Travel in a Post-Pandemic World: Safer in a Bowlus®
After a very long year, the US is finally getting a handle on the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitalizations and deaths are down across the county, and restrictions are easing. One of the things people have said they missed the most during the quarantines and lockdowns was travel. And now that the world is opening back up, many are anxious to pack their bags for exotic locations or even just a road trip home to see their friends and family.
But not everyone is ready to return to life as it was before the pandemic. A recent study from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that 72% of Americans still plan to wear a mask in public, 80% will avoid crowds, and 90% will continue to wash and sanitize their hands frequently (good plan America!). Another study indicates that at least one-third of Americans plan to avoid traveling in the near future.
If you’re not quite ready to rush back to the airport, we hear you and we have great news. There is one sure-fire way to get out of the house while keeping your family safe from the pandemic. You can pack up your RV and hit the road. As legions of campers will tell you, they were social distancing before social distancing was cool (and mandated). And while it may take longer to get to your destination, we promise you’ll see more of this beautiful nation from the window of your car than you’d ever glimpse from a 30,000-foot flyover.
Post-Coronavirus Travel: Driving is Easier Than Flying
When deciding between transportation options for your family vacation, you have two primary choices; you can fly, or you can drive to your destination. In our books, driving is the better option especially if you’re pandemic-averse, mask-averse, vaccine-averse, or just want to avoid the pile of rules and regulations that come with flying the friendly skies.
Even for the fully vaccinated, air travel will continue to be fraught with hassles and challenges. States and the CDC are rescinding mask mandates just about everywhere – but not on public transportation. Vaccine or not, you’re obligated to mask up in airports, though this may not be such a bad thing since you’ll be surrounded by thousands of other travelers (hello large crowds of people). You’ll need to keep that mask on for the duration of your flight too. If you want to fly to a country outside of the US, you’ll likely have to present proof of a recent negative COVID test before they’ll let you in, and you’ll need one to get back home too. If you’ve chosen not to get a COVID vaccine, or haven’t received your full dose, you’ll need to keep an eye on your airline’s policies. Industry experts predict that many airlines, including Qantas, will soon require proof of vaccination for all international flyers.
On the other hand, there are no masks required when you’re in your personal vehicle towing your Bowlus luxury RV behind you. You also don’t have to worry about sitting too close to your seatmate (unless you’ve got 3 kids in the backseat), since your SUV is much more comfortable than your average jumbo jet. And this, we think, is the best thing about RV travel – you’re towing everything you need behind you, including your own private toilet. No public restrooms for you when you’ve got your Bowlus!
Post-COVID Travel: Camping is Safer Than Staying in a Hotel
Once you’ve reached your destination, staying in your own camper is far superior to staying in a hotel. Sure, at a 5-star resort someone will clean your room, make your bed, and bring you fresh towels, but if you’re trying to practice social distancing, do you really want to invite a stranger into your space? You don’t have to when you’re in a travel trailer like the Bowlus.
A RV is an extension of your home. You know it’s safe and clean for your camping trip because you’ve cleaned it. If you’re in a Bowlus, then you also know that your RV was fully disinfected prior to delivery. No need to worry about how clean the sheets and towels are, either. Our Terra Firma and Endless Highways Edition have plenty of storage space to carry your own fresh linens. You also have your very own bathroom. In addition to the toilet (ours is the best in the business!), each Bowlus has a full shower. No need to hike “up the hill” to the campground’s public restrooms in the hopes that they were recently sanitized. Plus, our two-stage freshwater filtration system means clean drinking water straight from the tap, whether you’re pulling it from your 19-gallon freshwater tank or your campsite’s water spigot.
Post-COVID Travel: Dine Al Fresco at Your Campsite, Not a Restaurant
RVing is also a great way to maintain social distancing because you don’t have to eat every meal at a restaurant. The Bowlus’ kitchen is a thing of beauty. From the Euro style cooktop to the gleaming stainless steel counter and sinks and the extendable faucet, you can cook a gourmet meal from ingredients you pull out of your personal refrigerator or freezer. There’s plenty of room in a Bowlus to bring all of your own food for your RV trip, sourced from your trusted grocery store.
If cooking and dining al fresco fits your mood for the day, Bowlus has that covered too. There’s plenty of room to stash a small grill in one of our unique storage units. Our Endless Highways Performance Edition is also outdoor kitchen ready with a 110V outlet and a propane connection. You could even try to channel your pioneering ancestors and cook over an open fire. The point is, when you’re camping in an amenities-packed travel trailer like a Bowlus, you don’t have to eat with 100 strangers at tables that may or may not be 6-feet apart. RVers can cook their own meals and enjoy even more time in the fresh air, all from the comfort of their camper.
Post-COVID Travel: Sight-Seeing is Safer When Your Camping
One of the safest places to be during this pandemic has been outdoors. And while there are plenty of campsites around some pretty amazing cities, most campers prefer to head out into the wilderness. Hiking, biking, kayaking, bird watching – the outdoor activities you can launch from your camper are endless. And when you’re out on the trail or the river, social distancing is a breeze. So much easier than, say, if you were trying to sightsee from a cruise ship. Not that there are any ships leaving from American ports anytime soon. Cruise ships won’t be able to depart from US ports until the CDC lifts its no sail ban, and that likely won’t happen until cruise liners can prove that 98% of the crew and 95% of a ship’s passengers are vaccinated. You could hop a ship leaving out of the Bahamas, but then you’re back to dealing with the airport again.
Post-COVID Travel: Camping is Even Safer When You’re Boondocking
A lot of people discovered, or rediscovered, the many joys of camping in 2020. That means you likely won’t be the only family looking to hit the road with your RV this summer. If last year’s trends continue, campsites at state and national parks, RV resorts, and other camping facilities will be at a premium. If you’re lucky enough to get a site, odds are the campground will be crowded, making social distancing even harder. If you really want to get away from all the people, you can go totally off-grid and boondock!
Off-grid camping, or boondocking, is typically done on National Forest or Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands, though there are some private organizations like Harvest Hosts that offer camping on private lands. The Bowlus was made to boondock. Our best-in-class lithium ion phosphate battery can power your unit off-grid for up to two weeks, plus our travel trailers are solar panel ready so you can generate your own electricity. An integrated propane tank runs the heater, the cooktop, and the heated floors. The 19-gallon freshwater tank we mentioned also means you can be totally self-sufficient in your Bowlus. No hookups, no problems.
One of the best things that people have discovered coming out of the pandemic is the joy of land travel in an RV. And we suspect that even as the world goes back to “normal”, that many of you will still be hooking up your travel trailer and setting out to explore someplace new. We know we’ll be out there too, because there’s no better way to make amazing memories that last a life-time.