Category: no contact travel

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Our Winter Getaway to the Mountains – no skiing included

Walking with the dog in Pautex, Valdigne, Valle d'Aosta. Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains - no skiing included.

Our Winter Getaway to the Mountains – no skiing included

How we managed to get our winter getaway to the mountains. I knew from the start, that due to the DCPM in Italy, there was no skiing included in this trip for sure.
 
As I also knew that the UK was going to become a third country to the EU, I really wanted to go back to Morgex. The EU allows its country-members to travel with no restrictions within the bloc. Thanks to Brexit, now we are out of the bloc, so we have the travel restrictions. The UK is now like the US. US could not go from March onwards into Europe, and they still cannot travel.

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The first day on the road towards Chaumont. Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains - no skiing included.
The first day on the road towards Chaumont. Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains – no skiing included.
I have been looking at all the rules in the UK, France and Italy. It started getting very technical. This showed that how determined I was. So when we were about to go, France was not asking any Covid test. Italy changed its recommendation to make the test BEFORE arriving into Italy. And this test needed be 48 hours before. That makes things tricky. I’ve found a great company (Randox), that mailed the tests to your home. It is an extra expenditure you are not counting in your normal travel. I’ve thought, as there was not going to be skiing, I used my lift tickets money on that. Also, it was good I’ve bought the tests in advance, as the mail started to be a bit slow before Christmas.

Taking the Covid tests. Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains – no skiing included

I had my two boys at home as their schools closed with Covid cases, so it was easy to do at midday our tests on the Friday. We then drove to drop the tests to DX. DX is one of the two couriers that work with Randox and allow you to deliver these kind of tests. Not all couriers would deliver them.
Chaumont. Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains - no skiing included
Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains – no skiing included

The travel out of London. Our Winter Gate-away to the Mountains – no skiing included

We set up the alarm clock at 2.30 AM on the Saturday. It was me the one getting up, preparing the thermos, the sandwiches and our car fridge. This car fridge is the best thing we’ve bought on Amazon for our trip. It saves us from stopping at any shop to eat. Now in the pandemic, we want to travel safe. I also have my TravelJanes for using if needed. But the classic opening of two doors and weeing squatting works fine! Having been born and bred in Argentina, I am used to long trips with no petrol stations on the way. How many times we’ve heard a lorry honking at us, but they cannot see your face!
We went on the M20. The queue of lorries stuck in line was impressive. I’ve felt very bad for them, it seemed it was going to be very slow for them. For us it was fine, we had a delay of one hour, but we’ve stayed in the car. Finally we got across and we’ve started driving off Calais towards the south.
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The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times

Travelling with masks- this is Covid-19 times. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times. Photo: The-Ski-Guru

The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times

The drive to our summer holiday on Covid-19 times. Finally the day has come, we put the alarm at 2.30 AM and started to get ready the car refrigerator to get going. Prepared the flasks, went to wake up the boys, like three times, and finally, we were all ready to go.
 

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My husband did the packing of the car, and as usual, we were full. And still full after I took things from the bags three times during the preceding week!
 
Anyways, we finished all in the car with the dog and off we went towards Folkestone.
Trying to get Ozzy to pose on the Eurotunnel photo-frame was trickier than it looks! The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times.
Trying to get Ozzy to pose on the Eurotunnel photo-frame was trickier than it looks! The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times.

Getting on the Eurotunnel. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times

 
The terminal of Eurotunnel was open, which I was not expecting. The food stalls, as Starbucks and Leon, were publishing that they were taking food to your cars. We did not need that, as we had lots of food in the car.
 
We did go to the bathroom there, all with masks, in and out, and then clean well our hands…. I was trying to avoid this, but at least it was early on and we did not meet many people on the way.
 
We got in our car and we loaded on the Eurotunnel. The loudspeakers said that you could not get down your car during the crossing, so it was quieter than usual. This was great to have a little cat nap and have time to change the miles/h to km/h and adjust the clock one hour forward.
At the Ibis Styles in Chaumont. Ozzy seemed very comfy on the bed. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times.
At the Ibis Styles in Chaumont. Ozzy seemed very comfy on the bed. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times.

On French soil. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times

When we arrived in Calais, it was smooth and easy to get out of the train. We went straight to the A16 and A26 in our road to Chaumont.
We had a good drive, stopped at an open ‘aire’ for a bit. Tried the bathroom and it was awful! That was our last going to the bathroom. Or I find some trees, or use my little Travel Janes that were on my gloves compartment.
All the boys in my family in Chaumont. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times.
All the boys in my family in Chaumont. The Drive to Our Summer Holiday on Covid-19 Times.

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Cerro Catedral has opened its lifts: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.

Catedral Alta Patagonia, the resort of Bariloche, has opened yesterday. Photo: Diario La Nación. Cerro Catedral has opened: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.

Cerro Catedral has opened its lifts: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.

Cerro Catedral has opened this ski season 2020. Only residents with season pass can ski. This is a pilot scheme for ten days. Catedral is the first resort opening in the region amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the first resort in South America opening!
Ski map Catedral Alta Patagonia. Cerro Catedral has opened: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.
Ski map Catedral Alta Patagonia. Cerro Catedral has opened: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.
Cerro Catedral, in San Carlos de Bariloche has opened its ski season 2020 only for locals with a season pass. The first day in the mountain in the year (Thursday 23 July) was fresh and sunny, with a depth of 2 m of snow in the summit.
Depending on this trial, the resort will do a bigger opening of its terrain in August and September.
skiing in Cerro Catedral. Archive photo. Cerro Catedral has opened: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.
skiing in Cerro Catedral. Archive photo. Cerro Catedral has opened: skiing for locals with masks and record snow levels.
Gustavo Gennuso, major of Bariloche told Télam:
“On one hand, the resort has an important role for Bariloche on jobs. But there are also vital needs as the relationship of mountaineers with the mountain. Those are the ones pushing on opening the mountain to help this activity”.
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How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday

My husband driving over a viaduct near Nantua. Driving back for the first time from Morgex to London

How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday

Summer is coming up now. It seems that finally the Foreign Office will allow British citizens travel. They were going to announce it yesterday. We are still waiting. If that is the case, then lots of people will take it to the road and cross to the Continent. People are a bit reticent to travel by plane yet. Some of them will go ahead and do it as are more daredevil. I am not in that category. I am like those others that will tempt going outside in their own cars. Two days ago it was the busiest day for Eurotunnel sales year on year. So how to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday?

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Splugenpass in Switzerland. Driving to the Mountains. How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday. Photo: Daniele Levis Pelusi. Unsplash.
Splugenpass in Switzerland. Driving to the Mountains. How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday. Photo: Daniele Levis Pelusi. Unsplash.

 

Where to Start Planning No Contact-Drive Summer Holiday

Starting with going to Eurotunnel. You don’t need to get off your car for the crossing that takes 35′. The terminals have not opened. If you need to go to the toilets, the only toilets opened are by the lay area before embarking. But what if you want to avoid them? And also if you want to avoid going to the Aires (resting places or petrol stations/restaurants) on route? How you should equip for this trip if you want to avoid people? This goes also for people in North America or anywhere in the world.
Here are some things that might help you. At least, this is what I am doing to protect my family while travelling in mainland Europe this summer.
A road to the mountains. Photoo: Anurag Gaggar. Unsplash. How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday.
A road to the mountains. Photoo: Anurag Gaggar. Unsplash. How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday.

How to avoid going to public toilets: No-Contact Drive Summer Holiday

There have been lots of stories in the media of how going to a public toilet can expose you to lots of germs. There are those small droplets ejected by the flushing of the toilet. These posts suggest you to wear a mask to come to the toilet. In this way you avoid contact with these floating droplets that can stay suspended. Then you clean well the hands and avoid the dryers that can disperse droplets all over. I find all this a bit too much to relax. There has to be something better.
Road trip to the mountains. Atlas Mountains. Photo: Dil. Unsplash. How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday.
Road trip to the mountains. Atlas Mountains. Photo: Dil. Unsplash. How to have a no-contact drive to your summer holiday.
The boys can wee al fresco. How about women? If there are trees where to hide, I would do the same. But if there are not? The stops in France don’t tend to have a thick tree-base. I have seen this solution ages ago and never considered it. Now I’ve got some for the gloves compartment in the car.
What is it? A resealable disposable urinal. You can keep on using it until full. It keeps 800 ml of liquid. You can reseal the bag and you don’t mess anything up. The pouch has some crystals that solidify your wee as it gets in! Marvellous idea! The Travel Jane is pink and for women.