Why vacation planning is a trip

It’s never too early to start thinking about your next vacation. After months of being held captive inside your own home, you’re no doubt looking forward to escaping. Cabin fever is an understatement. While there are fun things to do in your own backyard, it’s time for a change of scenery. Since your next trip is likely still on hold, vacation planning can be a welcome distraction from working at home. Anticipating your adventure can be almost as fun as experiencing it.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the popular Netflix show, “Outer Banks.” It refers to the barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina as “the most beautiful place on earth.” Over 100 miles of open shorelines offer quaint, history-filled seaside towns and a welcome getaway from crowded vacation spots. When you arrive, there’s no shortage of activities.

Adventurers will enjoy climbing the tallest brick lighthouse in the U.S. at Cape Hatteras—an icon that was completed in 1870. In 1999, the lighthouse was moved over half a mile away to ensure the structure was safe from the ever-encroaching ocean in what was praised as the engineering feat of the year. For the historically inclined, an afternoon at the Wright Brothers National Memorial provides a fascinating look into the world’s history of flight that culminated in Orville and Wilbur Wright’s aeronautical breakthrough in 1903.

Fisherman can wet a line from the beach or take a boat 30 miles offshore to the indigo blue Gulf Stream to try their luck. Speaking of fish, Outer Banks restaurants are known for their local, fresh-caught mahi-mahi and tuna. Before your vacation crew awakes, be sure to catch an intense sunrise at the beach and after a day in the salt-filled air, visit the sound to view a brightly colored sunset.

With a small year-round population, visitors to the Outer Banks can more easily achieve social distancing. Just like the rest of the world, masks are a staple, and hand sanitizer bottles fill empty spaces. Currently, the Center for Disease Control recommends the following for safe travel, guidelines that will likely be in place for some time:

• Wash your hands often for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water aren’t available, use hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol and rub your hands together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and cover coughs and sneezes.
• Maintain six feet of physical distance from others.
• Wear a cloth face covering in public.
• Rather than dining in, pick up food at drive-thrus, via curbside restaurant service or in a store.

For additional information on safe travel practices within the U.S., visit cdc.gov.

If the sea is calling your name, start dreaming of your next getaway from the comfort of your favorite Stressless® chair or sofa. And when you get there, don’t forget to send a postcard.