Travel hopes 2021

[audreyh1]

I had the same thought. No way I would take my 90 year old mother out of the U.S. even without Covid. Just too many things can go wrong health wise with someone in their 90s. I would have to find a place closer to home to take my 95 year old FIL.

But that means a 90+ year old is kept kind of a prisoner. Coddled until they die? What’s the point once they are fully vaccinated?

 

[Chuckanut]

But that means a 90+ year old is kept kind of a prisoner. Coddled until they die? What’s the point once they are fully vaccinated?

+1

When my mother was in her late 80's she would often sneak a nip of Southern Comfort several times a day. (SC was one of her most treasured discoveries in old age. Every time I visited she told me about her discovery of it and we shared a nip together. ) My lovely sister became upset and contacted the geriatric nurse at mom's clinic to find out how to stop her from becoming an alcoholic. The nurse asked her quite simply "She's almost 90. Is this about the Southern Comfort, one of her few pleasure in life, or your worrying about her becoming an alcoholic at 90?" My sister backed off. Mom lived about three more years and then passed away from issues totally unrelated to alcohol.

 

[Koolau]

+1

When my mother was in her late 80's she would often sneak a nip of Southern Comfort several times a day. (SC was one of her most treasured discoveries in old age. Every time I visited she told me about her discovery of it and we shared a nip together. ) My lovely sister became upset and contacted the geriatric nurse at mom's clinic to find out how to stop her from becoming an alcoholic. The nurse asked her quite simply "She's almost 90. Is this about the Southern Comfort, one of her few pleasure in life, or your worrying about her becoming an alcoholic at 90?" My sister backed off. Mom lived about three more years and then passed away from issues totally unrelated to alcohol.

Life is more about quality than quantity since none of us gets out of here alive. Sounds like your mom got both quantity and quality. Good for her!

 

[braumeister]

My sister backed off.

My mother used to get a huge kick out of telling her friends at the retirement community where she lived that "My son told me I could have anything I wanted because I'm 90 years old." She delighted in shutting up the killjoys who liked to preach to their tablemates about what they should eat and drink.

 

[Out of Steam]

2021 is the year to reestablish in-person relationships with friends and family within driving distance of home. We made one such trip last month.

No plans to fly anywhere, or even buy a plane ticket, before Labor Day. Furthest away trips will be to a wedding in Kentucky and for some hiking in Vermont, both about the same distance away from home.

 

[dirtbiker]

I had the same thought. No way I would take my 90 year old mother out of the U.S. even without Covid. Just too many things can go wrong health wise with someone in their 90s. I would have to find a place closer to home to take my 95 year old FIL.

At 95 years old, how much longer do they have left? It's about quality over quantity at that age. Why coddle them if they have life left to live? God willing, if I'm alive and well enough to travel at 95, I'll be cutting people out of my will who prevent me from traveling for my own safety.

 

[Freedom56]

We booked two return tickets from LAX to FLL (nonstop) for $594.50 per ticket in first class. That is even lower that my record low last October for $768 to the same destination. My wife has had her jabs for over a month now and continues to jab others at the hospital. She did mention that things are slowing down slightly which may mean that the majority of people who wanted the vaccine and were willing to even jump the line have their jabs already.

I went onto myturn.ca.gov and booked my first Pfizer shot for this Friday and the second one for the 30th of April. I had no issues booking and there were many slots open in the booking calendar throughout this week. We fly on the 22nd of May through the last week of June. I should have immunity by then and hopefully the virus will be under control by then such that they will start easing the mask mandates for flights. It really isn't that pleasant wearing an N95 mask through a transcontinental flight.

While the flights were relatively inexpensive, rental cars are another story. The average rental car company was asking about $90/day for an economy car. We normally pay about $150 a week or less for a rental car in Florida. However, I used my Hertz gold and old corporate code/plan and managed to get a car for about $33 per day.

At over 4 million jabs per day on average and still climbing, we should be at 300 million jabs administered by May 22nd leaving only the anti-vaxxers and homeopathic medicine clowns in the adult population left unprotected.

 

[athena53]

My tour of E. Europe may be affected by the latest UK directives. Flying from here to Albania on June 26 via Toronto and London. Returning via London to the US. Travel into the UK permitted as of 5/26 with negative OCR test from Green countries, house quarantine from Amber countries, hotel quarantine from Red countries. Classification of countries not yet announced. They'll re-visit on June 28- too late for my trip. I'm fully vaccinated but apparently that doesn't figure into it.

I've always had the attitude that I'd be surprised if this trip happened. I can change the trip to another itinerary up to 24 hours beforehand but it looks like I'll know by May 26 (acknowledging that things can change even then). Flights were with miles so there may be a charge to re-deposit. I just pray the travel company (OAT) stays in business.

My small-ship cruise off Belize and Guatemala in October looks more likely.

Rich people's problems.

 

[explanade]

Are you actually staying in London or just transiting through Heathrow?

The color of the countries may change by May.

 

[NW-Bound]

Life is more about quality than quantity since none of us gets out of here alive...

That's what I always think, and still do.

Yet, watching older relatives near the end, I see that they all hang on for a bit more quantity. Perhaps when the time comes, people change their mind.


PS. Or perhaps when the quality is already gone, quantity is all that people have left to bargain for. Very sad.

 

[Koolau]

Are you actually staying in London or just transiting through Heathrow?

The color of the countries may change by May.

Sorry. I had to go back and re-read athena53's post. At first I thought you meant the map colors were changing due to Brexit. YMMV

 

[Midpack]

We’re planning on resuming life including travel this Fall. I sure hope we’re not disappointed, it’s been a much longer slog than I expected a year ago...

 

[NW-Bound]

The problem with traveling abroad is that even if they let you in, if there's a lock down like France is instituting, there's nothing for you to do there. Or if there are restrictions in public places, it's not fun either.

A friend told me he found no RV slots in the US National Parks that he visited. Apparently, a lot of people took to the road, and it's not even summer yet.

 

[athena53]

Are you actually staying in London or just transiting through Heathrow?

The color of the countries may change by May.

Transiting (from MCI through Toronto) through Gatwick going to Tirana. On the way home, leaving from Dubrovnik to Gatwick, proceeding to LHR and spending the night at a hotel near LHR before my flight home so I'll officially be entering the UK, arriving from Dubrovnik. (I was wrong about it being a round trip from Albania; tour ends in Dubrovnik.)

Guess I better check Canada's requirements, too!

 

[skyking1]

We are camping now, which is about all we have hopes for in 2021.

 

[ivinsfan]

My tour of E. Europe may be affected by the latest UK directives. Flying from here to Albania on June 26 via Toronto and London. Returning via London to the US. Travel into the UK permitted as of 5/26 with negative OCR test from Green countries, house quarantine from Amber countries, hotel quarantine from Red countries. Classification of countries not yet announced. They'll re-visit on June 28- too late for my trip. I'm fully vaccinated but apparently that doesn't figure into it.

I've always had the attitude that I'd be surprised if this trip happened. I can change the trip to another itinerary up to 24 hours beforehand but it looks like I'll know by May 26 (acknowledging that things can change even then). Flights were with miles so there may be a charge to re-deposit. I just pray the travel company (OAT) stays in business.

My small-ship cruise off Belize and Guatemala in October looks more likely.

Rich people's problems.

My worry would be a country changes color from a green to an amber or read while I was in transit. It seems to make any reliable planning impossible. Family wedding UK bride and groom to Spain and involving US family was rescheduled from last May until early June 2021. I don't have a clue what will happen. We were invited but I see no way to actually make this wedding happen with a boatload of stress.

 

[audreyh1]

That's what I always think, and still do.

Yet, watching older relatives near the end, I see that they all hang on for a bit more quantity. Perhaps when the time comes, people change their mind.


PS. Or perhaps when the quality is already gone, quantity is all that people have left to bargain for. Very sad.

DF was the opposite. He was really ready to go and it didn’t happen fast enough for him.

 

[martyp]

On April 1st Thailand reduced the quarantine requirements from 14 days to 7 (or 10?) days for vaccinated travelers. There is a plan to eliminate the quarantine for a limited number of destinations. However, as of today there is a 3rd, more serious outbreak, here. Many venues being shut down and the UK variant is now spreading. I don’t think travel restrictions will ease much more this year. Most tourist destinations are not much fun anyway with the business closures.

 

[Koolau]

My worry would be a country changes color from a green to an amber or read while I was in transit. It seems to make any reliable planning impossible. Family wedding UK bride and groom to Spain and involving US family was rescheduled from last May until early June 2021. I don't have a clue what will happen. We were invited but I see no way to actually make this wedding happen with a boatload of stress.

We know some folks in India who told us about their big, sudden "shut down" several months back. Folks on the road - or even walking were prohibited from continuing their journey. There were few if any provisions to even feed these folks - let alone find housing. There was literal starvation and a kind of homelessness that was unspeakable. A few "mission" organizations were able to help out, but it wasn't nearly enough.

I doubt that would happen here - or, hopefully, in the first world. But the desperation of being trapped - especially in a foreign country must be horrible. I wouldn't even consider leaving the country and am very concerned about leaving my state since they act on a whim when it comes to Covid. No unintended consequence is too big to cause rational thinking, but YMMV.

 

[athena53]

My worry would be a country changes color from a green to an amber or read while I was in transit. It seems to make any reliable planning impossible.

I agree, especially with E. Europe. I think Croatia is having major problems right now. Poland (not one of my destinations) definitely is. I may be better off moving it now when I can get my choice of new dates.

 

[brett]

We were hoping for mid Sept-Mid Nov in Greece and Cyprus.

The covid situation is changing so who really knows. We are not booking anything. If we do travel it will be last minute.

We do not pay any attention to the rhetoric, the Government or travel industry announcements. They are as much geared to investors as they are to tourists.

We keep an eye on the weekly numbers from those areas that we have an interest in. So, this week Greece looks like this:

https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/greece/

It could be completely different by Sept.

One thing for certain....it will be a long time before we get on another cruise ship.

 

[harllee]

brett, I agree about cruise ships. Getting trapped on a cruise ship with a bunch of sick people would be a terrible nightmare. I am definitely avoiding cruise ships for a long time.

 

[Oilcan]

We were hoping for mid Sept-Mid Nov in Greece and Cyprus.

The covid situation is changing so who really knows. We are not booking anything. If we do travel it will be last minute.

We do not pay any attention to the rhetoric, the Government or travel industry announcements. They are as much geared to investors as they are to tourists.

We keep an eye on the weekly numbers from those areas that we have an interest in. So, this week Greece looks like this:

https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/greece/

It could be completely different by Sept.

One thing for certain....it will be a long time before we get on another cruise ship.

We had Greece booked last year with Trafalgar but of course it was cancelled and we still have the credit for the trip which includes a cruise of the islands. I had decided long ago that I wasn't going to book anything international this year. Called our travel agent last week and she said Trafalgar will have their 2022 dates out in June and we will probably book something then for June of 2022. Right now it looks pretty bad for Greece but we'll book and if it don't get better by next year, we'll re book again for a later date.

 

[explanade]

Greece is prioritizing vaccinated the entire populations of many of its islands since they're crucial to tourism for them.

Italy is doing it to some of their islands like Capri and Ischia but that is alienating people in nearby Naples and so on.

Malta is way ahead in vaccination compared to other EU countries and they definitely plan to be open from June. They even announced hotel rebates if you book directly with the hotels instead of through Expedia or Hotels.com or some other third party site.

 

[NW-Bound]

DF was the opposite. He was really ready to go and it didn’t happen fast enough for him.

I talked with a nurse about how people behaved near the end of life. She said that when people are in pain, they want the pain to stop. If they are bedridden, but just very tired and feeling lousy yet not in pain, they want to hang on.

The above was from her observations. I have not seen enough real life cases to really know.