Planning some Florida travel this year? Want to know what to expect if you travel there? Wondering what it is like traveling out in this Covid-19 world? I’ve got you.
9 Things To Know Before You Book Your Florida Travel
1. You will need several masks for every person in your family.
You know you need masks right? But did you plan on bringing one per day for your whole family? Do it. Masks get sweaty and stinky and kids will lose them. It’s just smart to have extras. The Centers for Disease Control concurs.
2. There are lots of rules. And they change.
One of the rules you can count on in most places is that you’ll need to wear a mask. When we visited Busch Gardens Tampa Bay they were serious about making sure everyone wore a mask and kept it on. I seriously appreciate that diligence. Other rules include social distancing markers when standing in line, only filling restaurants to 50% or less capacity, and limited availability to things like valet parking. Call ahead if you are even a little unsure of any policies.
3. Be prepared to eat outdoors.
You’ll probably want to eat outside…even if it’s hot. In fact, depending on the Covid-19 numbers, your only option might be to eat outdoors. Take-out is also a good idea. Eating in your hotel room isn’t totally awful.
4. Menus are limited and single use.
Menus are supposedly single use in the state of Florida. Worried about that? Ask your server to make sure no one else has had your menus. We also found most menus to be scaled down, with less choices. At Ulele, a swanky restaurant in Tampa, they offered their favorite dishes, which was still a lot of choices. I appreciated the servers wearing masks and gloves.
5. Hotels are offering limited housecleaning.
This is a bit tricky. We found that the hotel rooms are not cleaned daily, but rather deep cleaned between guests. This happened in the connecting rooms at Current Hotel in Tampa as well as the two suites we had in Sarasota at the Embassy Suites – Sarasota. This does limit the germs cleaners will leave in your room. However, you must call housekeeping for more towels, to take out garbage or for any spot cleaning during your trip. The rooms looked, and more importantly smelled, clean. I liked having the benefit of on-site restaurants, rooftop pools, and security at the hotels. Plus, there are VERY limited short term rentals in Florida right now.
6. Get prepared for social distancing.
There are signs for social distancing EVERYWHERE. Just get used to them. We didn’t find it bothersome at all, though there were quite a few people who weren’t doing this. If someone isn’t in your household, you are going to want to keep your distance. Please.
7. Sometimes a good hotel pool is all you need.
When in doubt, a dip in a hotel pool might be all you need. When we did our Florida travels, it was crazy hot. We spent time at the rooftop pools at Current Tampa and Embassy Suites Sarasota. We kept our distance from others and I felt good about having fun in an environment that was relatively safe.
8. You may need reservations…for everything.
Remember when reservations were only for hipster restaurants? Not anymore. Yes, you will need reservations for restaurants if you don’t want to wait a long time for a table. You will also need reservations for things like the Florida Aquarium. We had a one hour window in which we could get into the aquarium. We were about 10 minutes late but they were fine and still let us in. At Busch Gardens, we had to have a reservation but it wasn’t time-sensitive. You can’t just walk up to places and expect to get in right now.
9. You can have fun during your Florida travel getaway.
Yes, fun can be had on your Florida getaway! But it might look different. There may be attractions that aren’t open or have limited hours. You may need to wear a mask or alter the way you do things. But you can do it!
Honestly, this was such a different trip than we’ve taken in the past but it was still fun, still a memory making few days! Where will your Florida travels lead you?
