Ok, assuming this winter is still sideways, I am thinking about finding a house to rent for a few weeks. I don’t think I can take another winter inside (we are in small town Illinois). I would like to find a warm place (doesn’t have to be hot) where we could get outside and walk/bike. Water or mountains or something different than where we are at. Since we are keeping our distance from others, I don’t need entertainment or activities. I just don’t want to be stuck in the house all winter. Any suggestions on areas? There will just be me and my husband and of course, two dogs; which is why I want to rent a house.
@Onward - I don’t really want to encourage tourism per se, but as an ex-Chicagoan, I have to admit San Diego would fill your requirements. Winter is the rainy season, but that’s only occasionally. Highs are generally in the 60’s and it seldom goes below 50. Tons of biking, beach and mountains. Restaurants are already geared towards outdoor dining. Also it’s a very dog friendly city.
We went to San Diego last December, and it was really nice (even met Marilyn while we were there). I was on a business trip there in November, and it rained for something like 4 of the 5 days I was there. You just never know.
You could also go someplace like the outer banks of NC, and rent a home. Hilton Head was nice too, and you can walk on the beach for miles and miles. We rode bikes for 7 miles each way, and we could have gone much longer. I suspect dogs are allowed on the beach all the time during off season, but I’m not sure.
With the dogs do you prefer something you can reasonably drive to? Of course you could drive anyway water is not a barrier…but California would be quite a hike.
Depending on your location what about North/South Carolina? Or panhandle of Florida or something north of there??? Not sure of your Illinois location - north or south.
In winter North and even South Carolina are not warm and sunny. We usually spend a week in the beginning of December in Hilton Head and pack our winter coats, hats, and gloves. It can sometimes be pretty cold. You won’t get the snow though ? and it can still be a nice walk on the beach.
@Onward If you want a short term rental this winter, you better act fast, as I think lots of people are coming to that conclusion. We go to AZ, where it is usually in the high 60s. Having dogs cuts your choices by at least half.
We recently returned from a week camping trip to Assateague National Seashore - it was lovely. Warm, clear water, wild ponies, no crowds.
I just canceled our trip to Maine - I was hoping PA might be put on the list of states exempt from the quarantine list, but it didn’t happen.
@Onward Here are some other California cities to consider- Ojai -our friends like to stay at the Blue Iguana Inn. They have several casitas that have yards and are dog friendly. Ojai would have hiking, biking and is a 15 minute drive to the beach. Carpinteria is a cute beachside town with vacation rentals. Santa Barbara. Santa Ynez Valley has nice wineries, lots of country roads for biking. Palm Springs area.
Palm Springs
I was supposed to have my interview for Global Entry in April. Of course that was canceled. I keep getting emails telling me to just do my interview next time I am returning to the country. That would be a great idea, if I could actually go anywhere. TSA just rubbing it in . . .
I booked us a long weekend trip to Cape Cod in mid September. We live in NY, I don’t think there’s any requirement to quarantine after coming in from MA. If there is, that’s fine, I can easily work from home and DH business will continue to be mostly shut down until sometime next year. Having said that, we are staying in a cabin on the beach and have no plans to go anywhere except the grocery store. We mostly wanted a change of scene and to stay near the beach. We’re bringing our doggy to see if she likes the seashore! She’s part chicken so it should be interesting. Just hoping no hurricanes or tropical storms at that time. If so, we stay home, there’s no late cancellation penalty, probably for this year only.
@Leigh22 my family has a summer house near Assateague. We typically go to the beach in OC but for years we would buy a pass for Assateague to the section where you can drive out on the beach. The friends we used to go with moved away so we haven’t done it in several years. However, we decided it was the only way to avoid the crowds in OC this year. We mostly went to the section where you need 4WD to drive out onto the beach where, if you drive out at least a mile, it’s like having the beach to yourself. However, we did go to the section of beach where there is tent camping behind the dunes and were pleasantly surprised how few people were there. Glad you had nice weather and got to see lots of ponies. I think we saw more this year than ever before.
Be glad. Your 4 (or 5?) Year expiration only starts after interview and final approval, so unlike me, who got Global Entry in December, you’ll be able to get full use out of it. I’ll have lost a year by the time this is over.
Same with passports we just got renewed in February.
Another Global Entry applicant here. I’m probably out my initial fee and will have to reapply, unless they’ve lifted the time limit on conditional approval. Haven’t even looked.
CapitalOne pays for initial fee as well as renewal fee for Global Entry. 
i don’t think the clock starts until after the interview (which completes the conditional approval), so you might be ok.
H booked a house on a small island in the Bahamas for next summer. Room for all of us plus SOs. Something to look forward to! Surely we will be traveling by then…
I am debating renting a condo or house on Wrightsville Beach in NC for mid-September. Seem safe? I figure is after Labor Day, we will stay at a smaller condo place or rent a house, and it’s not as popular as some beaches?
We would love to go to Maine or NH, but they have quarantine requirements.
Smoky Mountains don’t seem like a great option, but we are considering there.
We want to go someplace we can drive from Maryland, doesn’t have a quarantine restriction in place, seems to be OK with mask requirements, and has lots of outdoor activities.
If you have other ideas, please throw them out.
We went to Cape Cod last week. We have a family cottage there and it’s a three to four hour drive for us, so no need to make stops on the way. Coming from New York, no need to quarantine. We did the same thing there as we do here, grill, eat take out, go for walks in the wood. Plus swimming and kayaking which we can do from our own dock. We really lucked out with the weather - it’s the first time I’ve ever been to the Cape and actually thought the water was a little too warm!
Sounds absolutely delightful! We have the opportunity, possibly, to do something similar (but much more locally) this Sept, but life may get in the way. Here’s hoping it doesn’t.