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A lot of Americans look forward to their annual vacation beach house plans, but COVID 19 has made some people second guess whether their vacation beach house plans are still a good idea. COVID 19 has sidelined a lot of plans, however, you should be able to keep your vacation beach house plans.
Summer time can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. It is time to plant annual flowers, and start enjoying the great outdoors. For many people, summertime signals time to plan the vacation beach house plans, but many people are really concerned about COVID 19 this summer.
COVID 19 And Its Effects
COVID 19 has shut down many businesses and for awhile many of the beaches. Many vacation beach house plans had to be canceled because of the COVID 19 early in the season. Luckily many beaches have started to reopen.
Whether you are shopping at jewelry stores or your local grocery store it is hard not to notice that the way we do business has changed. Many businesses have reopened with very strict guidelines, like requiring everyone to wear a mask, and being allowed to only open to 50% capacity.
Many businesses are still closed but have found creative ways to still serve their customer base. For example, restaurants in many beach areas are prohibited from fully opening but they almost all offer takeout options.
You may have to adjust what you do when you make your vacation beach house plans to compensate for the businesses that are still not open, or if you are concerned about social distancing. For your own wellness and peace of mind, you may have to find other things to do when you are making your vacation beach house plans for this summer.
COVID 19 has instituted a new normal for most Americans and will likely spill over into your vacation beach house plans for this summer, but you do not have to cancel your plans. As long as the beach house rental you plan on is in an area that is “open for business”, you will have to make some adjustments but you do not have to cancel.
Adjusting Your Plans
Many families have certain traditions that they repeat every year as part of their vacation beach house plans, unfortunately, if your traditions include things like heading to the local amusement park, you may have to make some changes.
You may have to settle for filling the soft sided cooler full of goodies and simply spend the bulk of your time picnicking on the beach. Of course, you can create new traditions based on the COVID 19 restrictions.
Creating art inspired by nature with the kids is a great way to spend a morning or afternoon. Collecting seashells on the shore and crafting them into jewelry, magnets, and more can be a fun way to create memories and souvenirs from the beach.
Your vacation beach house plans can also include things like:
- An evening stargazing event. Gather the kids and take them to the beach at night and point out the constellations.
- Spend a day treasure hunting on the beach. You can rent a metal detector or buy one and spend a day beach combing looking for treasures.
- Create contests for the kids. Relay races on the beaches and more can be a great time.
Vacation beach house plans can include a day of photography capturing great natural images, and other activities that are focused on enjoying the natural setting. Vacation beach house plans can be built around being with your family in the natural elements and just relaxing.
What if You Own A Vacation Beach House Rental?
On the other side of the spectrum are vacation beach house rental owners. If you own a beach house that you normally rent out, your vacation beach house plans will likely include, using that rental money to pay your mortgage.
COVID 19 has affected owners by closing down the beaches early in the season. Many owners have had to hire attorneys that specialize in real estate law because some property managers were refusing to return deposits. It is has been a huge mess for owners.
If much of your vacation beach house plans for the season have fallen through and you need to ensure that the rest of the season your house is booked, there are a few things that you can do to ensure that you can salvage the remaining part of the season.
Follow a few of these tips to drum up interest in your vacation beach house:
- Get your house sanitized. There are cleaning companies that are offering sanitization services. People that are concerned about COVID 19 will appreciate your property if they know it has been professionally sanitized.
- Make it easier for renters to social distance in your house. Move furniture further apart, if it means reducing the amount of furniture you have in the home to achieve that, then put the extra stuff in storage.
- Offer a great deal. Check the market in your area, and offer a good deal on your rental. Offering savings can be a great way to pull in more interested parties.
Making your property more attractive than other properties during this COVID crisis can be the best way to make sure you get it rented out for the rest of the season. Invest in some simple upgrades like new shades to brighten the place up.
Use an outdoor furniture cover after the outdoor furniture has been sanitized when the prior visitor leaves, and advertise that. Making people feel safe when they are making their vacation beach house plans can help to draw more people your way.
It may seem counterintuitive to lower your rental prices when you need to generate extra income, but the fact is half an income is much better than no income from your income property. Offering savings can help you to muscle out the competition but of course, that means you will make less money on your property for the season.
Highlight the things about your property that will help people to stay safe and enjoy a great vacation. For example, if many of the businesses are still closed in your area, highlight the open places. If there are great take out places nearby that deliver highlight that fact in your advertisement.
Things to Remember With Vacation Beach House Plans
There are a few things you and your family can do if you plan on keeping your vacation beach house plans this season to ensure that you are following social distancing recommendations and protecting your family.
Many coastal areas are requiring that people wear masks in public. Be sure that you have a mask for every member of your family. Social distancing is still one of the most recommended ways to avoid transmission of the COVID 19. Keeping your distance while on vacay is still important.
How travel to your destination should also be a consideration. Instead of taking a flight, can you drive to your destination? A road trip can add some fun to the vacation beach house plans. You can plan to stop along the way and do some sightseeing. Flying right now comes with some additional steps like temperature checks and other delays.
Driving to your destination also will limit exposure for you and your family. Your vacation beach house plans may require some ravel adjustments but that does not mean you have to nix the plans.
What You Should Be Checking
Some states have recently discouraged travel to certain states by instituting a 14-day quarantine upon your return to your home state. You want to check to see if your state has any quarantine rules. You also want to check with the state that you are traveling too, to see if there are any quarantine rules or other rules that you need to adhere to when visiting.
COVID 19 has required quite a few changes to every area of our lives. Understanding what you have to do to ensure that your vacation beach house plans are not interrupted by learning what the rules are will make sure you can enjoy your vacation. Of course, some states are rolling things back as the virus rages out of control, and so, you may find that the state that your visiting is also rolling things back.
The best practice if you are concerned that your vacation beach house plans will be in jeopardy because the state your are visiting seems to be headed in the wrong direction with their reopening phases the best thing you can do is keeping paying attention. Some states have made decisions to close beaches at the last minute.
What Can I Do If The Beach Closes Again
Unfortunately, your vacation beach house plans can be unexpectedly dashed if you plan to travel to a state that is experiencing a surge in cases. You have a couple of options you should consider if your current vacation beach house plans fall through:
- Delay your plans for later in the season. Many property management firms are offering credits for later dates instead of refunds. You can delay your trip by a couple of months. In most cases, it seems that a couple of months are making a big difference in getting this virus under control.
- Make your plans for an area close to home. You may not be an expert on what is happening a few states away, but likely are well aware of what is happening closer to home.
- Be prepared for the unexpected. If you are vacation beach house plans are for an out of state location, be prepared, in case you do have to self-quarantine when you get back home.
With a little extra planning, you can keep your vacation beach house plans in place, and enjoy a time of family fun and relaxation. While in some cases, things will not work out as planned, but if you have to delay that trip to keep everyone safe, you must do.
You’re On Vacation But COVID is Still a Real Threat
Everything that you are currently doing to keep your family safe while at home, you should also do while you are vacation. You mustn’t take a holiday from frequent hand washing, using hand sanitizer, wearing masks, and being diligent about social distancing.
It can be hard to remember that COVID 19 is everywhere and even though you and your family on vacation, unfortunately, COVID is not. Those habits that you have worked so hard to instill in the kids should continue and be a part of your vacation beach house plans.
Take cleaning supplies with you to ensure that you can wipe things down when you come back from a day of fun in the sun. Remember you are traveling to an area where you and your family are not normally at. That means that the exposure level is a little different than when you stay in your local bubble, but you can keep your family safe by practicing a few precautions:
- Encourage children to wash their hands every time they come back in the house. Make sure they are washing their hands before they eat. Keep sanitizing wipes in the car to wipe away germs before they enjoy that ice cream cone.
- Where your mask, but you do not have to in open spaces like the beach. Going out to dinner? Wear your mask. A quick trip to the convenience store? Wear your mask. Make it a habit any time you leave the house to wear a mask.
- Stay back. Put your beach blanket 6 feet away from the nearest person. Stay six feet away from people in the water. Practice that social distancing no matter where you are.
You do not have to cancel your vacation beach house plans this summer because of COVID 19, but you will have to make some changes to how you vacation this year just to stay safe, and keep other people safe around you.