Every other summer we take an extended road trip out west (you can read about our 2019 trip here), but this summer is an off year, so we’d planned to take several shorter trips closer to home.

However, Covid19 has changed so much in such a short period of time. We just don’t know what the future holds, which my type A personality has a hard time with. I like to plan things out and know what to expect and when it will happen.

So while we’re practicing social distancing and staying home, I’m still thinking about those trips we’d planned on taking. Even though we don’t know when life will get back to a semblance of normal, I’ve decided to satisfy my need to plan.

I put together a planner that I’m using to plan out the trips we’d planned on taking. With this planner, I’m able to plan most of the details now, which will make it super easy (and quick!) to hit the road when it’s finally safe to travel again.

Wondering how I’m doing it? Keep reading for the details and download your own copy of my planner.

How to plan a flexible vacation

1. Pick a time frame

Will it be a 3-day long weekend? A 5-day mini getaway? Something a bit longer? If you have time and the desire, it might be worth your time to plan a vacation for each time frame. Doing so will give you more flexibility once travel restrictions are lifted and health concerns are lessened.

2. Pick a location

But first, check how long it will take to get there. If you’re planning a 3 day trip, you don’t want to have to drive 10 hours there and 10 hours back. A two hour drive is probably as far as you want to go, though staying even closer to home will allow you more time for your actual vacation.

If you’re planning a longer trip, a bit more travel time wouldn’t be a bad thing and will allow you to explore a bit further from home.

3. Will you need reservations?

Some campgrounds are easier to get last minute reservations than others, so do some research into the campground(s) you want to stay at. Then find a backup campground or two in the area. If you live in an area with a lot of boondocking locations, this might be a good time to explore them as you will have a bit more flexibility than trying to find an available campground.

A campground membership like Thousand Trails may be helpful in keeping your costs down and finding an open campsite. Just keep in mind that some campgrounds will fill up in advance, so keep your options open. I wrote about why we renewed our Thousand Trails membership here, if you want a bit more info about how it works.

4. What will you do?

I usually like to have our vacations scheduled out. We’re going to go to this museum, then this national park, then …. However, when planning a flexible vacation, it’s a good idea to keep your itinerary open and laid-back. It’s especially important to consider the effects the virus is having on so many businesses and attractions. Even once it’s safe to be out and about again, it will probably take awhile for everything to open up again.

Research the area you plan on staying in and see what’s available. Plan on hanging out at the campground pool, hiking the trails around your boondocking location, or just hanging out around the campfire. Be willing to be flexible and try not to stress if the attractions you’d wanted to visit aren’t open.

5. Plan your meals

By now you should know how long you’ll be gone and what you’ll be doing. Next up: put together your menu and a corresponding shopping list. I’ve included pages for planning your menu and your shopping list in the planner. Write everything down now, and you won’t have to worry about it later. That will make it so much easier to get out the door quicker!

6. Plan your packing list

Plan your packing list for your trip. What clothes you’ll need, toiletries, bedding, cooking equipment for your planned meals, gear, and so on for the activities you’ve planned. 

We keep camping gear, cooking equipment, and bedding in our RV at all times. We have extra toiletries that live in the house in the off-season, then go out to the RV. When we’re ready for a trip, we take our clothes, food, and misc items to the RV, and we’re ready to go!

Do you keep your RV stocked with cooking equipment, bedding, etc? If you’re tent camping, do you keep all your camping gear in one location, easy to find and easy to organize? If you don’t, now is a great time to organize it all and make a list of anything that needs to be replace or added to.

7. Put your planner in a safe place

Save all your planning materials in a location you won’t forget. (not that I’ve ever forgotten where I put something….) You’re now ready to take your flexible vacation once travel restrictions and quarantines are lifted.

Once that happens, all you’ll need to do is to make your reservation(s), gather the items on your packing list, and do your grocery shopping on your way out of town. You’re on the road with minimal stress and worry because you made all the decisions months ago!

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Itching for a bit of adventure or change of pace while we all wait out the corona virus? Camp in your backyard with the kiddos or enjoy a staycation in your RV in your driveway. Stuck indoors? Set up a tent in your playroom, living room, or bedroom and have an indoor campout.

Don’t forget to download your FREE printable Flexible Vacation Planner!