During the summer, we usually go on two or three weekend trips to golf tournaments, friends’ cabins, baseball games or visiting my kids. Sometimes we actually get on a plane and go to Vegas or visit my aunt in California. When my kids were younger, we tried to take family vacations in between all of the sports. Life was always busy, but I love to travel and see new things. That’s why I miss traveling right now.
It’s usually towards the end of summer that we start thinking about where we want to go this fall for our Anniversary or where we want to go for a winter break. I realize I am lucky to be able to make these kinds of decisions, but its also how we choose to experience life. So, with everything up in the air around Covid-19, its hard to make plans.
What I Miss Most About Traveling
Something To Look Forward To
When you can plan a trip of any kind, you can put it on the calendar and have something to look forward to. If you are having a bad day or just need a break, you remember that there is a fun get away coming up and it makes it easier to get through.
“There’s no way I was born to just pay bills and die.”
Something To Plan For
Maybe you can buy a couple new things to wear on your trip or research things to do in a new destination. Planning can also take you away from the mundane of everyday life. It’s something new to do.
“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” -Susan Heller
The Food
Whether this is good or not, I love to eat when we travel. I feel like all diets are off and I can enjoy all the goodness of eating out and snacking whenever we want. I usually pay for it when I get home, but so worth it!
“Meals make the society, hold the fabric together in lots of ways that were charming and interesting and intoxicating to me. The perfect meal, or the best meals, occur in a context that frequently has very little to do with the food itself.” Anthony Bourdain
The Fun with Friends
One of my secret dreams is to live in a big house with friends. That way you always have someone to talk to, eat with, do activities with. You can get that for a short time when you travel with friends. I miss that.
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”- Mark Twain
Not Knowing Anyone
This is the total opposite of traveling with friends. But I love vacations that are truly get aways! Get away from your everyday life and get away from your co-workers, family and friends and just be free. Do what you want, look how you want, talk to strangers, and maybe create a new life for a week! I got a little taste of that when I went to Arizona this past January. Looking forward to doing that again someday!
“The more I travelled the more I realized that fear makes strangers of people who should be friends” – Shirley MacLaine
Having a Drink at the Airport
I miss the feeling of the start of a vacation. Packing up the suitcases, driving to the airport, getting through security and then having the chance to relax before you get on the plane. There is just something about sitting at the bar and ordering a drink knowing your next stop is vacation! And, the people watching is amazing.
“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” -James Michener
The Adventure to New Places
As I said in my post, Expand Your World, “It is so easy to just sit at home and hide behind the computer or the TV, but life was meant to be lived! Have some adventure, expand your world. Life is so precious, so short, so undiscovered. There is such a big world to explore, through travel, reading or education. Open your mind to a vast world of possibility.”
“Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” -Stephen Covey
I can’t wait until we can adventure to a new corner of the world. Italy is on my list!
If You Do Travel
Most of us have the choice of whether we want to risk traveling. And some people have to get on a plane to see family or for business.
My son flew home over the 4th of July. He said it was fine because not a lot of people are traveling, and he was able to socially distance himself. Masks are required, so that wasn’t a problem either.
If you are in the camp of people who are either choosing to or have to fly, I ran across this list of products you can use during the pandemic on Skimm.
My favorite on the list is the Brass No-Touch Door Opener and Button Pusher. A small tool you can use so that you don’t have to touch most surfaces. Especially bathroom door handles or elevator buttons.
You can buy that one on Etsy, or here is one on Amazon.
Other things on the list are seat covers, masks, pouches to hold everything you bring from home and your own pockets or tray tables.
Some great ideas to limit the things you touch! Even if you don’t buy these, you can probably create something similar.
And of course, maintain your social distance, wash your hands, sanitize the surfaces near and on your plane seat and wear your mask.
Whether Covid-19 is as serious as they say or not, there are a lot of germs on an airplane.
If You Would Rather Wait to Travel
If you are in the camp of people who would rather wait until there is a vaccine or more factual information on this virus, you can find adventure all around you.
- Plan a road trip within a couple hours of your home.
- Make a meal from another culture.
- Invite a few close friends over for an outdoor barbecue.
- Drive yourself to a park and pretend you are in a different country.
- Find an outdoor bar and talk to your friend or partner as if you were getting ready to travel to your dream destination. Discuss all of the things you will do when you get there.
- Stay home and read about the many places you want to visit someday soon. Here is a list of books I found on Roadaffair.com. Two that caught my attention are, “How to Not Travel The World”, by Lauren Juliff and “The Geography of Bliss”, By Eric Weiner.
Thanks for reading and letting me vent a little about what I miss about traveling.
What do you miss? Or, maybe you are happy to not be traveling for awhile? Let me know in the comments and we can commiserate together.