Will We Ever Travel Again? Yes! and Here is Where We'll Go
With the recent hopeful news of a vaccine on the horizon, people are starting to dream again about traveling. Especially as we enter the 9-month mark of this pandemic. For those of us that thrive (and formerly made an income) off of travel and experiences, it has been a bit frustrating to have the flexibility of being able to work from anywhere and yet not be able to really go anywhere. The travel industry is facing tough times, and the light at the end of the tunnel that I was starting to see this summer has been a bit dimmer lately. I know one day this will all be a distant memory. We will NEVER forget the pandemic that changed our world forever, and eventually, we will actually get on a plane again and “see the Pyramids along the Nile, watch the sunrise on a tropic isle” (Jo Stafford anyone?). Yes, we will travel again, and when we do we will go crazy with all the places we are longing to see!
My top 5 picks for where we will be itching to travel to when COVID-19 is finally over!
Alaska (My beautiful home state)
“The Mountains are calling, and I must go. ”
Although Alaska is one of the 50 states in America, you must cross the Canadian border to drive there which is how many tourists from the West Coast of the US travel up via RV during the summer season. This has been made very difficult during the pandemic with strict border crossing regulations into Canada. This past summer, only necessary travel from “the states” up to Alaska was permitted, and the fear of flying was a real thing. The summer of 2020 saw a significant decrease in tourism to Alaska which in turn has had a detrimental impact on the state. The Last Frontier thrives off of the mass amounts of tourists that visit each summer, as it is one of the state’s most lucrative industries. According to an article from June, 2020 in the Anchorage Daily News, In a normal year, approximately 2.25 million visitors come to Alaska and spend $2.2 billion during their stay. Those visitors provide 10% of Alaska’s jobs while Tourism brings $126 million in state revenue and $88 million in municipal revenue, with a total economic impact of $4.5 billion. As you can imagine, COVID-19 hit the state incredibly hard, but if all goes according to the vaccine plans, summers to come will see plenty of people flocking to the Last Frontier once again to see all that this great land has to offer, including amazing glaciers and pristine wildlife. Put Alaska back on your bucket list! It may seem far away but it is well worth the trip!
Photo Credit - @hariprasad000
The Greek Islands
“Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean sea.”
Photo Credit: Lizandra Rodriguez @lizandraministries
Each time I sail to the Greek Islands, I am awestruck over the beauty that surrounds me. I never get tired of the view of the beautifully tranquil sunsets over the ocean, the amazing food and the incredible Philoxenia (hospitality or literally translated “friend to a stranger”) of the Greek people. Greece has become more popular than ever over the recent years. According to the Travel and Hospitality website statista.com, 34.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in 2019, having steadily increased year over year since 2012, making Greece one of the most visited countries in Europe. Although COVID-19 has put a serious wrench in vacation plans, we can expect these numbers to return once borders open and people can freely travel. Also, with the country giving a 50% tax cut to businesses and individual professionals coming in Greece in 2021, perhaps we will see even more development and growth for the country in the coming years.
Japan
“Never coming home. Staying in Osaka forever”
Photo Credit: @tianshu
We can all remember 10 months ago, halfway across the world, when the Diamond Princess cruise liner, carrying active cases of COVID-19 was quarantining passengers off the coast of Yokohama, Japan. Despite being an initial hot spot, Japan has done an excellent job keeping the virus under control. With the Summer Olympics postponed until July 2021, and a vaccine hopefully available for all, we will certainly see people anxious to visit this exquisite country once again. I had the amazing opportunity to live and work in Japan for nearly 2 years. It was an experience that shaped who I am as a person and one that I will always describe as life-changing. Even if you can only manage 2 weeks, I am certain it will change your life for the better.
Bermuda
“You can go to heaven if you want. I’d rather stay in Bermuda.”
Photo Credit: @berry_lover
A hidden gem off the East Coast of North America, Bermuda has been pushing tourism over the past several years. The former British colony is extremely welcoming, but during the global pandemic, they have been very careful to slow tourism especially from The United States. With some of the most amazing beaches in the Northern Hemisphere, this island is a short 90-minute flight from cities on the east coast including NYC, Boston, and Charlotte. It is so close, that the Bermuda Tourism Board ran a campaign a few years ago promoting after work happy hours in Bermuda. I distinctly remember one year thinking to myself “it is actually faster to go to Bermuda from NYC than to the Hamptons!”
Bermuda is a tranquil getaway that lacks the overwhelming amounts of tourists like other islands. I have my eye on it being a hot place to travel to post pandemic. For those digital nomads amongst us, Bermuda is offering work visas with proof of income, so pack up your laptop and head to your nearest airport for the quick jot to this gorgeous paradise. Just remember Bermuda is on the same latitude as North Carolina so the winters can be quite chilly. The best time to go is between May - September, however for more affordable pricing and yet still incredible beach weather try either April or October.
New York City
“The city seen for the first time, in it’s first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”
For 8 months now, the city that never sleeps has been silenced, something the world thought could never happen. Residents of New York City are left standing still not knowing how to move forward. Broadway has been postponed until 2021, with most hotels and restaurants not able to open until the bright lights of the famous Marquis are shining once again. Despite being the initial COVID-19 hotspot in the US, NYC has done a tremendous turnaround and now has some of the lowest cases in the entire country. Despite, the Big Apple’s commitment to health and safety, it thrives on hospitality for economic growth and will be anxious to welcome tourism back as soon as it is safe. The perception that NYC is a dangerous place to be during a global pandemic is a fallacy. We are fully committed to the return of our amazing city as soon as possible and we know the rest of the country, and the world is waiting for the day they can see our bright lights shine again.
Photo Credit: @storiesbysoph