What I Love About Travel Planning During a Pandemic
If there is one thing that I love to write about, it’s travel! Do you know that feeling you get once you have researched and chosen a time and place for a vacation? You feel excitement even though you and your travel companion(s) have yet to work out all those details and there will still be lots to do to make the trip truly special. And, yes, even if you haven’t totally figured out where the money will come from! That’s totally fine, because it is enough to make your heart soar!
SWEET! One of the great things about the freedom of living in the good ‘ol USA is our ability to see the world in all its glory. The challenges we currently face during the pandemic of COVID are limiting, to be sure. It is critical to be aware of the entry requirements now more than ever. And we have the additional challenge of longer wait times for passport renewals and first-time applications to be processed. As always, check in with your travel pro for advice on your destination of choice. Only you can know your comfort level about travel at this time while we await both better treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19.
It’s a good time to take to the road! Car trips can be a great way to decompress and re-connect with family. Be creative. Do you have a tent, camper or RV? Call for campsite reservations in advance. Check the parks for reservation requirements. Look into the best mobile internet providers. Bring Fido and the kids along to explore! Back in the day, we took our three boys out of school for road trips in the USA and I do think they learned a whole lot more doing that than being in school. And it was way before there was a World Wide Web!
Dream big during COVID, and prioritize that long bucket list. Research (I can help!) the best company for the destination, and if you can, hold that spot with a deposit, even if two years out. Most of the strong travel companies who offer tours, packages and cruise ship itineraries also have VERY flexible cancellation and change policies so you can schedule that vacation without worry of losing your investment.
If you are like me, much of the joy of travel is in the planning and knowledge that I will be “THERE” soon. You deserve some pampering right now. Know that during this time of incredible challenges for the travel industry, everyone has your safety and well-being top of mind. It might, in fact, be one of the best times to enjoy a beach vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico right now, as the protocols in place are all about limited numbers and offering the ability to safe-distance. And maybe, just maybe, it is safer to be on that beach than to be at home right now.
Sigh. If only I could go for a couple of months or so. I like the idea of setting up a virtual office to do ZOOM calls by the ocean. Grin. Meet ya there?
Peace and happy planning, Bobbie
