Perfect Trip?
March 19, 2024 5:50 PM Subscribe
I have an issue where my primary interests (remote hiking/travel) meet my primary phobias (physical danger/Covid). Help me plan a trip!
I've looked at group/organized hiking/trekking trips but I'm worried about Covid (esp Long Covid). I've looked at various Camino-style options but those also involve communal accommodations for the most part (and in spirit). I've looked at group-based camping trips (less covid! outdoor dining!) but there have been various issues there too- areas with bears! Overly long flights (covid, again!) etc. Is there something I'm missing?
If I had a partner, I would just plan a (preferably international) hiking trip with suitable accommodations, and mainly outdoor dining. What am I missing? I feel like I can't see the forest for the anxiety-ridden trees. (I don't want to hike in a remote area alone as a single female- I've done it and it's not so enjoyable due to the safety issues- even just potentially twisting ankle etc.)
Note: I yolo'd it a bit last summer and still have some remaining issue that began when I got covid (#2) towards the end of that trip...so I don't want to repeat or god forbid exacerbate that issue. (And by yolo'd I mean I travelled somewhere- I was still as cautious as I could be in the situation).
I've looked at group/organized hiking/trekking trips but I'm worried about Covid (esp Long Covid). I've looked at various Camino-style options but those also involve communal accommodations for the most part (and in spirit). I've looked at group-based camping trips (less covid! outdoor dining!) but there have been various issues there too- areas with bears! Overly long flights (covid, again!) etc. Is there something I'm missing?
If I had a partner, I would just plan a (preferably international) hiking trip with suitable accommodations, and mainly outdoor dining. What am I missing? I feel like I can't see the forest for the anxiety-ridden trees. (I don't want to hike in a remote area alone as a single female- I've done it and it's not so enjoyable due to the safety issues- even just potentially twisting ankle etc.)
Note: I yolo'd it a bit last summer and still have some remaining issue that began when I got covid (#2) towards the end of that trip...so I don't want to repeat or god forbid exacerbate that issue. (And by yolo'd I mean I travelled somewhere- I was still as cautious as I could be in the situation).
Do you have a platonic friend who might join you, with whom you'd be compatible on the dining and lodging choices? I think having a companion to bounce ideas off of and help you narrow down your options could really cut down the dithering piece of this.
I know it's pretty countercultural, but I don't think you're inherently pathological for wanting to take some precautions so that your vacation stays fun. I'm not saying it's crazy to go on an extended solo hike, but it wouldn't be my idea of relaxation, either. Wanting a credible plan for what happens if you turn your ankle doesn't make you phobic.
posted by eirias at 6:56 PM on March 19
I know it's pretty countercultural, but I don't think you're inherently pathological for wanting to take some precautions so that your vacation stays fun. I'm not saying it's crazy to go on an extended solo hike, but it wouldn't be my idea of relaxation, either. Wanting a credible plan for what happens if you turn your ankle doesn't make you phobic.
posted by eirias at 6:56 PM on March 19
Anxiety-ridden walker here. Last fall went on a group tour as a solo, departing US east coast for guided 5-day hike in Spain. Single-supplement for the trip was a bite and only worthwhile in that it provided the sense that I'd halved the virus exposure in the hotel room. Almost all meals were outdoors.
Had the boosters and wore a mask in all places that seemed (to me) sensible and necessary: airports, planes, land transport including the vans used by the tour. I was the only hiker wearing a mask in the van... On the trail, I didn't wear one. Made it home with no Covid.
Sierra Club, REI Adventures, Backroads and their ilk will likely talk to you about their attitude toward Covid mitigation, could be worth a few phone calls.
posted by xaryts at 8:14 PM on March 19 [3 favorites]
Had the boosters and wore a mask in all places that seemed (to me) sensible and necessary: airports, planes, land transport including the vans used by the tour. I was the only hiker wearing a mask in the van... On the trail, I didn't wear one. Made it home with no Covid.
Sierra Club, REI Adventures, Backroads and their ilk will likely talk to you about their attitude toward Covid mitigation, could be worth a few phone calls.
posted by xaryts at 8:14 PM on March 19 [3 favorites]
I did a portion of the Camino this past August and I think you’re right that it’s not matching a lot of your goals right now. I was shocked that people wanted to close all the windows overnight in a room full of people and make it stuffy (and germ filled!)
However I did the Trans- Catalina trail in winter 2022 and I think that’s what you’re looking for. It’s easy to get there (fly in to LAX, taxi to the ferry, ferry to Catalina). It’s about 38miles if I’m remembering correctly, but there are several bail out points if needed. I also found a really community aspect since you have to camp at sites and we ended up following the same timing as a lot of people (which I actually didn’t find on the Camino after an injury and variety of options meant I didn’t run in to people as much). Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want my old google doc of planning. Oh and no bears!! (Though there are bison, which were scary, but not nearly as bad. Also small foxes, but they mostly just want to steal your snacks).
posted by raccoon409 at 3:44 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
However I did the Trans- Catalina trail in winter 2022 and I think that’s what you’re looking for. It’s easy to get there (fly in to LAX, taxi to the ferry, ferry to Catalina). It’s about 38miles if I’m remembering correctly, but there are several bail out points if needed. I also found a really community aspect since you have to camp at sites and we ended up following the same timing as a lot of people (which I actually didn’t find on the Camino after an injury and variety of options meant I didn’t run in to people as much). Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want my old google doc of planning. Oh and no bears!! (Though there are bison, which were scary, but not nearly as bad. Also small foxes, but they mostly just want to steal your snacks).
posted by raccoon409 at 3:44 AM on March 20 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Yes, the Trans-Catalina trail sounds great- and REI does a supported trip so no need to carry all of the gear (I've never heard of it and just looked it up so thank you for that). BUT,
There's another caveat which is also why this is so "big" for me- I can only travel in the summer as a teacher. So that's another constraint. Preferably July.
Do you have a platonic friend who might join you, with whom you'd be compatible on the dining and lodging choices? I think having a companion to bounce ideas off of and help you narrow down your options could really cut down the dithering piece of this.
Yes, this is obviously true and obviously not the case! I do have a friend already traveling but they will be in Asia at that time- I'm willing to fly to Europe and "the Americas" but I think Asia/Africa/Australia etc too far in these times.
(Also, the Spain trip and cycling sound good, so any more July-based suggestions/ideas welcome!)
posted by bquarters at 4:39 AM on March 20
There's another caveat which is also why this is so "big" for me- I can only travel in the summer as a teacher. So that's another constraint. Preferably July.
Do you have a platonic friend who might join you, with whom you'd be compatible on the dining and lodging choices? I think having a companion to bounce ideas off of and help you narrow down your options could really cut down the dithering piece of this.
Yes, this is obviously true and obviously not the case! I do have a friend already traveling but they will be in Asia at that time- I'm willing to fly to Europe and "the Americas" but I think Asia/Africa/Australia etc too far in these times.
(Also, the Spain trip and cycling sound good, so any more July-based suggestions/ideas welcome!)
posted by bquarters at 4:39 AM on March 20
What about something like going to a popular mountain destination like Chamonix, Zermatt, or Interlaken*, getting your own hotel room, and doing day hikes? There is lots of outdoor dining in all those places. You can take trains/buses/ski lifts/etc. to slightly more remote locations (the lifts, especially, can be crowded - not sure of your comfort level there). There are no bears (or even ticks!) and most of the trails are sufficiently well-traveled that if you did turn your ankle you wouldn't be alone for long (get travel insurance, obviously, in case of a serious injury or illness).
I've done this, and I will say that as a solo traveler it can get lonely compared to the kinds of trips where you spend time in communal spaces (mountain huts where they serve you dinner and breakfast, etc.). Also of course it's not the same as hiking somewhere truly remote - you will see a lot of other people. But I think it's about as safe as anything else.
You could also probably do a good chunk of the Tour de Mont Blanc staying in non-communal lodging if you're willing to pack a tent (many of the mountain huts/refuges will let you camp outside) and/or occasionally take a bus or ski lift down into a more populated area with hotels and/or skip some of the most inaccessible bits.
* I would recommend France over Switzerland (cheaper and friendlier, IME), but YMMV.
posted by mskyle at 5:20 AM on March 20
I've done this, and I will say that as a solo traveler it can get lonely compared to the kinds of trips where you spend time in communal spaces (mountain huts where they serve you dinner and breakfast, etc.). Also of course it's not the same as hiking somewhere truly remote - you will see a lot of other people. But I think it's about as safe as anything else.
You could also probably do a good chunk of the Tour de Mont Blanc staying in non-communal lodging if you're willing to pack a tent (many of the mountain huts/refuges will let you camp outside) and/or occasionally take a bus or ski lift down into a more populated area with hotels and/or skip some of the most inaccessible bits.
* I would recommend France over Switzerland (cheaper and friendlier, IME), but YMMV.
posted by mskyle at 5:20 AM on March 20
If you're willing to fly at all (I am not; we bought a van instead): The UK is walking-obsessed and there are all kinds of walking tour/walking holiday companies doing supported routes usually with some kind of hotel lodging, but even self-guided tours - thanks to the scale of the UK - are pretty easy to plan so that you have a place to stop every night. In July you will probably never be out of line of sight of another person for more than 15 minutes, and it should be trivial to find walking buddies for a day or two at a time.
You could also make yourself a tour walking along the towpaths of the canal systems of the UK, which will be literally lined with summer narrowboaters 24/7 (you may find yourself frequently walking faster than they travel) and many many stretches are dotted with villages and services. You might have to use alternate transportation in some places, or to get into a village.
If you don't want to fly, obviously you are within Amtrak service or driving range of at least the Catskills, Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains, and the Berkshires. There HAS to be walking and hiking clubs aplenty for each of them, you just may have to do some research (I'd say Facebook and Reddit - we spent 6 months around those areas and those were the best sources of information) to find a someone doing something you'd want to join in on, or has guides or recommended routes a solo traveler could use without too much solitude. How about the Vermont Inn-to-Inn walking tour? (It looks like "inn-to-inn" is a whole thing, actually .) You're gonna wanna fill a bathtub with all your clothes and a lot of permethrin first, but this still sounds like a great vacation to me.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:13 AM on March 20
You could also make yourself a tour walking along the towpaths of the canal systems of the UK, which will be literally lined with summer narrowboaters 24/7 (you may find yourself frequently walking faster than they travel) and many many stretches are dotted with villages and services. You might have to use alternate transportation in some places, or to get into a village.
If you don't want to fly, obviously you are within Amtrak service or driving range of at least the Catskills, Adirondacks, Green and White Mountains, and the Berkshires. There HAS to be walking and hiking clubs aplenty for each of them, you just may have to do some research (I'd say Facebook and Reddit - we spent 6 months around those areas and those were the best sources of information) to find a someone doing something you'd want to join in on, or has guides or recommended routes a solo traveler could use without too much solitude. How about the Vermont Inn-to-Inn walking tour? (It looks like "inn-to-inn" is a whole thing, actually .) You're gonna wanna fill a bathtub with all your clothes and a lot of permethrin first, but this still sounds like a great vacation to me.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:13 AM on March 20
Am MeMailing you, as a woman and hiker and New York City resident who has done a long-distance hike and enjoys the prospect of more! And who attempts to avoid COVID!
posted by brainwane at 4:20 PM on March 20
posted by brainwane at 4:20 PM on March 20
So I’m not sure what you consider to be outside your COVID prevention measures (length of plane flight vs layover etc). But having looked into similar types of trips myself (and also having YOLO’d a little too much last summer) I would actually recommend the following considerations- what place already has a system or culture in place with the things you’re looking for? For example, a friend of mine lives in St Croix and just about everything there is open air and outdoors so while not many (any?) people are masking (not that many are in my hometown either) it was easier to navigate when the majority of people were already dining outdoors, the activities I wanted to do were outdoors, etc. (A/C isn’t as popular since it doesn’t get fiendishly hot and electricity is quite expensive).
Consider something like a small group “eco adventure” in Costa Rica or Belize where I bet most of the activities will already be outdoors, outdoor dining, markets, etc.
You could also look into a small group trip in the boundary water in Minnesota this summer if you wanted to be in the continental US. (Yes, bears, but less scary in a group led by a guide).
Or of course if you had the time and money, I can think of a better place to go than New Zealand (even if it would be their winter).
posted by raccoon409 at 4:23 PM on March 20
Consider something like a small group “eco adventure” in Costa Rica or Belize where I bet most of the activities will already be outdoors, outdoor dining, markets, etc.
You could also look into a small group trip in the boundary water in Minnesota this summer if you wanted to be in the continental US. (Yes, bears, but less scary in a group led by a guide).
Or of course if you had the time and money, I can think of a better place to go than New Zealand (even if it would be their winter).
posted by raccoon409 at 4:23 PM on March 20
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From your post history, it looks like you’re in NYC so you could target a (not on roads) segment of the Empire State Trail. If you’re willing to brave the flight to Amsterdam, there are tons of low-contact, semi-supported cycling options in the Netherlands that I would feel comfortable doing as a woman traveling alone in a way I would not be comfortable solo backpacking.
posted by A Blue Moon at 6:26 PM on March 19 [1 favorite]