JULY 2020

FAMILY time
How Families Can Spend
Summer Vacation
BY DANIELLE ALEXANDER
Michigan’s stay-at-home order lifted right
before when most families tend to vacation.
However, even though air travel is
back on the rise again, many in the community feel
safer traveling by car or even forgoing overnight
trips to stay local this summer.
Traveling by car
“I would actually love to travel once things settle
down more but nothing far,” West Bloomfield
resident and regular traveler Vanessa Tillo said. “I
would hold off on planes for a bit but would definitely
drive up north or even somewhere warm like
Florida.”
Tillo just had a baby in February and said she
would be nervous to use public transportation with
her daughter still being so young and not having all
of her vaccinations yet.
Bianca Boji of Farmington Hills agreed: “As
long as things don’t take a turn for the worse, my
family and I are planning to travel up north. We
are dying to get away and feel comfortable going
to a destination that allows us to be outdoors the
majority of the time.”
Dr. Peter Sabbagh, a McLaren Health Care
medical physician who specializes in critical care,
pulmonology and sleep disorders, said even though
things are improving, he thinks public transportation
is still too high-risk for the summer.
“I don’t see a problem with traveling,” Dr. Sabbagh
explained in May, “but if you’re going to
travel, you still have to maintain social distancing.
This means traveling by car with your own family
but not anyone who is elderly or immunosuppressed,
and if you do go out in public at any point,
make sure you’re wearing a mask.”
With a good portion of the community interested
in safe travel this summer, Raquel Jalou Orow,
owner of Pure Star Travel in Troy, planned a fivenight,
four-day itinerary to the Smoky Mountains
in Gatlinburg, Tennessee among several other
driveable trips.
“There’s so much we can offer to our children
and family by just getting in a car and driving, and
right now, that’s probably our best bet as far as what
the CDC wants us to do,” Orow said in May. “I’m
not comfortable telling someone to go on an airplane
yet, so I planned out enjoyable trips for families
that are not only driveable but ones where they
won’t have to be exposed to other people.”
Orow said the cabins would have everything
travelers need from game rooms to theaters to
pools, and lists of restaurants with carryout and delivery
options will also be provided upon arrival.
Additionally, with recreational access increasing,
travelers will be able to spend time hiking, fishing
and partaking in other outdoor activities that they
may not always have time for or appreciate when
life is “normal.”
“We all need a break from being trapped at
home, and road trips are a creative way to get out
in the world while still staying safe,” Orow said.
Staying local
If overnight traveling seems too risky at this point,
there are plenty of local day trip destinations that
are now open:
Zoos/Farms: Detroit Zoo (Royal Oak), Toledo
Zoo (Toledo, OH), Maybury Farm (Northville),
Domino Farm (Ann Arbor), John Ball Zoo (Grand
Rapids), The Reptarium (Utica), The Creature
Conservancy (Ann Arbor) and Indian Creek Zoo
(Lambertville)
Drive-In Movies: USA Hockey Arena (Plymouth)
and Canterbury Village (Lake Orion)
Parks: Kensington Metropark (Milford),
Frederik Meijer Garden & Sculpture Park (Grand
Rapids), Indian Springs Metropark (White Lake),
Stony Creek Metropark (Shelby Township) and
Lake St. Clair Metropark (Harrison Township)
Other: Fairy Door Tour (Northville), TreeRunner
Adventure Park (West Bloomfield), BBQ at
the Ballpark (Utica), Disc Golf (Dexter/Milford/
Shelby Township/New Boston), Sportsway (Westland
and Brownstown), Midway Sports and Entertainment
(Taylor) and Royal Oak Golf Center
(Royal Oak)
This list will continue to grow over time but
be sure to always do an online search or call each
venue before planning your visit as each destination
will have its own visitor guidelines.
Dr. Sabbagh believes the community is doing a
good job keeping the cases low; nevertheless, he still
wants everyone to be very careful whether people
decide to travel or stay close to home this summer.
“It is still a very dangerous disease with people,
even young ones, dying every day, and we really
don’t have a good grasp on treatment yet,” Dr. Sabbagh
said. “I appreciate those trying to find a cure
and those maintaining the social distancing.”
The CDC recommends that if you do decide to
travel, you need to protect yourself and others during
your trip by cleaning your hands often; avoiding
touching your eyes, nose or mouth; avoiding
close contact with others and maintaining six feet
of physical distance; wearing a cloth face covering
in public; covering coughs and sneezes; and picking
up food at drive-throughs, curbside restaurants
services or stores (cdc.gov).
Danielle Alexander is the owner of Edify LLC, a
metro Detroit tutoring, editing and freelance writing
company, as well as the editorial coordinator for
both West Bloomfield Lifestyle and Birmingham Life
magazines. She is looking forward to taking a safe
road trip to Gun Lake later this summer.
16 CHALDEAN NEWS JULY 2020