Today’s GIVEAWAY is a great one! Keep reading for all the details and enter today so you can win! I’m doing a giveaway every day of the quarantine to help out small businesses, so nominate your favorite so we can all be #SmallBusinessStrong!

Who’s stir-crazy by now? Everyone? Great! This is the perfect post for you! It always helps me when I’m going through something difficult (like the month of March 2020) to start dreaming up something to look forward to, like a trip! The best news of all is that airline ticket prices are plummeting (and come with free change and cancellation policies), so there’s no down side to snagging a deal right now. Here are 10 potential trips to start planning now, plus my daily giveaway to help small businesses around the country!

I am not advocating for immediate travel! I would never encourage you to break federal, state, or local mandates, especially during the Great COVID-19 Quarantine of 2020. However, it’s free and healthy to dream! I do encourage you to start planning something to look forward to when current travel bans and restrictions are lifted!

1. The Beach

I think we could all use a beach vacation right about now, am I right? My husband and I are already dreaming of our anniversary trip to Hawaii in May, but you could choose beaches in California, Florida, Alabama, the Caribbean, Mexico, and more! We’re going to come through this, y’all, and when we do we need to find some beach time to soak up some actual, anxiety-free rest and much-needed vitamin D!

Read on: Ultimate O’ahu Bucket List

2. The Old World

COVID-19 may be a new virus, but plagues, unexplained illnesses, epidemics, and pandemics are not new! The Old World has seen it all, from the black death to yellow fever, from leprosy to cholera, the world learned a lot over the years. You might find yourself a bit more empathetic to people of the past on a visit to an Old World country after living through the Great COVID-19 Quarantine of 2020!

For instance, London was hard-hit by the cholera pandemic between 1846-1860. The Black Death ravaged all of Europe in the 14th century. The Kalaupapa Peninsula on Molokai, Hawaii, became a leper colony in the 19th century to isolate people with this disease no one could explain. In the 8th century Japan experienced a smallpox epidemic during which over two million people died. Check out this cool list of epidemics on Wikipedia for some empathetic travel inspiration!

Read on: 10 Reasons to Visit Heidelberg

3. A Place of Beauty

Tired of thinking about pandemics? Plan to go somewhere truly beautiful. Whether that’s on the lake, up in the mountains, an island, ornate gardens, or some place with the most impressive architecture you’ve ever seen, treat yourself to some beauty beyond your house.

Read on: Beauty in the Broken Places

4. The Big City

If you’re the type of person who needs the hustle and bustle to know they’re alive, start planning a trip to a major city! New York City, Los Angeles, D.C., Boston, Las Vegas—after COVID-19 bites the dust, they’re all fair game! Decide where you want to stay, look at ticket prices, make a list of all the things you want to do, see, and eat, and by all means, read some blog posts to get the best insider information!

5. A Place You Can CHOOSE to be Alone

Okay, so we’ve all been quarantined and alone for two weeks now. Introverts have been rejoicing, extroverts have been chasing their tails, and everyone is ready to make our own choices again about where to go! I have a feeling, though, that some people will still want to be alone on their own terms. Whether it’s a cabin in the woods, a tent on a mountain top, or a Bed and Breakfast with a perfect garden for reading, you can be alone by choice!

Read on: Solo Travel at Its Best

6. Somewhere Educational

Parents were thrown for a loop when schools were cancelled for three to four weeks, and then thrown all over again when school started cancelling for the rest of the school year! If you’re struggling to get into the swing of homeschooling, make it a little more fun for everyone and plan a great big field trip!

Cities like Boston, Charleston, Savannah, St. Augustine, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., are steeped in amazing American history. New Mexico and Arizona boast Native American sites if you or your kids are interested in Native American culture and history. Head to Sacramento for sites and history related to the Gold Rush. Want Texas history? Make your way to the Alamo in San Antonio! Have a future geologist on your hands? Maybe the Grand Canyon should be on your list! No matter your or your kids interests, there’s a fun (and educational) trip to take!

Read on: Ultimate Guide to Boston’s Freedom Trail

7. Somewhere Cheap

Money is tight right now for a lot of us. Luckily, you can find incredible deals right now for future trips! Take a shot in the dark and look for cheap flights in the next few months to places you’ve always wanted to go. Take a look at some hotel prices! Or if you prefer, take advantage of ultra low gas prices and take a road trip. Whatever you choose, you can do it very inexpensively for a couple of months (or probably longer) after quarantine and self-isolation are lifted. Take advantage of it! And if this all goes on longer than we think it will and you have to cancel or change your dates when the time comes, airlines are allowing people to do that with no fees!

I want to be very clear that I am not advocating for travel right now or while quarantine, self-isolation, and other matters are still in place. I am simply encouraging you to start making some flexible plans so you’ll have something to look forward to when quarantine is finished!

Find Out How: How to Find Cheap Flights

8. A Staycation

Speaking of cheap travels, you may also not have very much time off work after such a long quarantine, even if you were working from home. Solution: Staycation! It doesn’t have to be as lame as you might think. Rent a room at a bed and breakfast in your own town, go out to eat at all those local spots that need a boost to get back on their feet, and take a weekend to see the sites you never see because you think, “I can do that any time.” Your time is now, my friend.

Read on: How to LOVE your staycation!

9. An Active Trip

The novelty of sitting on your couch all day wore off quickly, didn’t it? Me, too! Start planning an active excursion. Maybe it’s kayaking, maybe it’s stand-up paddleboarding, maybe it’s a running tour! Take a hike, ride a bike, or just go some place walkable and see how many steps you can get in a day! Whatever you choose, get active, get outside, and get moving!

Need activity inspiration? Check out all my adventures from the
Year of Active Travel!

10. A Day Trip

Really pressed for time and cash? Take a day trip. Anywhere within a 2.5- to 3-hour drive is a great distance for a day trip. You can get away without being too far away, you won’t have to pay for a flight or hotel, and you can still feel the freedom of being away from home!

Need more? Check out Day Trips from D.C.!

Today’s Giveaway

Today’s giveaway is YOUR PICK! Think about your favorite small business, the small business your friend is starting up, the small business that you really want to see come through this quarantine like a winner, and enter the contest so you can both win! 

• SHARE this post on Facebook or SHARE my latest Instagram post on your Instastories.
• TAG both Quick Whit Travel and your favorite local small business–or businesses!–in the post. This can be a shop, boutique, restaurant, hair salon, bakery, coffee shop, etc. Tag as many as you like!

I will choose a winner at 9:00am Sunday, March 29, to receive a $25 gift card (or item worth up to $25 if the business does not offer gift cards) from their favorite small business! Everyone wins!

Want more ways to support local businesses, keep occupied, and “travel” from home during the Great COVID-19 Quarantine of 2020? Check out my Health and Wellness Page!

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