Who could have imagined that making a simple plane trip meant showing up hours early, removing your shoes, jerking out your tiny liquids, displaying your electronics, and wondering if the body scanners can see the hole in your underwear?
In the world of travel, there is Pre-9/11 and Post-9/11, and whether we liked it or not, we all adjusted. Post-COVID-19 travel will require even more adjustments and once again, if we want to travel, we’ll have to adapt to a “new normal.”
Governments and private companies are scrambling to develop strategies that enable travel while protecting the health of travelers, employees, and in-country residents as well as minimizing the spread of the virus. It’s a staggeringly complex problem, and at this point, it’s impossible to know the details. But there are a few things we can expect.
1. The hassle, expense, and time to travel will test everyone’s patience.
After 9/11 we all learned how to jump through lots of annoying security hoops, and the coronavirus will only add to our misery. Whether it’s government-mandated quarantines, proof of non-infection, or lining up for temperature checks, the hassle of getting to and from our destination is going to get worse.
Less competition caused by bankruptcies, fewer customers on fewer flights, and reduced numbers of seats from social distancing; combine all these factors and there’s no way to avoid higher airfares. Add to this the cost of an “immunity passport,” and any other required documentation, and higher travel costs are a guarantee.
In addition to more money, we’ll be spending more time. Post-pandemic, there’s a certainty of longer waits to check in and board the plane; then comes the joy of standing in seemingly endless immigration queues. And the only workable solutions for travelers are foreknowledge, planning, and patience … lots of patience.
2. Your time on the plane just won’t be the same.
Airlines and their balance sheets have been absolutely hammered by this pandemic, and their survival will require radical changes in not only how they transport passengers, but they’ll also have the new challenge of how to protect them from infection.
Before the COVID-bomb exploded, turning a profit meant squeezing more passengers into smaller and smaller seats. But with a highly communicable disease that loves people in close proximity, this strategy will no longer work.
Planes are virtually empty now, but when it’s safe to fly again, it will be a very different experience. There will be changes in seating, boarding, and food service. According to news website Axios, air travel will never be the same. They caution:
“Masks and social distancing are only the beginning.”
3. There will be an evolving patchwork of new immigration rules.
Deciding how best to deal with this pandemic has placed the entire planet in uncharted territory. Travel restrictions will be eased, and when they are, each country will be at a different stage in the course of the disease. Consequently, each will have a unique point of view on how best to handle travelers and threats to their population. A complete travel ban works in the short term, but totally closing borders forever isn’t possible … or desirable.
So what will result is an evolving patchwork of immigration procedures that will vary from country to country. Visitors from infection-hotspot countries may be banned altogether, and others might be admitted with forced quarantines. Some nations may also require a vaccination card or an infection-free medical certificate from a doctor.
And most importantly, whatever the requirements, it will be the responsibility of foreign visitors to know exactly what it takes to enter the country and prepare so they’re not refused entry.
4. Will an “Immunity Card” or COVID-19 testing work while we’re waiting on a vaccine?
The silver bullet for the coronavirus is a vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, everyone’s favorite new Doc and director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases predicts that a COVID-19 vaccine could take 12 to 18 months to develop and be approved for public use. So how do travelers move around in the meantime without spreading the disease?
Dubai-based Emirates Airlines recently carried out blood tests – at the airport! – on all passengers for one of their Tunisia-bound flights. Is this what our future holds? Oh please NO!
We’re hoping the solution is a bit less piercing: more along the lines of what the Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian suggested. He foresees the possibility of an “immunity passport” or some other proof of good health required at airports. There’s some disagreement in the medical community as to how, and if, these certificates would work, but eventually the details will be worked out and travelers will have to get onboard.
5. PPEs will be your new constant travel companions.
Regardless of what officials decide is best for everyone’s protection, you’ll need to pay close attention to your own health and safety by making personal protective equipment a permanent part of your road gear. Masks, hand-sanitizer, and wipes will get added to the packing list, and will always be close at hand. There will be a chance of infection in transit, but vigilance shouldn’t stop when you reach your destination – so prepare.
* * *
When it comes to travel after the pandemic there’s no denying it’s difficult to find bright spots. But after months of gloom and doom, that flicker you see up ahead may just be a light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. An isolation-fatigued world is cautiously allowing itself to think about a staged return to some version of normal, and for some of us the “new normal” includes the ability to travel again.
So begin your online search for that fashionable, non-nerdy mask (that just might make someone smile), and let’s all start imagining our next trip!
Good Health and Happy Trails,
James & Terri
Photo Credits: 1. bantersnaps 2 & 4. Simone Hutsch 3. Joe Green 5. William Navarro 6. Reza Aulia 7. Free To Use Sounds 8. Random Institute
GALLIVANCE 
Wouldn’t you like to be a bug on the wall in the airline boardrooms? They need traveling people and as few obstacles as possible so everything you clearly expect is poison to them.
As you know David, businesses are forced to change to survive, but the speed, severity, and number of changes the airlines have to deal with are incredible. This crisis will be a test of leadership and management skills for sure. ~James
Very interesting read…its sad that what you wrote is very true. I don’t know what to expect or to say except…We will all have to adjust. Àccept and fly!!!
Thanks for the comment Erika, and for dropping by the blog. As we said, it’s hard to find bright spots, but we got back to travel after 9/11 and we’ll do the same for COVID-19. In the meantime, we just have to take care of ourselves and stay positive. All the best to you and take care. ~James
I love the mask. In England they are suggesting that all travellers might have to self isolate for 14 days on entering the country which would stop short summer holidays. It will take a couple of years before we know how long immunity lasts after getting the virus so immunity passports are not round the corner. I think travel will resume but be much more difficult and expensive sadly.
Anne, Terri found that cool mask for me, and I love it. I really wonder how successful self isolation will be in the long term. It’s an obvious solution, but will visitors obey the rules long term, and if not, how are the rules enforced. And even though immunity is an unknown at this point, I think that immunity passports may be tried as a solution simply because there aren’t any other short-term options. We’ll see. ~James
Ha ha, you saved the best till last! We won’t be flying anywhere anytime soon. We’re not planning on going anywhere anytime soon although restrictions are being eased slightly.
When we do get on the road again, I think we’ll be exploring Europe (we’re in Holland). I have a long time to work out the best/cheapest way to do that!
Tracey, I don’t see us flying anywhere in the near future either. Luckily, we don’t have to, and given the hassles and unknowns, it’s just not worth the effort. We really enjoy camping, and when the campgrounds start to open up, we (along with the other 300 million Americans 🙂 ) will try some summer camping.
Luckily, in Europe you have excellent train service which will be a better option than flying, so that should be help near term. ~James
“Short-term” prophecies are self-fulfilling; long-term prophecies are self-correcting.”
I am sure there will be change. Change is the only constant. But little is to be gained from worrying about it.
I suspect a year from now, we will have to show proof of vaccination to fly or travel internationally. In the meantime, I am just restless to be able to travel in my own country [the U.S.] and Canada.
A vaccination is the only real solution for sure. Given the financial incentives for developing a vaccine, I won’t be surprised if some pharma gets one approved quicker than normal. It might not be 100% effective, and may have some issues, but I suspect that given the urgent need, standards might be relaxed a bit until a more effective one is developed. In the meantime, like you, we’re anxious to be able to do a bit of travel at home as well. ~James
My response was optimistic given the years it normally takes to approve a vaccine, but so much scientific progress has already been made faster than normal, I remain hopeful.
Excellent (and depressing) list. I’ve put off my yearly trip to visit my daughter in Chicago, and am just hoping this time next year will be possible. Sounds like it won’t be simple 😦
Bea, we’ve read some accounts of people taking flights and it sounds abysmal. So sadly, we won’t be taking any plane trips in the near future either. Sorry you can’t visit your daughter. It must be frustrating to have no firm idea of when you’ll be able to. Luckily, here in the US we have a huge country to roam around, so once things open up, we’ll be taking a few road trips. Take care. ~James
I wonder how much impact not being able to fly internationally (for now) will have on local tourist destinations. Will people opt to visit parts of the US they’ve never been to or explored. Will our national parks become filled with Americans for a change? I don’t think there has ever been a better time to explore our own “backyard”. Right now, we are still planning on staying in Crystal River, even though restrictions are being lifted. I’m in the camp that believes we are opening too quickly. FL has had 2500 new cases since restrictions were eased, not a good sign in my book.
Laura realistically, for most Americans in the medium term, the only relatively easy way to travel will be by car; so State and National Parks are an obvious choice to get away and achieve some social distancing. And on the backside of this crisis, we may see that it was a shot-in-the-arm for the coffers of parks that are in dire need of additional funds. That would be a good thing.
As for opening too quickly, I don’t see that there’s any way to avoid a second peak in infections. Given the economic pressures, it’s a tough call to make, but hopefully a balance can be found. BTW, I didn’t know you were in Crystal Springs. That’s a really nice part of FL (love the manatees). ~James
Best mask ever!
Thanks Janet. I have my Sweetie to thank for that dashing fashion statement. I hear oohs and ahhs of envy down at Kroger :). ~James
it will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Right now we can’t even leave our immediate area in Spain. I have a friend who is part of a cruise ship crew and has been stuck on board the ship floating around the Caribean for over 8 weeks. No passengers and no virus either. They just can’t get a port that will let them in and flights to get home! I think we will be doing driving holidays once that option is available. For now, we are looking forward to a trip to our favorite beach cafe. Maybe next week! Cute mask. Take care, both of you. xo
Darlene, so sorry to hear about your friend on the cruise ship. I had no idea this sort of thing was going on, but it seems that most governments are erring on the side of safety, and they see no upside in taking the chance of infection. There are no easy decisions in this crisis.
One advantage you guys have in Europe is an excellent network for train travel. When things open up, I think that trains will certainly be a better, safer option than flying, so that might help to get back out on the road. In the meantime, I hope your cafe opens soon. Here in our town, the restaurants are due to open in the next week or so, with social distancing and unlimited outdoor seating. We live in a university town, so I’m sure it will be a madhouse, and we hope that it doesn’t cause another spike in infections. Take care. ~James
Thanks Janet. I have my Sweetie to thank for that dashing fashion statement. I hear oohs and ahhs of envy down at Kroger :). ~James
Thank you for this excellent post (as always) and for confirming what all of us have been suspecting and expecting for the future of travel. Someone asked me if I would ever board an airplane again — and I said definitely YES. In fact, right now sounds good — fewer people and the cleanest seats ever. But the reality of it is, we’ll think twice about the delays, the quarantine time upon arrival, the searches and scans and testing. It’s a lot to take in. But I still remain positive — after all, I haven’t seen all the places on my bucket list, and I still want to! Again, thanks for a great post.
Rusha, we’re glass-half-full types, but when it comes to travel after the coronavirus crisis we’re also realistic, and that was the tone we were trying to achieve in this post. It’s impossible to predict, but there are some realities that travelers will be unable to escape, and that’s what we want to mentally prepare for. But like you, we’re travelers now and always will be, so we’re trying to stay positive as well.
And one advantage to writing a blog is that it’s also a journal. So we can look back in a couple of years and marvel what we believed would happen vs. what actually transpired. We’ll see. Take care down there. ~James
I love your glass-half-full approach. We all are trying to find positives and hopeful situations. Wishing you armchair travels for now. We’re off to the beach for a week. Need some sunshine!!
A week at the beach – now that’s some social distancing right there! Have a fun time.
I have been reading that planes are flying within the US with hardly any passengers (the airlines are required to maintain a certain level of service). It may actually be safer now than it will be later. Not that I am planning on going anywhere right now.
I am a UK as well as a US citizen, but I expect that non-residents will be treated the same as non-citizens for quarantine purposes. Don’t expect to visit family there until fall 2021.
Kathy, it really is impossible to predict how and when this crisis will end. With all the unknown medical details about the virus and it’s long-term behavior as well as the unpredictable human element, who knows where we’ll end up? Truthfully, in the early days of the lockdown we were totally bummed that we had to cancel our trip to South Africa. But after seeing the global spread and the resulting uncertainties, we’re really happy that we don’t have anywhere we need to be other than home. Having said that however, we’ll be glad to be able to travel again once it’s safe. ~James
I’m so glad we travelled when we did. They are cramming too many people into too small an space. I guess they can’t do that any more. So not only will they check your shoes, belts and electronics. They’ll be taking you temperature and health history too.
No, I’m not sure I want the hassle any more.
Leslie
Leslie, thinking about getting on a plane now sounds pretty miserable. Maybe when things get settled a bit, it would be good to take the dip-a-toe-in approach and experiment with a short flight and keep it simple. That’s probably what we’ll do. ~James
I think we’ll just stay put. We’re home, we’re comfortable and still have a lot of memories.
Leslie
Some great points & insight into what travel may look like moving forward. I am so grateful for the travels I have experienced to date & sure hope I have the opportunity to continue exploring far off lands in my future. In the meantime, I suspect I shall be doing a few more road trips in the land I call home. 🇨🇦💕
Lynn, I suspect we’ll all be taking this approach, and not all of it is bad. We’ve been car picnicing around our area, and we’ve already visited a number of places that have been on our list for ages. I made the comparison to Post-9/11 and I truly believe that eventually we’ll adapt just the way we did then. Take care of yourself. ~James
Great post. I think domestic travel is going to be huge. Folks going out and buying RV’s and boats. A second mobile way to live and travel more safely. International flying is going to be more expensive and it will take a long time to get the flying numbers where they were in 2019. Most airlines don’t expect the numbers on International flights to return until 2024 if they are lucky. Too many people are going to be afraid to fly and especially any older folks that have any pre-existing conditions. Newer planes are going to have to be made with more passenger space and safety in mind. The days of cramming us all in like sardines are gone. And we are going to pay for it.
I agree with every point you made – particularly about domestic travel. I hadn’t read the 2024 date for international flights, but regardless, I can tell you that when we fly internationally again we’ll plan everything differently. The days of 12-hour, cheek by jowl plane trips are over for us. Planned carefully, short hops from country to country may work.
Also, your point about RVs and boats is a good one. We have a tiny popup camper, and when a few campgrounds open up we’ll be out there – along with the other 300 million Americans. 🙂 ~James
We had an RV and a boat and lived in them full time. We loved the lifestyle. You are right that many RVers will hit the road. Fortunately, there are many remote campgrounds in the Northern Hemisphere!
As far as booking airlines going forward, we are going to be just as cautious as you and we will no longer book more than 60 days in advance.
Like millions of folks around the world, we are fighting to get refunds on 3 separate flights/trips we had planned and the airlines’ had canceled. We understand a delay, but how about some customer service and open communication? Waiting for over 30 days is ridiculous. That’s OK, we will remember this for a long time!
For people buying plane tix this has been a serious wake-up call. We’ve always tried to fly on the cheap with non-refundable tickets … not next time, unless we’re prepared to lose the entire fare. Yep, there will be lots of folks like you and I rethinking airline tix in the future.
Posted! https://latitudeadjustmentblog.com/2020/05/10/colombia-expats-in-a-covid-19-world-mothers-day-edition/
🙂
BTW, Ok if we put a link to this post for our next blog post we are putting out today?
Yes, we would be very happy for you to link to this post. We’ll keep an eye out for your post. Thanks much. ~James
Very timely and insightful post! It will be nearly impossible to find solutions that will make traveling fun again. Or affordable! I think many people will stay close to home for vacations in the near future. My personal solution would be to not use planes anymore for a while (it’s already been two years for me since I flew), but it would be nice to see my family in Belgium again one day.
Other than that, a camper to drive to exciting places and to live in, dispersed in nature, might be the solution for a little while. 🙂
Liesbet, in the US we don’t have the luxury of a good train system like Europe, so for the near future, car (and camper) road trips are going to be the option for just about everyone. And you two are way ahead of the crowd for traveling and living on the road. In these days of uncertainty, that must be good peace of mind. Campgrounds will be crowded, so the trick will be finding primitive boondock options, which I’m sure you’re also well prepared for. As for plane travel, it’s just going to take time, and lots and lots of adjustments. Take care. ~James
Thanks so much for the link to our post. We all know that this is a global crisis, and posts like yours put a personal face on it. It’s also interesting to see how reactions and solutions are influenced by culture. When the virus has run its course, it will be fascinating to see what worked and what didn’t. ~James
This is good information James and Terri. It’s never too early to start planning, especially in such unsure times. At any rate, those of us who are fortunate enough to survive both the physical and financial effects of the pandemic and come out the other side with the good health and resources required for travel should feel very fortunate indeed.
Henry, your point is a good reminder that for most of us, travel is a luxury that we should not take for granted, and that we will certainly appreciate more in the future. And while the financial fallout has been bad so far, I fear that the worst is yet to come. The world economy is a complex beast, and when the results of the massive unemployment and financial struggles begin to truly percolate through, I fear that the bottom will drop out. This is when the good fortune you speak of will come in to play. Take care and good health. ~James
Excellent article! Boy the airline industry sure has been bludgeoned by the corona virus! Profitability in this high fixed cost and low variable cost business has always depended on putting butts in seats. Right now, demand has cratered, so the airlines have grounded almost 20,000 passenger aircraft. Hopefully in a year or so, we will have a vaccine and airline demand will return. Even then, I don’t know how eager passengers will be to fly and pay the higher fares. In the meantime, as many of your commentators say, we will be taking more domestic trips and doing a lot more armchair traveling.
Joe, your statistic about the number of grounded planes is incredible. I knew there were lots of planes in mothballs, but had no idea the number was so high. And part of the high fixed cost is that every plane that isn’t flying and making money, is costing money. Technology and consumer preferences have always forced business to make changes, but I can’t think of any businesses that have had to deal with this many drastic changes in such a short time.
A few airlines will come out of this because there’s no other way for us to get around the planet. But in the meantime, I wouldn’t want the job of trying to keep one of these companies financially afloat and make the changes that must be made to go forward: a daunting task for sure. Thanks for an interesting comment. ~James
Thank you, James. It is no surprise that Warren Buffet sold his entire stake in the airline industry last week.
So true. So true. I guess it will cut down on the crowds 🙂
Emily, you make a good point, and in fact, it should have been included in our post as something to expect for future travel. Depending on one’s point of view, smaller crowds at popular destinations could be seen as a silver lining to all this business. Take care of yourself. ~James
James and Terri, this is a very interesting post and I wonder how many of your predictions will come true. For sure traveling, the way we did before is not going to resume any time soon. Brian and I have our RV/Motorhome in storage at the moment, we hope to be able to travel within the UK in our home-on-wheels or even if possible go across into France later on in the Autumn. But only time will tell if or when we will be allowed to go. Fingers crossed.
Gilda, we too have a small camper in storage and like you, we see it as our way of doing a bit of travel this summer/autumn. However, it’s still a total unknown how realistic this will be. In the US, each state has the authority to open their individual state parks, and it’s unknown which states will do what. There are Federal parks run by the National Government, but most of these are in the far western US and are difficult for most people to get to. I maintain that camping is the perfect way to travel and at the same time achieve the social distancing needed, but state governments may not agree. We’ll see.
As for travel that requires a plane, I think that for us the time frame is much longer. Even when traveling by plane is an option, is it going to be worth the hassle, expense, and risk of infection, quarantines, etc. As you can probably tell from the tone of our post, it’s going to be a good, long while. In the meantime, patience is a virtue. You and Brian take care. ~James
I agree completely James that there is a lot of unknowns about travel at this point. I also agree it will never look the same. I have multiple concerns but one will be that countries may quickly close their borders if they have an upswing of cases. That underlying uncertainty may be with us for a very long time.
I have taken to sewing masks. After all it has only been 30 years since my sewing machine got some action.I went for orange paisley for myself but I do love your travel theme. I’ll be on the watch for interesting fabric!
Sue, because this virus is so highly infectious, and each country has a different schedule for opening up, I can’t see any way around the quick changes in border closures that you mention. But as this crisis drags on, I won’t be surprised to find that we’re still not traveling abroad in the next year. Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but there are just too many unknowns about the realities of travel as well as concerns for our personal health.
And good for you for sewing masks. I think that masks will be a part of our wardrobes for some time to come. You’re going to be a popular girl. ~James
Gosh, you are painting a depressing picture James. Unfortunately, that is where the world is at. Love the mask. I will try and sew some myself.
Bertie, as we said, it’s hard to find bright spots for travelers. It will be a tough balancing act on all sides. Most countries want and need tourist dollars, but the last thing they need is to be importing CV into an already difficult situation. I hope that I have some of this wrong, but we’ll see. Take care and good luck with the masks. ~James
It is going to be very interesting to see how travel and airlines transform themselves. Interestingly when we arrived in NY city en route to Mexico from Asia, the precautions taken by the airport and airlines were at that stage minimal. Really scary. We were all held in the tunnel coming off the airplane while we waited to be have temperatures taken, one by one before proceeding to get luggage. I couldn’t help thinking how archaic a system that was. Especially compared with in Viet Nam.. when we left, there are computer scanners which scan your temperature automatically without your even knowing it!
I really hope that vaccines do not become a mandated thing, but rather an optional one. I am against getting a vaccine, but on the other hand if it means I can’t travel internationally then I would obviously get one.
Yup things are going to, have to change. Right now any air travel is probably pretty easy as so few people are travelling. Even when we arrived in March, there were few lines, and everything was very easy in that regard especially compared to the norm before.
Interesting and informative post.
Peta
Peta, I’m always interested to hear real experiences like yours, and thanks for that info. In these days of sensationalized headlines, it’s good to hear a true report. Your experience confirms what I think is most likely to happen when travel opens up. In this post I use the word “patchwork,” and I truly believe that is what it will be. No one really knows what the best solutions are, and each airline and government will try what they believe to be best.
And regardless what government and airline officials decide, each traveler will have to decide what their own personal risk level is, and how best to mitigate that risk when traveling. For us personally, we aren’t paranoid, but at the same time we won’t be jumping on a crowded plane anytime soon. And evaluating personal risk and making ones own decisions on travel will be crucial until a vaccine is developed. Good health to you and Ben. ~James
While governments around the globe are working their way to navigate through this “uncharted territory” with keeping their economies afloat and preventing their airlines from going bankrupt in mind, many of us will be watching closely and cautiously before deciding to travel again. This pandemic has definitely put substantial pressure on businesses that have always been focusing on growth only. In a post-Covid-19 world, I assume there will be fundamental changes in the ways we do things. But humans are as adaptive and resilient as we are stubborn. So, we’ll see.
Well said Bama. The world didn’t stop traveling after 9/11, and we won’t after COVID-19. But, just as 9/11 made permanent changes in the way we travel, this crisis will as well. I also suspect there will be a mindset change in how and where we travel. I know that I will be more careful around large crowds and will consider this when deciding where and when (and if) to visit popular sights. Of course, visiting attractions when crowds are low has always been a preference for us, but we’ll be plan even more carefully now.
At this point, we’ll be happy to be able to take a few road trips in the US this summer. Take care and be healthy. ~James
There’s definitely going to be a great deal of caution with the passengers and staff for airlines. It’ll be interesting to see how covid affects traveling after the virus is mostly gone and society fully opens up again. Great article!
Thanks for the comment and for dropping by the blog. As with Post-9/11, I’m sure there will be some lingering effects for all of us, particularly in our travel lives. The difficult thing for most of us is the amount of time it will take to feel safe traveling again, and the long-term impact on the travel industry until then. There are lots of unknowns that’s for sure. Take care of yourself and be healthy. ~James
And now we have Europe threatening to close the borders to Americans. I can’t blame them given our response to the pandemic. I suspect that will end sooner rather than later, or when we get a vaccine. If we can get by the health threat, then I expect economics will rule. Tourist dollars will be needed more than ever. Unless, of course, countries learn that they can survive just fine with out tourists. Whatever happens, James and Terri, it should be interesting. We are lucky to have such a big country to explore in the meantime. –Curt
Curt, it’s hard to see much changing until there’s some sort of vaccine. I suspect that the full effect on the economy has yet to be felt, and when it is, I suspect things will get worse than they already are. I agree with you on countries needing tourist dollars, but no government wants to be the one that opens the doors to a spike in infections just because of some asymptomatic tourists. And the US is mighty big pond to swim in. ~James
Europe has made that clear now, James. No Americans for a while! And who can blame them. We are being paranoid as we wander America, but it seems to be working for us. Peggy and I have been on the road for over a week. Hard to believe all of the people still not wearing masks, but that seems to be changing. We pretty much hang out in our little house on wheels except when we are out and about exploring. –Curt
Not really sure when me and my wife be ready to ride a plane knowing the virus is even more widespread than before . For now, we decided to travel local via roadtrips till there’s a vaccine. Watching fellow travelers getting stuck in foreign countries for months or coming back sick after traveling sounds scary. Virtual traveling is another option too. All the fun while staying safe. Thanks & take care.
We’ll be following your strategy of roadtrips until a vaccine as well. There really isn’t anywhere in the US that is worth taking the health risk for (that we can’t drive to), and the thought of an international flight fully masked and stressing about who’s sitting next to me sounds pretty miserable. And frankly, at this point, it isn’t very smart either. But, Terri and I were just saying that we’re lucky to have been able to travel so much in the past, and in the meantime, we’ll just relax until we can do it again. Take care of yourself. ~James
Thanks James and Terri. These are the times to really be careful, smart & practical. We can still enjoy nature and outdoors but just away from people. Everything we learned during the lockdown, we all the more need to observe as the new cases explodes in numbers. It’s just sad because people who think this is not real or an exaggeration are potentially infecting others by not wearing mask and violating social distancing. The testimonies of people in healthcare and their patients are all true. Anything that is Flu in Summer is highly COVID-19. Take care and stat safe you both.