03.12.20
We have been back in the US for a week and so thankful that we made it back before the shit REALLY hit the fan. No doubt you are watching the news and the unfolding of the Coronavirus Pandemic, and as much as I would like to think it’s overblown, there are some reasons to be worried. I’m not fearful about catching the disease, but as I’ve been watching this, and asking myself, “How does this affect me and my travel plans?” I came up with some ideas that I wanted to share. Mind you, I usually worry less than almost anyone in the room, and live in Faith, but I truly think that this event will be the biggest International Event of our lifetimes.
Since we were in Southeast Asia when this virus took off, we were right in the front row, watching face masks appear, reading stories about sicknesses in places we just left- or were contemplating going to- and wondered if the virus would affect our travels. Really, I thought it was overblown media hype, and there is that, too, but the ripple effects of the COVID-19 I think are bigger than September 11, 2001, which was primarily a US life changer, and I believe it will be as significant as World War II, which was the last horrific event that impacted the entire world, not just a few countries.
Travel Younger has been my platform for over a year, and I have several articles written about how now IS the time to travel, with prices down and crowds small, but the mere notion that travel from overseas into the United States would be halted for 30 days seemed inconceivable.
Yet it is true.
We see stories about water, toilet paper, and antiseptic spray hoarding, but the problem is that many, many supply chains will be seriously interrupted. I don’t have to go too far into my memory banks to recall the Great Recession of 2008, and that was not my first rodeo, either. The real estate and financial sectors crash devastated the United States for many years, but was primarily an American event.
This goes far beyond that, especially when you look at how many products we use every day that are made in China or other countries which are severely impacted.
The travel sector, which is/ was the second fastest growing worldwide sector until now, worth almost nine TRILLION dollars worldwide and generating 320 million jobs, is in trouble. Airlines, hotels, conventions, concerts, and public events of all sizes, are impacted. Guaranteed you will see bankruptcies, acquisitions and mergers over the next few months, and there will be many losers, but few winners. Even malls and restaurants are seeing the drop and other venues that bring people together, like schools, are looking at options. A friend who teaches at a large name brand college in Orange County, told me that they are cancelling live classes and going online. Lower level schools are also considering canceling those, too, which sets up a whole scenario of “how do you handle that?”
The Great Recession of 2008 trickled down into every business and home, and unfortunately, this C-virus Event may do the same thing. It won’t last forever, and the number of sicknesses will diminish over time, but I think it will take years for the return of Normal. In the meanwhile, will Americans put up with Big Government dictating their lives? Will we become a nation of stay-at-home hermits, afraid to venture out into the open, or travel elsewhere? Personally, I would rather live life on MY terms, take my chances, and enjoy, rather than hunker down waiting for Destiny to determine my/our fates.
Sorry to take this deep dive, but as a travel writer and a Traveler, I think it’s important to share my (vision of a) Reality Check. If you look at prices of flights and lodging right now, it’s mind boggling. From Los Angeles you can get a $300 round trip ticket to Hawaii and from the East coast you can go to Europe for less than $120. Silly, crazy prices, but very real.
As for me, I am committed to being in the US until the beginning of May. I will share some lessons from the past year’s travel over the next few weeks, and in May I will be back on the road. I do not know for certain where that next stop is since it may not be 100% within my control, but I hope you can join me, live and/ or virtually.
