Last night I had a dream about the kids and I navigating a paper map spread out on the table. I’m taking that as a sign.
Recently, my social media feed has been filled with articles headlined, “How COVID-19 Will Change Travel” or “When will we know it’s safe to travel again?” or “Will Travel Change After Corona?” While the articles provide good information and some sound advice, I am surprised by the corresponding comments and negative reactions about traveling in the near future. Many comments suggesting everyone should stay home until 2021 or that it’s foolish to explore outside your city.
If we weren’t in our current situation (expats in Germany) and instead cozied up nicely in our home country, maybe I’d feel like hunkering down for several more months. Certainly, if I were caring for small children or older parents, the situation may also be different.
But we’re here in Europe with one goal: To travel.
Just look at all the places we planned to travel to in 2020. While we managed our trip to Thailand (just in time), the lead up to Corona and two sick kids on a school ski trip made our 20th anniversary trip seem a little more stressful than I expected.
Sadly, in mid-March we were forced to cancel our April trip to Prague, and now we’re crossing our fingers for Scandinavia and some kind of birthday trip with each kid over the summer. Needless to say, things have taken a turn.
But as borders open, and they allow us to travel again, I will jump at the chance to travel, really anywhere, and here’s why.
Related: [Updated] Where to Travel with Teens: Our 2020 Picks
Living as Expats Means Living on Borrowed Time
By “borrowed time,” I don’t necessarily mean in the context of “life is short.” What I mean is that our family is guaranteed only another year in Germany. So opportunities to travel while here are limited. I’m simply itching to start crossing off places on our long “bucket list.”
There are many perks to being an expat, but one downside is its temporariness. For the most part, expats land in a new place with the foresight that this lifestyle isn’t forever so there is constantly a rush to make new friends, decorate the house, learn the language/culture, find a job, and see as much as you can before it’s time to pack up and go home.
Related: What to Know About Traveling During a Pandemic
Some Travel is Better Than No Travel
What I love most about traveling is exploring and discovering. Taking a vacation or getting away doesn’t mean getting on a plane, staying at a hotel, or visiting crowded tourist sights. To be honest, I really dislike all three. Traveling means seeing new sights and learning new things, even if it’s close to home.
One thing quarantine has shown me is I am more of an explorer than I realized. Even confined to my little suburb, I spent days (OK, weeks) exploring little streets in nearby villages and discovering local street art like visiting a museum.
Travel, no matter how big or small, has a ton of benefits. Many which we all need right now.
- Makes us smarter. I’m sure some of us have been reading books and learning new things online. But for months, the majority of us have been latched onto Netflix (Tiger King) and watching time pass on social media. I don’t know about you, but my brain feels a little mushy. Getting out in the world to explore and learn gives my brain some much-needed exercise–a little history, biology geology–depending on where you go.
- Gives us new perspective. For months, I have circled the same neighborhoods and frequented the same stores. But traveling two hours down the road, we discovered a community barely affected by COVID-19 with less anxiety about reopening. Seeing people free of masks gave me a renewed sense that this will get better. Conversely, traveling through an airport now would certainly provide a much different response, but still a new perspective.
- Tests our limits. So maybe in current times, dial down the limit testing to a minimum if it’s a stessor. In normal times, this is definitely beneficial to travel. Right now, maybe not so much. Make it easy on yourself, plan a trip that will push you to a comfortable level. Maybe skip the plane and accept the extra road traffic as the stress. Perhaps trying out a sit down restaurant with new norms is your push for the day.
- Prepares us to do better. In the end, this is what travel prepares us for. Learning, investigating, exploring, and meeting new people, and then taking it back with us to be better. I think all of us need this right now.
Related: 13 Awesome Ways to Survive a Road Trip with Teenagers
Gotta Save the Flailing Travel Industry
The travel industry is huge! I’m not talking about the airlines because no one really likes them anyway. But the tourism industry keeps many countries afloat. When tourism contributes to more than a third of the country’s GDP, its absence is profound.
Even if we’re not talking about the Maldives or the Caribbean, thousands of cities and towns rely on visitors to sleep (hotels and Airbnb apartments), eat, tour, and explore. From the small gift shop owner or the tour guide to the chef at a restaurant or the bakery supplying the restaurant need people to travel again. I think of all the interesting people we have met whose livelihood is completely dependent on visiting tourists.
The travel industry and tourists are symbiotic. While mass tourism isn’t always pretty, we have benefited from modern travel infrastructure and have wonderful memories which were enabled by hosts, small entrepreneurs, vintners, and restaurateurs–I want to keep these folks in business.
Related: What to Know for the Best Walking Tour Experience in Any City
Recognizing We Have Different Comfort Levels
Through the past nine weeks, I am seeing everyone has varying comfort levels around COVID-19. Some are hibernating at home, others following the rules to the very edge (that’s me!), and some seem to be throwing it all out the window to move on with life. Comfort level may also have to do with where you located.
My coworker calls me fearless. I don’t think that is entirely true. Lately, I have trepidation about even simple things. But life, including travel, comes with risk. Every time I get into my car to drive the to store there is risk. As cities and borders open, we have the option to make choices. Am I comfortable going to the movies? Not yet. Do I feel ready for sitting at an outdoor restaurant? Yes. Should I go see the most recent exhibit at the museum? Why not.
As more research continually comes out about what they now think causes higher transmission (being in large groups inside, singing, bars), we will adjust our activities accordingly. At least until the next round of medical guidance is disseminated.
I have a high comfort level at the moment. For now, I am choosing to travel. Where I am allowed to go, as soon as I can. My family’s mental health is very important and right now, some of us are flailing from too much quarantining. So it’s time to slowly find our way out of the house and into some kind of adventure.
Related: Why Travel With Teens
Travel is Happiness
For me, traveling is pure happiness. Even with all of its stresses and challenges, it’s what I want to be doing most.
We made this move to Germany to experience all Europe has to offer, and quite simply, we’re not done exploring. So we’ll pack up the car, complete with hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, put on our masks, and find safe places to stay and explore for our remaining year in Germany.
