Travel During the Time of COVID

Oh, for the day when we can hop on a plane and go see our long-distance family, or our friends without a worry…when we can book that cruise…or finally make the trip back to Italy we’ve been dreaming about for the past several years.

For many of my clients, colleagues and friends, cabin fever has graduated to full-on “hometown fever,” and I can so relate. At this point in the pandemic, so many of us are yearning to pack a bag and get out of Dodge for a change of scenery and a little R & R!

If you’ve got a serious case of wanderlust and are looking for safe ways to see the world, while still grappling with the pandemic, here are some ideas to consider:

Pick up a book – Instead of boarding a plane or a train, pick up a good read that transports you to a far-off place via your imagination. Take a trip to Italy by reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, or Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Travel to France by picking up A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle or The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Cuba is at your fingertips when reading Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton, and the hustle and bustle of life in Tokyo, Japan engulfs you as you step into the pages of A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

We yearn to get away on vacation so we can spend our days diving into deep azure waters and soaking up the sun rays. We long to luxuriate someplace far from home in order to restore a sense of peace and balance. In an article from Thrive Global, Natasa Lekic, founder of www.nybookeditors.com, says the brain helps you accomplish that same sense of peace and balance when you dive into a good book. “Reading is living vicariously. When it comes to your brain activity, you’re not staring at black squiggles on white pages,” Lekic explains, “you’re roaming the streets of Italy or hanging off a cliff – and you didn’t even have to spring for the life insurance.”

Take a virtual tour – In this new Zoom-ified world, it’s possible to take a virtual tour of any number of beautiful sight-seeing destinations all over the globe. You can become an armchair traveler visiting Ireland one day, and Russia and Egypt the next…or you can tour the Sistine Chapel or The Louvre – just by logging in to your computer.

Road trip – While many health experts say that the safest way to travel is actually not to travel at all during this time, if you’re determined to hit the road, a number of experts recommend a car trip as the way to go. In a Self online article, Sara Hurtado Bares, M.D. notes, “[A car trip] is a safer option than flying and trains because you can choose who you’re with in the car.” Dr. Celine Grounder, M.D. recommends renting an RV or going camping in an area where there’s minimal exposure to other campers. Some of the most popular U.S. road trips according to Afar Travel Guides include: Pacific Coast Highway/ Route 1 from Dana Point to San Fransisco, CA; Bangor, Maine to Seattle, Washington/ Route 2 across the northern U.S.; and Chicago to Los Angeles on Legendary Route 66.

The good news is that there’s light at the end of the tunnel with vaccines rolling out across the nation. When we’re finally able to pack our bags and fly the friendly skies to far-off lands worry-free, once again, or travel by rail on the mighty Empire Builder through the Rocky Mountains, we will be more appreciative than ever.