Our Pandemic Ski Adventure in Colorado: Tips and Tales

This vacation was different from our usual fun trips. The year 2020 was when the world changed and went through the COVID pandemic, forcing us to adapt how we navigated through life. Traveling in December 2020, we made sure to pack our masks and tried to avoid close proximity to others, especially in confined spaces.

Our destination? Colorado. We wanted to experience cold weather and, hopefully, see snow with the kids. Traveling under these new conditions required some adjustments. Our new travel essentials consisted of:

* At least two face masks per person

* Plenty of hand sanitizer

* Hand wipes

* Cold medicine

* Throat lozenges

We decided to purchase some of the cold-weather gear in Colorado instead of Florida. Why? Because Florida’s version of cold-weather gear is quite different from what’s needed up north.

Plan Accordingly

Some trips can be planned last minute, but a Colorado ski vacation requires at least six months of advance planning. The best ski resorts and activities are booked out well ahead of time. Unfortunately, we booked during a pandemic year when many facilities were only accepting a limited number of people at a time. Planning a ski vacation of this magnitude takes proper foresight.

We went to Boulder, Colorado, and stayed at a nice hotel located near many restaurants and stores. However, we had to drive to all the skiing sites or snow excursions, which were at least an hour away. Going forward, I recommend staying at one of the ski resorts to lessen the commute. Despite the drive, we still had fun finding a place to ski. The kids took to skiing comfortably. During our stay, we found a free park with a hill where the kids could sled. Even though we bought sleds for them, we left them at the park for other kids to use. No need to bring them back to sunny Florida!

Future Colorado Plans

Now that we know what to expect with the skiing conditions, we will plan our vacation early and book all the fun activities. I loved Colorado and can’t wait to visit again under different circumstances.