My husband and I were going to take our first trip to Italy this fall. He especially wants to visit Florence. I hope one day we will be able to go.
I read today where the EU is considering banning travel from the US because of our high COVID infection rate. As they say, now the shoe is on the other foot.
I’m hoping to be able to travel to Honduras next year but who knows? I am a team member/team leader of humanitarian medical brigades that provide care at a family clinic in a remote region of Honduras through our small foundation. One of the most difficult things for me about this whole ordeal has been our inability to get there and help our patients and friends. And so many other groups of helpers, small and large, worldwide, are not able to get to where they are desperately needed. It’s frustrating and sad.
I don’t know really how I ended up here, on this intriguing and wonderful site with all of you good people, but I’m very glad I did.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Whether we do international travel at all will mostly depend on economic and health factors, and the places I want to see are mostly in the Southern hemisphere and not known as "touristy". For example, I really want to get to Paraguay and Argentina (I mean, technically we could drive but it would take a month and would be dangerous going through unstable countries, even if I am fluent in Spanish). I also want to get to New Zealand. The only Northern hemisphere spots I feel compelled to see in person are Scandinavia and Japan (Tokyo not so much - I'd prefer to go extreme north or extreme south in Japan, depending on season).
Since about 2004, we have been purchasing the "carbon offsets" that airlines or some orgs offer, on our longest air itineraries. I have no idea if they help at all, but I figure no harm so worth a try.
We also plan to return to NoLa, for JazzFest, if and when it is safe to do so, maybe in 2022, before it goes underwater. We'd consider driving, but it's far enough that I'm not sure it's less fuel consumption than the short flights.
I really wish the US had kept more of its railroads intact. I love train travel, it's one of the things I love about traveling in Europe, and it would be much better for the environment. In fact, the parts of Canada I would love to see involve some rail travel, so I would not feel any guilt about that.
And the furthest from home I have ever been is Angkor Wat. In 2000. Before it too became overdeveloped and overrun. It was so special, almost mystical. I am grateful I got to see it at all. I have no intentions of ever returning though. That was the trip on which we also got our daughter in Phnom Penh, and the whole trip was so educational for us in so many ways, it helped us bridge the cultural gap between our euro-descended selves and our Khmer daughter.
I can see why you lack enthusiasm for travel now, it makes sense. There is always a chance that if things improve for you medically, you may feel slightly different. I salute your commitment to protecting the planet in any case.
Thank you so much Michele - your information about the Oregon area and all the drivers license and difficulties getting to and from that region was an eye opener. I hope and pray that the next administration starts real reform for all of us in the US involving healthcare. It should have always been a human right and we should have insisted our politicians made it a priority from the start.
You always are so empathetic and a beacon of light here. HUGS to you! ❤️
Thank you for those prayers. So very true! Bless you for that last part. Very very dear of you!
Love to you!
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@lowtide Welcome lowtide. I'm glad you found us too. Florence is the prettiest part of Italy, in my opinion. You'll see it one day soon.
Aw thanks, @Bluebelle !
@laura-f Your post resonated with me on several levels. My husband also works a job that has historically involved a lot of travel. His company shut down travel and in-person meetings early on in the pandemic; they have been very proactive and employee-focused (even giving employees one Friday each month as a free "mental health re-set" day off, through the pandemic and likely moving forward), and have sent out word that unnecessary business travel is halted for the foreseeable future and then reserved for only the most critical cases. My husband thinks this will lead to a reevaluation of what is "necessary," when his company - and others like it - see how much money they save on travel and gatherings, and see how much more productive people are working from home.
We also travel to experience places and history, not sightseeing. Crowded places make us crazy. We have always believed in showing our kids other places and people, the connections in the world that make us all more alike than different, and experiencing the history and culture of a place. I hope that doesn't go away altogether, because one way we can expand our understanding and sense of connection in the world is BEING in the world. But I also agree that giant cruise ships and theme parks are NOT the kind of travel that needs to survive this ;)
I truly feel all of this upheaval will lead to changes for the better; I don't see people giving up their trip to Sandals in the Bahamas or Wisconsin Dells any time soon, though, given all that I see around me. People are booking trips and making plans like they are desperate and can't stand one more day in their home.
@triciact Anyone getting any future predictions on the Fall/Winter with regards to Covid and the economy? Anything specific and recent regarding Oct, Nov, Dec? I feel like most of the predictions that people have right now are political/election specific which is interesting but I haven't seen much about the coming Second Wave of coronavirus and the economy for the last quarter or 2020.... Any thoughts?
Anyone getting any future predictions on the Fall/Winter with regards to Covid and the economy? Anything specific and recent regarding Oct, Nov, Dec? I feel like most of the predictions that people have right now are political/election specific which is interesting but I haven't seen much about the coming Second Wave of coronavirus and the economy for the last quarter or 2020. Any thoughts?
My visions have shown the economy or health and well being of the Collective will stay down until at least 2025. But if you look at our timeline visions closely, you will see some visions of rallying in 2021 and 2022. Some investors think that the health of the economy will resume with a working vaccine. I don't agree with that assumption although there will be short term upswings in the markets until the next blow-back happens.
Given how the Administration manipulates the markets by borrowing money from the future taxpayers, there could also be other short term fluctuations, like pumping an exhausted person with cocaine.
At this point, it is best now to reduce debt.
I am not an investor. Just an intuitive newbie who is trying to filter through my own feelings about the coming 6 months and what to expect. Not for any material gain but for my own feelings of security and preparedness.