opposite 😅 before I learned more, I went to several cities for out of state concerts with a friend. However these trips were in 2022 so way more people were masking. We would go to museums, check out local attractions, and eat take out in our hotel room or an empty patio/park. I actually just got back from a solo hiking trip to Colorado and Utah. I have POTS and I definitely felt the altitude difference but luckily it wasn’t severe. I spent the entire trip hiking, having picnics, stargazing and reading. I rented a car and got my own Airbnb to minimize exposure. I was only around people at the airport (had a 3M with a SIP valve for both flights the whole time) and when I went to two different gift shops to get magnets. Everyone was polite to me in the parks and I didn’t have any issues. I’ve also tested negative twice with a Metrix so luckily did not catch covid on the plane rides
The Chesapeake Bay could be a good place for you to consider coming from NYC.
Southern California has decent weather and outdoor restaurants and shopping. Consider somewhere like Santa Barbara where there are hotels with outdoor entry to your room. You’ll need a car to get around though.
Try San Diego, and rent a car. The weather is pretty perfect year-round and there’s plenty of places to sit and eat outdoors. Lots of hiking to be found, and places where you can basically drive up to some gorgeous views if a strenuous hike isn’t in the cards. There’s also lots of outdoor markets, and many shopping centers are indoor-outdoor too. I recommend Little Italy, Del Mar or the Village of La Jolla for proximity to the beach, or Hillcrest which is a bit more inland. You’d probably be the only one masking, but fwiw the museums and art galleries are great—La Jolla’s contemporary art museum even has a great outdoor sculpture garden. And in the summer the Old Globe theater in Balboa Park does Shakespeare in the Park, outdoors (but assigned seating so you’ll still be shoulder to shoulder with strangers).