Travel during the 2020 - 2021 Coronavirus Pandemic
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As I read my grandma’s travel diaries and continue researching the places she visited during her mid-20th century journeys, I discover more and more fabulous destinations I’m gearing up to explore. I can picture through her descriptions, the gorgeous beaches, the ocean spray, the rolling waves, the warm sunshine. These compelling shores beckon us, we long to throw our bathing suits and snorkeling gear into a suitcase and hop on a plane to any one of these exotic destinations.
2/8/59 - Sun.
Weather: Gorgeous - water especially wonderful - turquoise, blue, green, purple - can’t describe it -
For those of us with wanderlust, it’s time to start planning our next trip but it’s not quite time to hop on a plane and travel far and wide. The global Covid-19 pandemic is still alive and well and is unfortunately beginning to surge into a third (or fourth?) wave in some parts of the world. The best way to prevent the spread of the virus and avoid catching it is to continue to be patient and stay home. The CDC still recommends avoiding travel whenever possible.
Some travel is of course unavoidable, as was the case for us when we moved from France to Athens, Ohio last August, which was fortunately a time when the pandemic was waning in France and we even thought it would soon be on its way out (down from April’s 7-day average of 4500 to 550 in July). Things truly seemed to be looking up at that point and we thought we’d be able to hit the ground running in our new town!
Boy were we wrong! Case numbers surged, and as the Fall wore on, everywhere we looked the virus was raging and numbers were rising to record levels.
Since arriving in Athens, Ohio in August of 2020, we have basically cut out all travel whatsoever. We made tentative plans go to Maryland over the holidays to visit my parents who have only left their house to walk their dogs around the block since March 2020. We planned to strictly quarantine at home before going, make the drive without stopping, and then just stay in the house with them once we got there. But the trip seemed less and less feasible the more we weighed the pros and cons and we finally decided against it, not wanting to be exposed to increased risk on the road if anything went wrong and take the chance of further burdening already full hospitals. One friend told me he thought it sounded like we got stuck in a risk loop. Maybe so, but sometimes when all the variables have been weighed, things just don’t feel right and you have to go with your gut.
The situation has evolved since our thwarted plans to visit family in December. The numbers of daily new cases and deaths from the virus started on a downward trend in mid-January and have continued on this trajectory. Vaccinations are increasing nationally, especially for older people, and it’s now safe, according to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Dr Anthony Fauci, for vaccinated grandparents to hug their grandchildren!
While this is very good news, the pandemic is far from over.
“We’ve all sacrificed so much over the last year. This is not the time to relax our guard and get sick or get someone sick.”
The US is still recording an average of 57,000 new infections per day which is nowhere near where the count needs to be to begin letting our guard down. With only 14% of the US population and a much smaller percentage of the global population fully vaccinated (at the time of this writing) and the more contagious and deadly B.1.1.7 variant accounting for 30% of infections in this country, we need to continue to take precautions, like wearing masks and limiting travel and indoor time with people not from our households.
“When people travel and mix, you can see a big surge of infections a couple of weeks later.”
We’re all longing for things to feel “normal” again, to know when that magic day will come when we can burn our masks, throw caution to the wind and travel the world carefree. That would be fantastic but, sadly, pandemics don’t work that way. Experts say not to expect things to be back to the pre-pandemic normal of 2019 until at least 2023.
“I just can’t see it going back to normal for a long, long time. … I just can’t see it happening in the next 3-5 years.”
DESPAIR NOT!
This all sounds quite grim but have patience and don’t despair! We will be seeing better days for travel ahead, and if the vaccine rollout goes as planned and case numbers in the US continue to decline, plans can be made for later in 2021 and 2022, as long as we don’t pretend we can go back in time to a pre-pandemic normal and are willing to accept that travel will now be different in many respects.
Some experts, while agreeing that no travel is risk free, favor travel by car as the safer mode of transportation because you have a bit more control over where you stop, eat and sleep. If you can’t pack your own food for your road trip, be sure to check your route ahead of time to scope out the best eating places and try to stop outside of regular meal times so you can avoid crowds. Don’t hesitate to call hotels to ask about the sanitation precautions they’ve put in place before you book your stay.
Domestic travel will be the way to go in the second half of 2021. Accommodation rental companies are seeing a rise in interest for travel this summer and expect an uptick in the later part of the year. Outdoor destinations which allow for social distancing are proving to be popular for late 2021.
Top emerging US destinations observed by Vrbo are near lakes and rivers and include such gorgeous places as Emory, Rains County, TX , Slade, Powell County, KY, Outer Banks, NC, and Mannford, OK .
Emory, Rains County, Texas
Outer Banks, NC
“You’re only in the car by yourself or with family who you are probably in residence with anyway, and you have minimal interactions with people when you stop to get gas or get food, if you go through the drive-through. Those are pretty minimal risks to take.”
As the number of cases continues to decline, it will be increasingly safe to travel by plane. Transmission prevention will continue to require the same precautions we practice now.
“For those traveling by plane, I recommend wearing an N95 face mask as well as protective eyewear. My biggest concern flying is when people start eating their snacks and taking their masks off.”
The travel landscape has changed and airlines are adapting by adding new routes. Business air travel has all but disappeared so airlines are increasingly catering to people visiting family and relatives and to those seeking rest and relaxation. They are responding to this shift in customer interest by adding more flights to leisure-oriented destinations such as Palm Springs, CA, Anchorage, AK , Denver, CO, Hilton Head, SC, West Glacier, MT. Outdoorsy destinations are being sought out for later this year.
Group tour companies have had to cancel mid-April departures and are now seeing consumer interest in the second half of 2021. Many tour companies are allowing flexible booking, cancellation without penalty and advance-booking for departures as far out as 2023 in response to strong consumer demand for future bookings.
Whether you’re an aficionado of group tours or prefer to plan your future trip on your own, it would be advisable to follow some of the good practices that tour companies are adopting. If at all possible for you, plan your trip for less busy times of the year rather than popular holidays as you will have much smaller crowds to contend with in airports and stations and on transportation. Why not travel with a small group or “bubble” of people you know and book your own “pod” trip for later in the year or next year.
Pods are in in 2021-2022
Destinations in high demand for advance booking include Antarctica, Egypt and Ecuador, places where travelers can more easily get far away from crowds. If you do decide to travel overseas in late 2021 or 2022, be mindful of cancellation policies and fees, read the fine print and be aware that policies continue to change. Remember to check reentry testing requirements and look into where you will have access to testing within the required pre-travel timeframe at your destination abroad.
Once travel restrictions ease, some travelers plan to go all out – whether it’s traveling more frequently, spending more money or finally taking that bucket list trip. In the meantime, while we’re sitting at home dreaming about travel, it’s important that we reflect on how we will view travel differently from now on. We need to approach people we meet on our travels with patience, remembering to have compassion with fellow travelers as well as with those working at airports, stations and in all modes of transportation. And one lesson we have certainly learned is not to take the freedom to travel for granted!
CANVA PHOTO CREDITS
1) Tawakoni Lake, Emory, Rains County, Texas by Marvod
2) Outer Banks, North Carolina by Killahfunkadelic
3) Anchorage, Alaska by Chilkoot
4) Hilton Head, South Carolina by Douglas Rissing
5) Glacier National Park, Montana by Kamchatka
6) Pelican Pod by AwakenedEye
7) Dolphin Pod by Joost van Uffelen
8) Hippo Pod by Rixie
9 ) Antarctica by NaniP
10) Banos, Ecuador By Rudimencia
11) Egypt by Sculpies
REFERENCES
1) CDC Guidelines on Testing and International Air Travel, updated Mar. 2, 2021
3) 11 travel resolutions for when we can go on adventures again, by Natalie Compton, Jan 1, 2021
4) What Will Happen to Airfares in 2021?, by Jacob Passy, Jan 13, 2021
8) When will travel be safe again? 5 experts weigh in, by Hannah Sampson, Feb 24, 2021