Go Where You Can When You Can

I’m spending much of my quarantine time being thankful for what I’ve been able to do and see before this virus took over our lives. I felt this way after 9/11 as well – thankful for the freedom of travel I experienced before that tragic day that changed the world forever. My family had a dream trip to Italy planned for June, and while I still talk as though it might still happen, I know it won’t. And I also recognize that when we DO go, it will not be the same experience we might have had before this.

There has been a lot of speculation about how this virus will change us. Just like people who lived through the Great Depression and the World Wars, we too will be scarred in our own way. We will carry some of our Covid–19 habits throughout the rest of our lives. I’m sure we will.

My scar? It’s to live and do as much as you can when you can. Of course we know the daily risks of waking up in the morning. We know that at any moment that an accident, a diagnosis, a chest pain – a number of variables – can take away the freedoms we know today. And then there are those intangible acts of God or terrorists or bat-eaters that suddenly change life as we knew it.

Yes, I wish I got to Italy sooner. But I’m glad we had a great, uninterrupted family trip to Hawaii last summer. And I’ll still get to Italy. It might be a different experience, but Italy has been around for a long time. I’m sure the experience has changed over time. It’s still amazing.

Doesn’t this make you rethink your travel priorities? It can be easy to choose old-faithful destinations over and over. But now, isn’t your time more precious? Isn’t it worth sacrificing a little jet lag, ideal time, the perfect itinerary to go where you want to go and see what you want to see? We are so focused on the “best time to visit ___.” Wouldn’t you rather see it than never go? Maybe April in Paris is too expensive but you can afford to go in February. Is that so bad? Throw on a coat and go. Mona Lisa looks the same no matter what. You might go to Iceland in the winter and still not see the northern lights – the summer has its own gifts.

We just need to go. Go to the places you want to go, when you have the time, when you have the budget. You won’t ever regret it.