2020 in review
When I started planning for 2020, I had better plans in mind. I still got to see and do a lot but just not as much travel as I had originally planned. Here you will get to know what we did in 2020 in my Payte on the Road 2020 review!
As of today, land borders to the United States are still closed and Canadians are not welcomed in Europe either. It is possible to travel to other countries but it is just not convenient when you return to Canada. We still have a mandatory quarantine when we get back from outside… This doesn’t really work when you have a full-time job with not many vacation days left.
The plan for this year was to go camping with our trailer camper from mid-may to mid-October. We had planned a couple of getaways to the United States throughout the summer to enjoy the beach and also go mountain biking. Unfortunately, camping only started in mid-June because of the pandemic, and the US borders closed. We had to cancel our trips there and book something else.
We were lucky though because we were able to travel throughout the province of Quebec at least. So we’ve been all over the province exploring a little bit of our home. There are still many more places to see. We had to cut the season short. They decided to put some regions in red zones, so all our camping trips for October were canceled because we couldn’t go out of our region. So basically the province closed off to its own regions.
Some of my favorite camping spots we’ve been during the summer were:
Falaise-sur-mer: I went to this campground with only my boyfriend. We didn’t bring the kids with us. We put our tent on a platform close to the St-Lawrence river. We fell asleep to the sound of the waves every night. We saw many beluga whales while standing on our platform. There are many activities to do around. We went for a hike, a bike ride, and walked around the town of Tadoussac.
Every year we go back to Les Alluvions. It’s about 30 minutes from where we live but the area is so peaceful. It’s part of the SEPAQ parks. The park is so peaceful and you aren’t camped right beside each other. Hiking, biking, and paddle boarding are just a couple of activities we did there. You can do many more like canoeing, kayaking, and fishing.
Another camping we really like is Stoneham. It is located close to Les Alluvions. The camping itself is just like any other camping but they have a river you can descend on tubes which is really fun and there are amazing mountain biking trails at Empire 47, about a 10-minute drive from the campground.
We also went to Coaticook at Les Gorges de Coaticook. The camping was great and they have hiking and mountain biking trails starting right in the campground. There is a beautiful illuminated trail at night to visit called Foresta Lumina. You can also cross the longest walking suspension bridge over the gorge. From a walking distance of the campground, there is fluorescent mini golf, and the ice cream factory Coaticook! The ice cream is amazing!
One nice camping we went to was Le Cran. It’s a beautiful and wilder camping. You can still park your trailer camper or RV, but there are no services. We have batteries on our trailer camper so we were still able to have some heat at night when it got colder and use our bathroom. However, we did drain the batteries on our 2-night stay. But it’s really nice to disconnect completely. There is no cell phone coverage either! There again, it’s a great camping for outdoor activities.
Even though we didn’t get to travel abroad, at least we were able to spend all our summer weekends outside enjoying nature and spending quality time as a family in our camper.
We were able to take a 2 weeks vacation to the Magdalen Islands which is part of Quebec. Even if it’s part of our country, it feels totally like another country. Getting there from where we live is quite a long trip but it’s totally worth it. The vibe is so laid back, no stress there at all. You can just enjoy life, every beautiful sunset, and play on the beach! The whole family fell in love with this place. We are thinking about a project over there in the near future! Maybe you’ll be following along once it gets set in stone!
I was also planning a surprise trip for my boyfriend because he turned 30 this fall. This didn’t happen either. Having the quarantine on the way back just isn’t convenient as he is in the busiest season as a contractor and I didn’t have enough vacation for three weeks anyway.
It’s been pretty calm since camping season came to an end. As of now, we are planning to be pretty calm and enjoy the outdoors close by for the Holidays.
Well, 2020 is finally coming to an end! It was a weird year but I got a lot accomplished even if I didn’t travel much. I got to launch the blog which was a project on my mind for a long time! I’ve been working on my photography a lot too. Stay tuned for a lot of new photography and video projects! Make sure to follow me on Instagram for my latest travel photos and on Facebook for my latest news on the blog!
2020 was not the best for travel plans but it was great for some other projects I had put on hold for a while.
To 2020, and hopefully a better 2021!
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally love and use!
Want to see what this year looked like? Make sure to keep reading!
Summer camping gear packing guide
20 photos to inspire you to visit the Magdalen Islands
The story behind Payte on the Road
How can you travel often with a full-time job
20 photos to inspire you to visit Scotland
7 reasons why you should travel as a family
Family road trip survival guide
