Though the halcyon days of carefree holidays are gone — perhaps forever — as in everything else, human ingenuity has reinvented vacationing. New pandemic-safe holiday options such as staycations, workations, camping trips, among other alternatives have emerged as safe options – Dainty Wellington, Cynthia John & Mini P. With the country grappling with a deadly second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic (115,000 cases per day as on April 7), the usual buzz and excitement around summer holidays has all but evaporated. Last year too, during the summer months of April-May, the nation was in lockdown with business and industry, restaurants, schools and colleges shut and severe intra and inter-state travel restrictions. This year too, although there is no national lockdown, some states including Maharashtra and Delhi have imposed night curfews and weekend lockdowns. Yet despite this grim scenario, the need for family vacations was never greater. Parents working from home and children learning online from home for over a year desperately need a holiday/vacation. Medical, wellness, sociology and psychology experts have long proclaimed the benefits of vacations. In 2019, a team of researchers at Syracuse University, USA found that “people who had vacationed more frequently in the past 12 months had a lowered risk of metabolic syndrome”. Moreover, if men at risk of heart disease don’t take annual vacations, they have a 32 percent higher risk of suffering a fatal heart attack than those who holiday annually. Similarly, another study of women indicated that those who took vacations rarely — i.e, once every six years or less often — were eight times more likely to develop heart problems. Sleep quality also improves up to 80 percent in people who take at least one annual vacation, says another study. “The past year has been very stressful for families with parents obliged to work from home and online schooling disrupting normal life and limiting socialisation. Plus there is the constant anxiety and fear of family members contracting the Covid-19 virus. Holidays give a break from daily routines and activities. A change of scene and environment recharges and revives mind and body. I’ve witnessed families returning home from vacations bonded, rejuvenated, more productive and creative,” says Rajat Soni, a Mumbai-based psychologist and motivational speaker, and author of Un-Judge your Teenager (2020). Though the halcyon days of carefree holidays are gone — perhaps forever — as in everything else, human ingenuity has reinvented vacationing. New pandemic-safe holiday options such as staycations, workations, camping trips, among others have emerged as safe options. Moreover, the pandemic has made Indians rediscover domestic tourism destinations which require less travel time, and are therefore safer. Here is a guide to making the most of your family summer holidays during the pandemic. Self-drive/biking vacations During the past few months, many families have opted for self-drive vacations/biking holidays to local destinations to avoid crowded buses, trains and airplanes. Roopa Vaswani, who owns a retail garment store in Bengaluru, availed the option of a biking holiday to scenic spots on the peripheries…
