As we narrowly got seats on a full flight from Orlando to Los Angeles, it would appear that Americans are itching to start traveling again in a big way. That being said, they seem to be limiting their focus to domestic travel, leery of getting involved with scheduling covid tests or carrying vaccination cards with their passports. There’s obviously a notion that staying within the U.S. borders is easier, but that all depends on what you’re looking for. It is true that Nicole and I had to do quite a bit of research to figure out which countries would allow us entry and what documents we needed to carry. These things would change almost weekly as our travel dates approached, so it was somewhat complicated. That being said, domestic travel is not without its own woes — primarily that it’s quickly surging back to pre-pandemic levels with passengers who haven’t been on an airplane since 2018. One’s chances of having an unruly passenger on their flight or ending up diverting to Oklahoma go up about 20000% if one is flying within the states.
If you’re like us (Bricole, everyone’s favorite celebrity couple), you don’t like a crowd. Large groups of people are absolutely draining on introverts like us, not to mention the paparazzi and other issues that celebrity couples have to deal with. This is not some sort of Covid-related PTSD we are having around groups of people. We have been trying to avoid crowds since as far back as we can remember. I had been rereading old blog posts on this site and it is a very central theme to our adventures. Also during rereading, I discovered many typos, but that’s neither hear nor they’re.
The point is this, while some might find covid tests a hassle or providing proof of vaccination as evidence of some fascist regime, they are small prices to pay for someone looking to truly escape. Requiring a vaccination is nothing new. To go to many different places in the world, we have had to get typhoid or Hepatitis A shots as well as meningitis in order to go to college. I don’t recall any sort of backlash to these requirements in the past, but everyone has slowly lost their mind over the last few years, culminating in your flight diverting to Kansas City.
While America’s national parks and other tourist hotspots are inundated with record numbers of people, other sites around the globe are virtually empty. You can either escape the crowd, or follow it. But as I mentioned, there’s a little bit more work to do if you want to escape it. Step One: Research which countries will allow Americans. This shouldn’t take too long. Step Two: Determine if those countries require a negative covid test or proof of vaccination. Step Three: Get vaccinated. Step Four: Have a contingency plan in case everything goes to hell.
Iceland, where we spent most of our trip wasn’t even seriously contemplated until about a week before we left. Once we were in Iceland, we weren’t entirely sure about going to Jordan, as that was somewhat contingent on the Israeli/Gaza ceasefire holding. Once in Jordan, we weren’t sure if we would continue to Greece until I strongly encouraged it when we were dehydrated and hiking back from Petra.
This is not how normal people plan trips I suppose. Iceland and Jordan are usually not paired together. If nothing else, it’s very difficult to pack a suitcase for this kind of getaway. In the times of covid, it all becomes a puzzle, though. At time of travel, we couldn’t travel to Greenland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, or Norway, so all the logical trip addons were eliminated. Furthermore, basically nowhere in Western Europe wanted us either, so we would either have to do an about-face back to America (with 2 and a half weeks of vacation remaining) or see what else we could make of it — which led us to Jordan.
While not ideal, it made for a very unique vacation. This is normally where I would pen what I learned from each place and share my thoughts. However, the very nature of this most recent voyage is really just taking advantage of the bizarre times we live in. Iceland, Jordan, and even little Milos would normally be very popular this time of year, and thereby a bit discouraging for Bricole. But not this year.
Iceland’s popularity in the past was a bit of a turnoff, not to mention that the simple prospect of getting on a flight seemed a bit daunting. Icelandair would normally be running at least one flight a day from most major American cities. When WOW Airlines still existed they were doing the same, but for even less money. And in the summers just prior to the pandemic, even United and Delta joined the trend in ferrying Americans over to the icy land. Icelandair even had a promo for passengers who were actually traveling to somewhere else in Europe by enticing them with special deals for a long “layover” in Iceland. Whatever prices one might have saved on airfare was more than made up for after landing at Keflavik.
If you asked anyone else who has been to Iceland to sum it up in a few words, they might say “beautiful,” or “rugged,” but I would be shocked if “expensive” isn’t also mentioned. Our personal experience didn’t echo this, but that brings us to why travel to Iceland right now. Normally a rental car could be upwards of $200+ a day, which is to assume you were able to reserve one to begin with. Ours was about $200 for five days. Hotels could be similarly priced. Our hotel the first night has already jumped more than double our rate to $300 a night for July. While petrol and other items were a bit higher than in the states, it wasn’t anything jaw-dropping, so our trip to Iceland was actually fairly reasonably priced in the end. Those blissful financial times appear to already be ending.
Of course, the financial benefits weren’t really the main factor in our decision to go to Iceland. Both of us have wanted to go, but were turned off a bit by the fact that everyone else had the same idea. We figured we’d get there eventually, but perhaps after it became less trendy and popular. While I imagine it isn’t that difficult to lose a crowd in Iceland, it’s just so much easier to never have to worry about finding a parking space. This is not to be scoffed at in 55mph winds. It’s best to park as close as possible to the point of interest, trail, or hotel door as the wind will surely drown out your cries for help.
Admittedly, the wind did put a bit of a damper on our ability to truly appreciate the vistas that were in front of us. It’s hard to enjoy your surroundings when sand or dirt is blowing in your eyes at high velocity. We spent far more time in the Dacia Duster than I would have liked, but it was one of the safer and comfortable places to be. Of course, we did at times sacrifice our bodies for the payoff of something as shocking as a volcano erupting. The Fagradalsfjall volcano had only started erupting just two months prior, and the viewpoint we reached has already been shut down due to lava overflowing the trail. We were extremely fortunate with our timing even though our timing meant facing down 55 mph winds at times. We both acknowledged that it was seeing the volcano that essentially made up for Iceland’s cruel deeds, and as we settled in that night with a beer and a load of clean laundry, we could look back at our Icelandic adventure with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.
As we moved onward to Jordan, you have to note that Petra would also typically be quite popular in normal times. And though Petra itself is a fairly sprawling site where people can try and escape a crowd, its pièce de résistance is the treasury, the must-see stop. While Nicole and I were able to get photos of it with nothing more than a couple camels in the foreground, we weren’t entirely alone. Had we been, it would perhaps have been one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of our lives. But instead of slipping unaccompanied through the siq and being rewarded with the dramatic vista of the treasury, we were constantly hounded by the Bedouin hawkers, who would not take “no” for an answer. It was still very impressive to see the treasury without the crowds, albeit somewhat tainted. What the wind was to Iceland, the hawkers were to Petra. It just made it a little less special and relaxing.
There’s more to Jordan than Petra and we found the people (other than the hawkers) to be very warm, not just due to the oppressive heat. The Middle East has always been a complex region of the world, and America has a history of meddling in the region which is not often viewed favorably. As someone carrying an American passport, I take nothing for granted when traveling in such a region. Fortunately, minus some language barrier issues and some absolute ridiculousness at the Queen Alia International Airport, we had a very positive experience with the people of Jordan, who helped us find a working petrol station, if nothing else. This is nothing to sneeze at when you’re driving in 100 degree temperatures through the desert.
So was it all worth it to deal with the covid tests, salty border agents, and the confusing and ever-changing rules? Definitely. While I may have pointed out how certain elements of our travels weren’t relaxing, it still is nothing compared to our brief and surprisingly stressful sojourn in Montana a couple months back. Americans have been an awfully punchy group this past year or so, and their misplaced outrage is the reason why American and Southwest Airlines no longer serve alcohol. When something as simple as encouraging people to wear masks can result in someone getting violent, something has gone horribly wrong.
Altercations with flight attendants in the United States in the last year are up 20x the normal rate. Many times, it’s over something as simple as refusal to wear a mask. These “political statements” that certain passengers like to make are resulting in actual danger to other passengers and crew. More planes are diverting, more passengers are rushing the flight deck door, and with each passing day more Americans appear to be losing their minds. So while it’s not always easy or predictable to travel internationally in these times, you can at least have the peace of mind of knowing you’re likely to arrive at your destination. Domestic flights these days have an increasing rate of diverting to a different airport, hardly convenient to anyone on board.
So as before, with our epic month long world-wide trip in the fall, international travel continues to be a more relaxing experience for us, an escape from the new norm of absurdity in America. There are, of course, people and places in America that are more than pleasant, but our odds of getting there without a diversion to Tulsa are rapidly decreasing. It’s best to just find international destinations with a direct flight from Los Angeles. Crowded restaurants, packed airplanes, and overpriced rental cars do not make for a “vacation,” in the true sense of the word. I understand that our hike to see a volcano in the middle of gale force winds or hiking under the hot desert sun in Petra cannot really be spun to be “relaxing,” they were still a much-needed escape from crowds. If the aim of a vacation is to relax, unwind, and disconnect, one has to leave the environment that is dragging them down in the first place. For us right now, until further notice, that will continue to be overseas.
passports & pepto bismol 