Reflections on 2020 and hope for 2021

I wanted to look back at 2020 in order to think about how 2021 is going to be better, but I quickly realized 2020 gave me plenty to be grateful for...even if things were different.  I find looking back therapeutic any year--to see how far I've come and to set goals and aspirations for the future--this year it all seems more important.

The photo above is from Seaside, OR.  Henry (the  dog) and I took a spontaneous trip last January to the beach--low season prices were too hard to resist.  We had the beach almost completely to ourselves and while chilly, it was really nice.  I will take worse weather over crowds any day :)   We made our way from Seaside up the coast and into Washington State.  We stopped at Olympia and headed to the Olympic Peninsula.  All a great time for reflection and long walks.  

February brought me to Chicago. You may be asking who in their right mind goes to Chicago in February??  My reason was my dad's 85th birthday and I am so thankful we could all get together to celebrate before the world changed.  The idea of having 25+ people inside at a gathering feels crazy now, but just 10 months ago, it was business as usual.  

I took advantage of leap year to use the extra day to fly to Africa.  Very productive use of an extra day in my opinion :)   I used the quiet and reflection of my January trip to plan this last minute trip of my dreams.  I couldn't shake the feeling that if I didn't go now, I wouldn't go (or wouldn't go for awhile).  I was thinking more of simply life being busy with work and I knew we were moving again in 2020, but I am so grateful I took that nudge to make it happen.   

Thinking back to my time in Rwanda and Uganda brings a smile to face and I hope it continues to for many years to come.   

I was on my scheduled flight from Kampala, Uganda to Amsterdam en route home when President Trump announced the travel ban to Europe.  I knew COVID was becoming a larger problem, but I didn't imagine the world would change so dramatically...or so quickly.  I was on the second to the last flight from Amsterdam to Portland and took an Uber home thinking I  was exhausted and perhaps I  shouldn't be around that many people. As we all know, what has happened since mid-March is....sitting here thinking for the right word...perhaps unbelievable sums it up.   

I was scheduled to be home for a couple of weeks and then head to Guam to see my husband.  This would have been my last trip to Guam before our scheduled move in the summer.  Each day we thought the next would bring good news and somewhat surprisingly, the flights between Hawaii and Guam never stopped flying.  The challenge for me was how to get to Hawaii.   I almost went for it since I thought COVID would pass in the time I was gone.  Guess I don't have  a career in fortune telling, huh?  

So, I stayed home like the rest of the world.  I cancelled dozens of trips for clients and each week brought more.   I love being a travel advisor so I can help people experience wonderful places around the world.  I  don't imagine there is an advisor out there that enjoys seeing those trips get cancelled (and for some, cancelled 3, 4 or 5 times). I tried to be hopeful and I continue to be hopeful for a better travel future. 

As I mentioned, we were scheduled to move this summer (my husband is active duty military).   I was in Oregon and we were headed to Washington, DC.   Just a short little drive :)  I missed my husband and decided I could  travel safely on the road---choosing  hotels that were doing the best job of COVID precautions and with a couple bags of snacks and microwave meals in case restaurants closed again while I was en route.  

July and August were spent getting settled in our new home of Alexandria, VA.  I had clients begin to travel in the United States and Mexico and the glimmer of hope was getting brighter.  I wanted to see if it was possible to fly safely and see what the precautions looked like in reality (plus, you know me, I was itching to travel).  I booked a trip to Mexico about a week before I left.  That is one travel trend that seems to have stuck during COVID---the average booking is now made 2 or 3 weeks out instead of 2 or 3 (or more) months in advance.  

My first flight post COVID was to Cancun.  They had been open for months and seemed to have their act together and data suggested COVID transmission wasn't happening at resorts or on airplanes, so I felt confident.   Yes, I had to wear a mask.  Yes, things were different.  In my experience, different wasn't bad.  My trip was literally a breath of fresh air---I could be outside most of the day and since resorts are capacity controlled, there was more room to spread out and less waiting in lines.  The local tourism providers were very thankful for visitors.  

Up next was a little road trip with Henry to the Delaware Shore (Dewey Beach). Henry had his first ice cream  in  a  dog ice cream parlor (didn't know  they existed!)...sometimes it is the small memories that make a trip.  

October had more clients traveling and I explored the Dominican Republic for the first time...and had so much space to myself.   Travel was just starting back up and resorts were at limited occupancy.    November was a time for me to explore DC a bit (outdoors and wearing a mask) and as COVID numbers increased again, I  weighed the pros and cons and decided to continue on with my planned trip to Sandals Grande Antigua.  Antigua was the first destination I visited that required a COVID test, so I had my first test the end of November (the requirement was within 7 days of arrival).  Antigua was beautiful and Sandals did an excellent job with COVID precautions.  
​
2020 was certainly a year, but on reflection, not all bad.  I visited places I probably wouldn't have under other circumstances.  I also had to be creative to help find clients who wanted to travel spaces that would be safe and responsible to travel to under the circumstances.   I'm grateful for the things I've learned this year and am hopeful that  2021 is the year we can all get back to travel.  I am here to help you whenever you are ready  to start planning.  Happy New Year!