Over the course of the past year the COVID pandemic has brought a lot of change to the world we knew and traveling is no exception. As of now states and several countries remain open for people to visit with certain guidelines.

Several members of our U-High family have had the opportunity to travel throughout the past year including senior Mya Kaeb, who went to Colorado, Arizona, and Florida.

“I was expecting it to be a lot harder to travel but it really wasn’t different,” Kaeb said. “The only thing different was having to wear masks, but that’s not any different from being at home.”

Throughout their trips, the Kaeb family was able to enjoy several different activities despite COVID restrictions.

“We did a lot of outdoor activities,” Kaeb said, “In Colorado we went hiking so that we didn’t have to worry about social distancing as much. In Florida we went to the pool and went to the beach. The place that we stayed was pretty relaxed about things. We had to follow social distancing but we were allowed to take off our masks at the pool. In Arizona, we were there for a conference so we only broke COVID rules at our table and were also able to do some hiking there in our free time.”

Senior Mackie Madix also had the opportunity to take a trip over winter break with her family.

“My family and I were able to travel to Key West, Florida,” Madix said. “While we were there we were able to do a lot of activities that we could do in the past including jet skiing, going to the beach, and going out to eat.”

While states remain open at this time there is still a risk involved and it’s important to know how to keep your family and others around you safe.

“We knew the risk of traveling,” Madix said. “We wanted to go on vacation; it was a nice break from being stuck at home. We made sure to follow all the guidelines suggested when traveling and we self quarantined for seven days and all got tested to ensure that we were negative to be safe.”

As of December, Illinois had not restricted travel. If you do find yourself traveling within the next few months it’s important to follow the guidelines of Illinois and the CDC travel guide. The Illinois Department of Public Health suggests that you avoid visiting areas of high risk and stay home if possible after returning while monitoring your health for 14 days. The COVID pandemic may have changed what our world used to be, but there is still a possibility of doing the things we love in a safe way for everyone.