By Karen Quinn-Panzer
Travel Matters
Karen Quinn-Panzer
Opening my phone on Labor Day, I noticed not one but three vacation memories on this date, ranging from 2014 at Iberostar Grand (an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica) to 2017 on a Mekong River cruise to just last year in Palermo, Sicily.
My overwhelming reaction was that I had taken my travels for granted, along with my freedom to travel.
I started to ponder why we travel and how the pandemic has impacted those values.
There are so many reasons to get away: relaxation, a change of pace and to be pampered are just three reasons off the top of my head. To be a traveler versus a tourist – to explore and discover new places, people and customs can be a transformative experience. By traveling the world our perspective changes. Somehow, the world becomes both bigger and smaller at the same time. We see the things we have in common, as well as our differences, and are generally better for the experience.
Dr. Seuss in his 1990 book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go, put it this way:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose!”
The book is a popular gift for students graduating from kindergarten through college. And it brings home the reason that travel appeals to so many of us – the freedom to explore and to discover.
So how has the pandemic affected our travel and our desire to explore?
More Americans are venturing into the great outdoors, due to few socially distant vacation options and most countries barring US travelers. Mexico is one of the big exceptions. That country is welcoming Americans with excellent safety protocols. Road trips and visits to national parks have never been so popular. RV rentals have gone through the roof as people have decided to explore and discover without getting on an airplane.
Most restaurants have quickly developed outdoor seating so that people can feel more secure while dining. Cities are changing their access to their top sights, sometimes pedestrianizing streets so that people can get to them without public transportation. We are becoming more of a society of walkers and bikers by necessity. In fact, Conde Nast Traveler said, “It may seem counterintuitive, but in the end, COVID-19 could be an unexpected boon for anyone who loves cities.”
The pandemic has not really changed our “need” to travel. It has limited our options for the moment, and we are in the process of adapting to that. Many are not ready to travel just yet, though some are rarin’ to go, with many of my clients already rebooking this year’s canceled trips to 2021 or 2022.
If you love to travel, it’s just a matter of where and when. As one travel company put it, where will you be when the world reopens?
Karen Quinn-Panzer is the owner and vacation specialist at Dream Vacations Quinn Panzer Travel.