A COVID Summer

Family interrupted

By now, everyone has been rethinking their 2020 vision as travel is restricted, events canceled, and we learn how to receive services online. Book launches are on hold, weddings postponed, and teachers have finally earned a little respect.

For a family like mine, that depends heavily on leisure travel for bonding, this summer of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc. Of course, on the long list of personal problems that COVID-19 is causing, this isn’t one of them. It’s just an acknowledgment of an inconvenience when family tradition is interrupted.

Family Interrupted

Last year, my daughter and I traveled out of the country for Independence Day. We thought we would make it an annual tradition. This January, we began contemplating if we would return to Cartagena or choose a different destination. Our destination likely will be a mother-daughter Zoom visit unless we’re willing to throw caution to the wind. Are we?

Travel restriction

International travel restrictions may loosen up by June according to news reports. However, consumers have to consider whether removing restrictions are based on politics or science about health risks. Potential travelers should do serious homework before making travel plans for the remainder of the year.

Because New York is a virus hot spot, 14 days of quarantine is recommended when leaving and arriving.

May has already been a difficult month for my family. My husband and I are in a temporary long-distance relationship. We had plans for me to visit him in New York every three weeks. I haven’t visited since mid-February. He tried to surprise me for Mother’s Day by sending me gifts. He’s been asking me every day if the last package arrived. It hasn’t yet.

My husband’s birthday is also in May, and I canceled my plans to visit. New York is a virus hot spot - 14 days of quarantine is recommended when leaving and arriving. In his tiny apartment, there is no place for me to quarantine, and neither of us can afford 14 days away from our respective homes. We are fortunate to both remain healthy despite our risk categories, and will not tempt fate.

Coast to coast

My daughter is cramped up in a tiny apartment on the opposite coast, in San Diego. She says she will continue her plans to go to Greece with friends in September. However, she will not allow me, a 57-year-old asthmatic, to leave the country in July.

My husband and I planned our August anniversary in Canada to attend a major outdoor music festival. The festival has already been canceled. We are uncertain as to whether the flight will be canceled, how to proceed at this point. Everything is wait-and-see.

My husband has also already purchased his flight to visit me in Colorado in July. Hopefully, he will be able to do so. We had plans to attend the Winter Park Jazz festival, as we do every year. But, that outdoor concert has also been canceled.

What about Christmas?

Fortunately, we paused our Christmas travel plans just in time. We were hoping to go to China. My sister-in-law travels with us each year. That’s one of the few times my husband gets to see his sister, as she also lives in a different state from the rest of us. We have no idea if, and where, we will gather for Christmas this year.

Advice about travel for the remainder of the year is to proceed with caution. Even if you can get to your destination, you have to do your due diligence beyond the normal. You must know the health status and requirements of your destination. Many of the tourist destinations could be closed. Open attractions may require masks and limit occupancy. Reservations could be needed more than usual.

Future Travel

Some airlines are even requiring health checks and masks to board. Air travel changed drastically after 911. People barely remember when you could wait at the gate with your family member and watch their flight take off. Some of the current changes will become permanent.

Getting people to buy into the new restrictions and feel safe about traveling is not just important to my family. Travel is an integral part of the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. Travel Association, “In 2019, travel generated $2.6 trillion for the U.S. economy, supporting 15.8 million American jobs.”

I’m on the conservative side when considering travel. As my friend and writer, Julia E Hubbel reminds me, “Life is already brilliant, vibrant and amazing just as it is in the slow lane.” I don’t need to rush into travel.

As valuable as travel is to my family, I will not risk my health unnecessarily. I have visions of future family gatherings sitting around, looking at past images. Images of 2020 will be missing.

The disappointment will have long faded, and someone will ask what we did we do in 2020? I will respond, “Oh, that was the COVID year.” It will be remembered lightheartedly as “The year we did nothing.”

References

Baran, M. (2020). Emirates Begins Testing Passengers for Coronavirus Prior to Boarding. Afar. https://www.afar.com/magazine/the-future-of-air-travel-emirates-tests-passengers-for-coronavirus-prior-to

Baran, M. (2020). Will I be able to travel this summer? Afar. https://www.afar.com/magazine/will-i-be-able-to-travel-this-summer-due-to-coronavirus

Julia E Hubbel (2020). What adventure travel taught me about thriving in lockdown. Illumination on Medium. https://readmedium.com/what-adventure-travel-taught-me-about-thriving-in-lockdown-b703cb4cda97.

U.S. Travel Association. The Economic Impact of the Travel Industry. https://www.ustravel.org/economic-impact