Pandemic Traveling: Turks and Caicos Islands

Grace Bay Beach

When we started growing our family, we always said that we would be the family that traveled with kids.  We would be the kind of parents who incorporated our children into all the things we loved to do, rather than putting our lives on hold to have kids.  We would courageously brave early flights, disrupted nap schedules, and time zone transitions without hesitation.  We agreed that we valued introducing our kids to worldly experiences, different foods and cultures, and teaching them about the awe and wonder of the world.  

Ady traveled to about 8 different states before age one (including an upgrade to first class) and used her passport when she was still small enough to travel as a lap infant.  She was the tiniest aficionado when it came to the routine of planes, trains, Uber rides, and even a cruise ship.  Then Meredith was born and the pandemic hit, and along with all of our other great ambitions and plans for our family of four, travel was on hold indefinitely.  

As we approach the two year mark of our lives flipping upside down, I think we're all searching for a new normal.  We can't possibly wrap our minds around how this became the reality of our existence, but we've also developed resiliency and acceptance in the face of adversity.  We know a lot more about the spread of COVID than we did two years ago, and we have tools for protecting ourselves as we navigate the waters of a new normal.  

My family has had our hearts set on a tropical destination for over two years now as a belated celebration of my dad's 60th birthday, and after many many postponements, we finally settled on a January departure.  What better time to get away to an exotic destination than in the gloomiest month of the year.  Little did we know our travel week would coincide with the largest and most contagious variant of COVID yet.  We made it through the holidays unscathed.  We avoided social gatherings and we double-masked in public.  We tracked the travel guidelines and restrictions daily.  As the doom of Omicron set in, we thought it would be incredibly unlikely that this trip would come to fruition.  Someone would get sick, or borders would be closed, or the kids would have an exposure at school before we were scheduled to depart.  Meredith was still too young to get her vaccine or consistently wear her mask at school, so we knew she was the high-risk member of our group and that anything could happen.  We braced for the worst as we optimistically hoped for the best, and somehow the stars all aligned for our long-awaited family vacation!

Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), an archipelago of 40 islands located southeast of the Bahamas and a British territory, is a truly gorgeous and underrated gem of a destination.  With white sand beaches, turquoise waters, and tons of family-friendly activities, my only regret was that we only booked the Airbnb for one week!  Our days consisted of poolside breakfasts, excursions to the many beaches on Provo, sampling of the wide variety of food and cocktails TCI has to offer, and evenings of family games or conversations on the patio.  

Every beach we visited was more amazing than the last, and each beach has something different to offer.  While we didn't venture off Providenciales Island this time, there was plenty to do within a short drive from our Airbnb.  Grace Bay Beach has been described as the most beautiful beach in the world, and I can 100% get on board with that claim, but we also really loved the less-populated Bight beach (on The Bight settlement), the little lagoon and kayaking bay at Chalk Sound, and the calm and shallow waters at Sapodilla Bay, where the water was as warm as bath water and we could walk out over 100ft from the shore and only be in up to our knees.  Watching the sunset and the rising of the full moon over the turquoise water was unforgettable.  

In addition to the breathtaking beaches, other memorable moments from our trip included celebrating Meredith's 2nd birthday with tex mex cuisine and live reggae music at Somewhere Cafe and Lounge, taking Ady on her very first kayaking expedition, visiting the iguanas up close in Chalk Sound, devouring croissants from Caicos Bakery, dining on the beach at Da Conch Shack, and just viewing the world from a new perspective for the first time in far too long.  If we make it back here again (and I hope we do!) I hope to catch the Thursday night fish fry, explore the other islands, and try some higher-intensity adventures when the kids are older.  

I'm so thankful to have had this opportunity to travel with my family and I'm glad we braved the unknown to make this trip a reality.  There is no such thing as normal anymore and we must find a new reality that brings us joy and fulfillment.  

First day at the beach  - the Bight Settlement

(Almost) 2-year-old living her best life

Looking for some "rainbow fish"

Happy Birthday, Meredith Rose!

Ady's first kayaking excursion

Boat fun with Grandpa M

Up close and personal with the Chalk Sound iguanas

Sunset at our favorite beach at Sapodilla Bay

A pool with a view at our Airbnb

Meredith's laugh is contagious!

In her element in the sand and waves

Here are a few of my tips for pandemic travel with kids:

1. Choose a destination where you can be outside

I don't think travel itself is a high-risk activity at this point, with effective masking and vaccinations, but the activities planned during the trip will determine the level of risk.  In TCI our vacation activities consisted of beaches, boats, and patios, and I felt completely safe in outdoor spaces that weren't crowded at all.

2. Go somewhere with tight COVID travel restrictions

Island regions and territories seem to be pretty strict with their COVID guidelines because an outbreak would be devastating.  TCI requires vaccination, negative tests, and masking, so I felt safer there than I did at home and work!  While the travel guidelines and statuses are constantly evolving, it gave us some security to know that the positivity rate was low at the time we were there.

3. Don't fear the red-eye flight

One downside of traveling to TCI is that there are very few flight options, so any combination of flights would require overnight travel for us.  We contemplated staying in a hotel in L.A. or Atlanta on our way out, but ultimately chose the overnight JetBlue flight through JFK.  Although the kids' sleep schedule was disrupted and we were all exhausted, they slept like angels on the flight (even with KN95 masks in place!) and it was so much easier than sleeping in an airport or having to check in and out of a hotel in the wee hours.

4.  Get a house

My worst nightmare is being stuck in a cramped hotel room with bored and restless kids.  (I've been there and I don't want to go back.)  Having space to move around, a real dining room table for eating, some couches or chairs for lounging, and hallways to run around are essential when traveling with kids, and even more so during the pandemic when we want to avoid crowded lobbies or elevators with strangers.  Having outdoor space is a bonus, and a full kitchen is also a must when trying to eat healthy and also avoid going to restaurants all the time on vacation.  We rented an Airbnb for the whole family that had a pool, large patio, fully stocked kitchen, and a jeep to use for the week.  

5. Make time for a nap

I have always been a proponent of having a routine for kids to help them feel secure, without adhering to a rigid schedule.  Childless parents may not understand the importance of the nap, and although we can be flexible and adaptable to meet the needs of the group, everyone will have a more pleasant travel experience if the toddler has a little afternoon R&R.  (And I find that most adults are happier people in the evening if they get a little afternoon quiet time too!)

Getting silly in the airport when it's 4 hours past our bedtime!

We loved our trip to TCI so much I almost wished I tested positive and got stuck there to quarantine!  But alas, we all dodged the virus and tested negative to allow our entrance back to the U.S.  I look forward to visiting this region again!  Traveling to Turks and Caicos Islands (following a short trip to Sayulita, Mexico, in December) has stirred in me a renewed sense of wanderlust and I can't wait to start planning our next adventure.

Farewell T&C!  Until next time!