03.17.20

As a permanent Traveling Normad, and always being on the road, there are times that things don’t work out as planned. Aside from cancelled or late flights or bad AirBNB locations or other uncontrollable situations that are (in perspective) minor, now we have the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020. I am in the United States (California) because of a wedding planned this weekend in North Carolina. That involved a flight to Ohio, which will take place this evening, and one we were checking on hourly. That flight is still in play, but Pine Island, North Carolina, where the wedding was to take place, has now been shut down, just like Italy. The self-contained island, accessible only via bridges, is open to residents only, so now it’s on to Plan B.

This virus is certainly affecting our lives, and for those whose jobs and health are affected, prayers and strength to you. There are parents who are now babysitters during the day, and others whose lives are disrupted at many levels. As a location independent traveler, our lives are more fluid than most, but our options have been reduced.

My initial plan was to be in America until the beginning of May and then return to either Croatia or Greece. Since Europe is cut off, that may not be possible, and since a side trip to Mexico for two weeks was on the schedule while we were here, we will proceed on that. I had an interest in South and Central America but wasn’t planning on doing that NOW. The Universe may have other plans.

So Central America, specifically Belize and Panama will probably be my next ports of call. Ecuador in South America has been a popular spot for Americans, and one I wished to visit, but since they are also cut off to non-residents, that may have to wait. “How long?,” we ask and wonder, and no one knows for sure. Most businesses that are closing or severely affected, say they’ll be up and running sometime during April, and many say that the country probably won’t be back to “normal” until the 3rd quarter of the year. But this new normal may be different than the normal we’ve been used to these past few years. The economy is already in a tailspin and the experts say that we are now in a recession.

Here’s my take on travel, and this goes for any of you reading this, of any age.

Prices are insanely low, but airlines are in trouble. Flights are being cancelled and consolidated so it’s probably not smart to book a flight too far in advance. Most airlines are very lenient on cancellation for the very near future, ie, the next month or so, but flights months down the road may not be refundable.

And the stigma of traveling??

I think when all this chaos is behind us we will become painfully aware of things we probably never thought about too much. Hygiene and getting sick on planes has been a “thing” for a long time and I think that everyone in the supply chain will be overly attentive to keeping things clean. For me, as soon as borders are OPEN, I’m crossing them. I believe we should live our lives for freedom and freedom of choice and especially, for fun and adventure. Whether you’re a Baby Boomer or younger, I don’t think delaying travel plans based on something that could happen is a good idea. Do you really want to live in fear, cowering under the covers when you could be enjoying life to your fullest?

I won’t.

We don’t know how long we’ll be here on this planet, but at age 65 I plan on taking advantage of every year, month and day. That has been my focus of Travel Younger and it remains today.