Last February, I left Texas and moved to the Washington, D.C. metroplex. One month later, the U.S. entered quarantine. At the same time, I relaunched this little travel blog of mine with the hopes of documenting all the various adventures that would occur in D.C. along with everywhere else.
What should have been a one month lockdown stretched into over a year.
It goes without saying that in hindsight, launching a travel blog in the midst of the first couple of weeks into quarantine was such a silly idea. Oh well.
Every idea that I could come up with in terms of traveling seemed to have been thwarted. Things in D.C., such as museums, were closed or had limited entry. Restaurants and cafés for a long time were to-go only, and when they did open, they were at limited capacity.
So then, I thought outdoor activities would be our main outlet for traveling, but it seemed like the rest of the city thought so as well. When we visited Shenandoah National Park last summer, the park was very crowded. Not only that, so many folks opted to not wear masks. When this happened again in the next few attempts while visiting local parks, we decided outdoor activities like this weren’t for us (just yet).
Overall, we just weren’t comfortable being in crowds of any kind, especially when people disregarded the mask etiquette.
I was able to see a little bit of the D.C. monuments, though, and this was through waking up before dawn, when the city was thankfully still asleep and I didn’t have to worry about dodging people left and right.
Plus, there’s just something so beautiful about seeing a sunrise. *Cue the last song from the Pride & Prejudice soundtrack*
Other than the occasional errands, my life has been mostly confined by the walls in our apartment. Well, I do work in the food industry, which has oddly been a saving grace as it allows me to interact with people aside from my husband.
Although it’s been a year wasted in terms of travel and exploring D.C., it hasn’t really been a year wasted in other ways.
I was able to read a good chunk of books, which reintroduced my love for reading. So with my extra time, I opened up an online used bookstore called The Fox’s Howl at the start of this year! It’s been a learning journey so far, but I’ve loved every minute of working on it.
Then, there was learning how to skateboard, having ample time to study for college, being able to mosey around the apartment without feeling guilty that I’m not doing anything productive, and saving money by not traveling or eating out.
Most importantly, this became an opportunity for Joseph and I to bond in a way that I don’t think we’ve had before. Both of us were usually busy people (or at least, I was) and this allowed us to almost turn off the rest of the world and just enjoy each other’s company. For that, I am eternally grateful.
But now that the vaccines are rolling in and cases are going down…
We’re already planning a few of our upcoming trips, and I’m so excited for them! There’s a few local trips throughout the east coast, a few national ones, and some abroad that I’m really looking forward to.
Basically, it’s the revival of this little travel blog!
Do you have any travel plans for the near future?
It is so hard to believe that we have all been living through this for over a year!
Danielle | thereluctantblogger.co.uk
Congrats on the bookstore! We have a few trips lined up and really hope we get to travel this year. Good luck with your plans!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
I’m so excited to follow your travels as the world opens back up! We have no plans for travel here, but I’m desperate to explore more of the English countryside! Milli x – http://millidavison.co.uk/
I like the scenery you post.
lace front
This such a beautiful post!!
xx Sara
https://thecliqueblog.com
Author
Thanks, Sara!