This has no doubt been a challenging year, month and week for the United States of America. For the world, for that matter. When I watched the murder of George Floyd, like so many, I was outraged, deeply saddened and ashamed of the state of our nation. This obviously wasn’t the first time an unarmed Black man (or woman) had died at the hands of the police and devastatingly, it probably won’t be the last.
Here are my thoughts about what’s happening right now. (Photo above via
@ohhappydani on Instagram.)
With the images of the protests on TV, no more Covid19 press conferences and just the general vibe of my friends’ posts on social media, it’s starting to feel like the pandemic is over, though of course, it’s not. The numbers of airplane passengers continue to grow.
According to the TSA, on Monday, June 1st, 353,261 people went through security checkpoints nationwide. After seeing my friends’ posts about them flying, it’s made me start to get the ol’ travel itch back but I’m not going to make the leap yet, even with
American Airlines’ new double Advantage miles promotion.
I think it’s still too early and a few of my friends who are doctors have told me they would rather treat Covid19 patients than fly in a plane because at least with the patients, they’re in and out and not exposed to it for a number of hours. Let’s see how things go in a few weeks. If they’re not any worse, then I might just get on a plane and go somewhere. That ‘somewhere’ is a big question. My first choice would be to go see my dad but Florida is supposed to be under quarantine, though I know they’re not policing it like Hawaii (which has just extended theirs) and I don’t want to be responsible for possibly bringing the virus to my dad’s senior center (which, by the way, just opened up their dining room for the first time in 10 weeks last night).
My New Travel Podcast is Available on Apple Podcasts I launched a podcast a few weeks ago and it is now
available on Apple Podcasts. You can also listen on
Google and Spotify. So, if you’re looking for some new things to listen to on your walk, drive or whenever you listen to podcasts, I hope you’ll check it out. You can listen to all of my 39 Travel Questions YouTube interviews, plus, I interviewed my friend Kylie all about her experience traveling to Australia and quarantining upon arrival. Please subscribe to the podcast and my
YouTube Channel where I interview big-time travelers, as well. I appreciate the support!
More People Traveling Close to Home I’m pretty sure my first trip will be close to home and I’m not alone. According to American Express Travel’s survey that tracks consumers’ travel behaviors, they found that 32% of respondents said they traveled Memorial Day weekend, predominantly by car. Other top findings include: 41% of respondents did not plan their trips in advance and roughly 85% said they traveled with one (42%) or more companions (43%). Travel behaviors varied across age groups and geographic regions, with Millennials traveling the most: 48% of Millennials said they traveled vs 22% of Gen Xers and 27% of Boomers. 28% of those in the Northeast traveled and 29% of those in the Midwest, versus 34% from the South and 36% from the West. Even more interesting the majority (55%) of those that traveled said they went to a Suburban area. 57% of those that traveled said it was also within 25 miles of home and 70% within 50 miles of home.
Are you ready, willing and able to travel? If you are now and if there’s a curfew in place, these tips will help:
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Can You Travel to the Airport During Curfew? -
5 Tips for Traveling to/From the Airport During Curfew Travel news roundups (scroll down) There’s once again a ton of it so I created separate posts for each category (air, cruise, domestic, international…) to help organize it. Below are links to most of the major travel industry stories, including Delta committing to blocking middle seats through the summer and the Trump administration's plan to bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the U.S.A...
Airline and airport news:
Cruise news:
Hotel and lodging news:
Domestic travel news:
International travel news:
Miscellaneous travel news:
