We flew on 12 flights, passing through airports in 10 countries, using 7 different airlines. We rented 3 different cars and stayed in 10 different hotels over the course of 30 days. We have been on the receiving end of over 13 different covid tests. And we made one conclusion. The appeal of the United States is different these days.
Traveling is all about testing the limits of one’s own comfort zone. On our previous travels, we usually reach a point of weariness around the two week mark. At that point, a bit of travel fatigue sets in. That could mean a craving for an elusive hamburger, a growing distaste for pepto bismol, or just a desire to sleep in our own bed. This time, however, things were different. We were away from home for an entire month and never felt that burning desire to get home. Why the change?
To quote a Scottish border agent, “Why are you traveling in the middle of a pandemic? It’s a bit unusual, don’t you think?” Had we known this question was coming, we could have said, “We live in a 700 square foot apartment. Our balcony overlooks an alley. We have no yard. The case numbers of our country have quadrupled in a short period of time. Half of our citizens either don’t think the virus is real, or just don’t care. We are on the verge of an election that could result in widespread unrest. We just want a plot of land to stretch our legs, do some work, and be away from people.”
With flight reductions, travel restrictions, and testing requirements in place, the timing of our adventure may seem less than ideal. But while travel is about getting out of one’s comfort zone, it can also be about finding comfort away from home. For all the reasons listed above, we were able to find something we couldn’t get back home. In Tanzania, we could social distance from everyone except some lions. In Turkey, we were shown how an international airport should be run safely and efficiently. Sanitized trays at security, frequent temperature checks, separation barriers at baggage claim, and covid testing results in four hours are all things that are nonexistent in the United States. In the Emirates we were shown how a major city can open up and still be safe. In Scotland, we could relax and spend time in our own “backyard.”
Not many others would jump on a plane or two (or twelve) right now to see the world. But when will we ever again get the chance to see the pyramids without the crowds? When can we stroll Horseshoe Bay Beach in Bermuda and be the first set of footprints? When can we fly standby and not worry if we will get on the plane or not? When will we ever again be able to travel so extensively for a month and not even get a cold? Planes may never be safer and hotels may never again clean so thoroughly. Restaurants may never again be so hygiene-conscious. I would love to think that such measures will stick, but most places will take the path of least resistance and we will regress to our old ways.
With every page in our passports covered in stamps, we must submit them for renewal. The American passport has been reduced from one of the most powerful travel documents in the world to a piece of paper that only grants access to a few dozen countries. In the past, we might have felt some relief to be back home in a place of comfort and familiarity, but it just doesn’t feel the same way anymore. We don’t feel as comfortable, as safe, or as relaxed. With a massive surge in cases, it’s not difficult to understand why. Hopefully, we will receive our passports sooner rather than later. As useless as they may be right now, they are still a ticket to the outside — to places with different customs, methods, and beliefs. This year, we’ve been asked to avoid people, but we have also been avoiding their ideas and what they had to say. We have been so self-absorbed in the politics, identity, and soul of our own country, that we have completely lost touch of the fact that there is a sizable world outside our borders.
This crazy year, this snapshot in time, this cruel social experiment will eventually end. The virus will someday be eliminated. Widespread international travel will resume. Airports will again be bustling, hotels operating at capacity. Cruise ships will again overwhelm and destroy everything in their path. But for this strange moment, this unfortunate situation we all find ourselves in made possible one of the greatest adventures that I have ever been part of. I think it is fair to say that it will be impossible to replicate it ever again.
passports & pepto bismol 