Traveling during Covid-19 has been a point of major contention. It can differ within our immediate households and it definitely differs within social media spheres. I’m sure most of us privileged beings have had to cancel plans of some sort this year. Whether they be travel or celebratory plans, it’s inconvenient and frustrating, to say the least. The uncertainty only adds insult to injury.

Back in January, I set out to plan my Christmas/Birthday 2020 travels. Yes, I begin travel planning anywhere from 6 mos to a year out. These particular plans began so early due to the fact that I needed to renew my passport. Well, as most of us are aware, our American passports are pretty much useless at this time.

My flight to Vancouver B.C. as well as the hotel accommodations for the first four nights are already booked. A trek across the famed Capilano suspension bridge is also reserved. This is all to say that it’s almost September and the pandemic situation in the United States is grave. It’s beginning to look like these plans will also require canceling. And while I have a legit phobia of walking across a bridge suspended in the air about 230 feet above the water, I will be disappointed to miss out on all the beauty British Columbia has to offer should my plans result in a no-go.

ETHICS & SAFETY WHILE TRAVELING IN THE TIME OF CORONA

This brings me to exploring alternatives that are ethical and safe. I hope this is on many people’s minds when they step out their door with the intention of traveling in the time of corona. Ethical and safe traveling means considering the well-being of others, of “essential workers” I could come into contact with and others who may be at higher risk.

This is uncharted territory for all of us. While travel is certainly a privilege, I also think it’s a necessity. We not only need breaks from our jobs (if you’re one of the blessed ones who’ve kept their jobs through all this madness) but we need a break from the mundanes of the scenery that many of us are now correlating with mandatory quarantine. It’s natural for humans to crave nature and newness.

TRAVELING DURING COVID-19 CAN MEAN CAMPING IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD

Keep in mind, travel doesn’t necessarily mean having to cross international borders or even county lines. Traveling can mean camping in one’s own backyard. While this may sound simple, and hardly exploratory, its impact is profound! My desire and need to explore can be remedied by a day trip up the central coast of California and back, stopping only to pop a squat, and coming in contact with no one. The consequences of flying, utilizing public transportation, and coming into contact with countless folks cannot be remedied if one or many end up on life-saving oxygen machines.

This is all to question what is ethical? What is appropriate travel behavior in the time of corona? I assume it’s different for everyone but I can only hope that all of our decisions are based on compassion and concern for others rather than just ourselves.