Adventure,  Biking,  General,  Hiking

Safe Vacation Ideas for 2020

April 19, 2020 / 45 Comments

We all know by now that 2020 is not going to be a normal year. When people are eventually allowed to leave their homes and venture out, there will be a dilemma about what we CAN and WANT to do for our annual vacations.

I have a feeling that most people will want to do something different and interesting but at the same time stay away from crowded airports and typical tourist spots.

I am definitely thinking that way.  I’ve already started brainstorming about what we could do for some fun getaways later this year.

I want to share some ideas with you that will hopefully get you motivated for that well-deserved but SAFE vacation in 2020.

Glamping

Have you heard of this?  It is the newly termed word for ‘Glamour’ and ‘Camping’.  It allows you to camp outdoors but in a more luxurious manner.  

Our tree house tent where we slept one night

When it comes to camping, people either love it or hate it.  I’ve always loved camping and enjoyed doing it with my family when I was young. But for those people who aren’t keen on traditional camping, Glamping could be a good alternative.

Cute toilet outhouse below our tree tent

I tried one of these Glamping trips in June 2019 with my partner. We both absolutely loved it!  I mentioned this experience in my blog post about the ‘18 Most Adventurous Things I’ve Done‘.

Glamping sites are becoming more popular.  You may be able to find one not so far from where you live.  Try doing an internet search for the term ‘glamping’ and the name of the area where you live.

Cheese fondue dinner delivered to our tent

The upside of booking a glamping trip is that you don’t need to invest in camping equipment.  The sites normally provide everything you need and may even have an onsite restaurant. The glamping site where we went to in Switzerland provided food delivered to our tent. We had a cheese fondue dinner in the evening and a breakfast basket the next morning.  How cool is that? We were able to sit out in nature below our suspended tent and enjoy a romantic meal together.

The morning breakfast scene below our tent

The downside of glamping could be the cost.  Our overnight trip was not cheap (approx. 300 USD per night during high season). Depending on the food options you choose with your package, the price could vary. As I considered this to be a bucket list experience, I splurged on the price. I had no regrets as it was truly amazing.

Hiking Trip

If you’re like me and love to hike, you could think about doing a hiking vacation.  There may be mountains or parks near where you live with nice hiking paths.

Looking down on our mountain hut where we slept

I am lucky to live next to the Swiss Alps where they have many hiking routes.  We have the typical mountain huts (or ‘refuges’ as they call it here in French).  These are large houses with multiple rooms, each having bunk beds or mattresses.  

Preparing to leave the hut the following morning

One thing you might not like about these huts is that you usually have to sleep with others in the same room.  There could be anywhere from six to twenty beds in one room.   They provide the duvets and pillows but you may be required or want to bring a sleeping slip and pillowcase.

If you’re a light sleeper, you may have trouble with the sounds of snoring and noises in the shared room. It’s a good idea to bring an eye mask and earplugs.

typical sleeping room in a mountain hut

The advantage of staying in huts is the low cost.  There is usually a fee for the bed with the option of adding the evening dinner and the next day’s breakfast (both being very basic but good enough).  You could bring your own food, but I personally like the idea of sitting down to a warm cooked meal after hiking all day. The average price we paid for everything was 60 USD per night per person. The price could be less expensive for children.

communal eating area in one of our huts

Be warned that some of these huts don’t have showers or may only have an outhouse (no toilet plumbing). Depending on your hygiene preference and the amount of time that you’ll be staying there, you’ll need to assess if the hut suits your personal needs.

outhouse toilets down the hill from the mountain hut

One place that we stayed a few years ago did not have inside toilets. You had to actually walk 20 meters down the hill where there was only a wooden shed and a hole that was positioned on a cliff. No more details needed to explain that!

another mountain hut we stayed at in Switzerland

I’m considering this vacation option to go hiking in the nearby mountains this summer.  I love to challenge my physical capabilities while being out in nature.

If you don’t feel comfortable organizing this kind of hiking tour on your own, there are companies that provide walking or hiking tours.  I’ve never tried any of these companies but I have heard good things about Backroads.com.

Here is a link to my Facebook album for an overnight hike we did in Val d’Herens, Switzerland in 2017 and another photo album link for a 2018 weekend hike in a nearby area.

Biking Tour

Another way to avoid the crowds this year is to consider doing a biking tour, either organized by yourself or with a touring company.  If you choose a touring company, you will normally be with 15 to 30 other people.  

We’ve done four different biking trips with the same company, Islandhopping.com.  Except for the trip we did in Vietnam, they were all based on sleeping on a medium-sized motorboat and doing bike rides on different islands.  We did a bike-boat tour in Croatia two times and in Greece two times. These trips were my favorite type of vacation!

bikes on our island hopping boat

Depending on the location, company, and the program, the cost range could vary.   The average we paid for our one-week boat and bike tours was approximately 1,200 USD per person.  The price did not include airfare. Included in the tour cost were the boat accommodation (very basic small rooms), all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, and guided bike rides.

biking in Croatia

Most biking tour companies now offer electric bikes as well as the standard bikes.  I’ve had my own electric bike for the last two years.  I will never go back to using a normal one.  It’s still a good workout but you don’t have to sweat so much on the hills.

You can see more details about these biking trips on my pages for Croatia, Greece, and Vietnam.

our small but comfortable boat for Croatia biking trip

The other option for a biking vacation is to plan your own tour and book your accommodations along the route.  I am thinking to do this myself this summer if possible.  

We live near a country-wide bike route called the ‘Route de Coeur’, meaning the Heart Route.  It is comprised of backcountry roads that lead you from town to town.  For overnight accommodations, you can find a hotel at the last minute where you decide to stop for the day. The other option would be to plan the itinerary ahead of time for how far you want to bike each day and in which hotels or B&Bs you will stay.  I’m already excited just thinking about this kind of trip!

Camping Car Road Trip

This is another inexpensive way to get away from home and see something new while avoiding the crowds. I did this one year by borrowing a friend’s sleeping van and driving to the Italian region of Switzerland. You can also rent these types of camping cars.

the kind of car I used, photo provided by Canva.com

If you don’t have a shower/toilet in the camping car, you will need to use the facilities at campsites. There will be a fee for parking your car in a designated campsite but this is not too expensive.

You can buy simple food or use restaurants if you don’t have a method of cooking in the car.

photo provided by Canva.com

The advantage of this kind of vacation is that you are free to go where you want and set your own schedule each day. If you find a pretty place that you want to explore more, then you can just stay a day or two longer.

Staycation

This is a recent term for people who spend their vacation staying home. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking ‘No Way!’ after being stuck in the house for months due to the Coronavirus quarantine.  But this is definitely an option, especially for those who have suffered financial problems during this pandemic.  If you have no budget to travel, then this may be the only viable option.

photo provided by Canva.com

You could make a staycation fun in your own way.  One idea is to set up a campsite in your backyard.  Amazingly, we saw this scene during our neighborhood walk last week. I think people are so tired of being cooped up in their house or apartment, they are setting up tents in their yard for a change of scenery.

photo provided by Canva.com

If you have a cooking grill of some sort, that also adds some fun and adventure.  Who doesn’t like eating s’mores around a campfire grill, telling ghost stories, and singing Kum-bah-yah? Ok, now I’m sharing too much of my childhood memories.

photo provided by Canva.com

Other ideas for a staycation are to sign up for some nearby classes where you could learn something new. If you have young children, they could perhaps join a daytime sports camp assuming these places will be open. Maybe you are ready to take that painting or photography class you’ve been putting off for many years. 

my photo of the Lavender fields in Provence, France

I did two long weekend trips in 2019 to see some new sights and also practice my photography.  One trip was to the Tuscany region of Italy and the other was to the Provence region of southern France.  What an amazing time I had taking photos all day and admiring the most beautiful scenery.

There is nothing more satisfying than spending a vacation doing what makes you happy and learning something new at the same time.

Sunflower field photo I took in Provence, France

I hope I’ve given you some ideas about how to have a safe, relaxing vacation away from the crowds this year. If you have your own good ideas about different vacation options, please comment below and share it with us!

We all need to have some joy this year while feeling safe!

Click on the image above to safe it to your Pinterest!

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!

MY FAVORITE PRODUCTS… I get asked often which products I use when traveling so I created a page of all my favorite products. You can check it out here

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