While I’m grounded at home until the world is open to Americans again, I’m revisiting my travel love life through fun posts like this.  Hope you enjoy!

“Where is Your Husband?” is a question I’ve been asked so many times over the years as I’ve traveled solo that I wrote a post about questions to stop asking solo travelers.  At first, I laughed it off and said “my parents would love to know that too so let me know when you find him” and then I went through a bit of anger phase asking myself the same “why haven’t I met that guy yet to travel and have a life with”? I even tried online dating (unsuccessfully) as no one matched my requirements of “owns passport, wants to explore the world and is open to adventure”. Now I’ve settled into a phase of contentment with myself and my solo-ness.  When someone recently asked me “aren’t you lonely traveling solo?” I replied “not at all, I’m dating the world” and each city is my “new blind date with potential”.  Snarky works to shut down people’s preconceived notions of what my life should look like.

Just like any date or relationship, there are a few places that linger as first loves, a few in the love/hate relationship, a few bad boys that still tempt me and yet a few more with the potential to be the “the one” – that long term image of walking hand in hand as we grow old together with memories (yes, too many movie moments in my head).  Of course, just like dating, there have been some duds along the way (it really was you not me) but each time I’ve learned something new about myself, my beliefs and how I need to be open to the world. I’ve had peeks at what my life should look like vs. what my life could look like.  I’ve laughed that the world is too big to keep returning to the same places and yet there are places (and people) that I keep in my heart that call me back on a regular basis (my home and heart are definitely in more than one place).

New Zealand – Pushing My Limits

Some places give you the taste of being “fearless”, some relationships are so raw that you can’t help but be afraid to be vulnerable but once you establish that trust, wow! What a feeling to discover your kick ass power and potential.  This is the guy that believes you can do anything in the world as life is an adventure every day!  The downside to the everyday adventure is wanting to just be still and enjoy the surrounding.

New Zealand is one country that wants you to experience pure adventure – it’s their marketing tagline “Pure Adventure”.  Whether in the thrill of adventure or savoring the food & wine scene, New Zealand pushes you out of your comfort zone to let you experience fun, tempt your taste buds and gasp at the incredible beauty of the landscape.  Fly in a helicopter to put on crampons and walk across the icy surfaces of the Franz Josef glacier.  Learn to kayak for the first time even if you are scared to flip over in the massive lake.  I swear the air whispers “you can do it” (ok, maybe the cute guide trying to get me to push past the fear and catch up to the group was a bit of incentive but in the movie version it was the air).

London – Friends with Benefits

London was my first international destination, the city that gave me a taste of what the world outside of Philadelphia had to offer.  With the funny accents and phrases like “the weather is pants”, London told me “to look left” and continued to offer up just enough to keep me coming back anticipating something new and left me wanting so much more.  We understood each other, it was (and still is) easy to be in London.  We shared ups and downs. With a great history of over twenty years, I tried to make it more permanent but London said “sorry Tier 2 visa hurdle, you’d actually need to meet (and marry) an actual British guy to change our status” so alas we remain friends with benefits.  We have fun, I find comfort in my visits, enjoy my favorite London chocolates and for now can’t be more than that. During the lockdown, I missed my annual transatlantic cruise to London and I’m longing to return.  I’ve not been away from the city for this long in a very long time.  I miss my friend with benefits a bit more than I thought, chances are London is my deep true love but without the opportunity to live/work there, I have to dream.

Venice & the Amalfi Coast – My First Travel Love(s)

Venice & the Amalfi Coast continue to be my first “love at first sight” cities.  Over the years, I cherish the memories and look with sadness at the changes each has gone through as we’ve aged.  They knew that they had the allure, the romance, the views – they had it all.  But everyone wanted them, to preserve their beauty and not let them change and grow – and over the years, all the beauty is still there but underneath their souls have been changed and it makes me sad.  It’s harder to find the unique experience of my youth, we are still friends and I can visit and act like a local, happy to stroll the streets (drive the roads) of my travel youth and relive the memories of the first time we locked eyes and shared the weekend. We are in the “remember when…..” stage of first love(s).

Paris – Torn between Two Lovers (Love & Hate)

Ah…..Paris.  Paris is that one city that evokes either love or hate with travelers and rarely a middle ground. For me, it was awkward at first as I wandered lost in a city of foreign language, culture and (at the time) currency.  I had to find my own way back to the flat to find my friend (before mobile phones).  On our second date, Paris loved me back but my friend hated it and she left me in the city abandoned at Valentine’s Day and I learned to be a solo traveler.  It was my third time lucky that we fell into our love/hate relationship which has matured over the years.  Yes, we still have differences but it’s those differences that make it such a strong, passionate, relationship.  I’ve reignited my love of the city the past few years with visits for Paris at Thanksgiving (when Mom boycotted the holiday) on the way home from my Round the World trip, Paris with my niece (the 11 yo foodie), on my European travel sabbatical and the Paris visit with my mom.  I’ve reliving my past in the present and future with my family now. Seeing the city with fresh eyes and years of experience make it memorable again.

Bad First Travel Impressions

Budapest, I’m looking at you twenty years ago.  We started off on the wrong foot (or in my case the wrong hotel in a sketchy part of town) but found a common ground (once I moved to the five star Intercontinental Budapest Hotel) and I saw past the surface to see a great beauty of a city.  I’m hopeful to return soon to see how much you’ve changed in the years as I continue to see your photos everywhere as a travel rock star.

Gozo – The Ugly Duckling Blind Date

When I arrived from the ferry and saw the limestone sameness, the unpaved roads, the unending construction in the villages and only one traffic light, I wondered where the hell I was and why I had said yes to this island in Malta. It wasn’t pretty…at first.  The island of Gozo would slowly reveal all of the hidden gems on the island, it was definitely a trust issue.   We started off fumbling with “did we like each other” but after three weeks, it was a torrid love affair, one I was hesitant to leave as I was lost in a world of wonder….far away from the drama at home.  My island home became a beauty once I stopped being all judgey with it. We met locals, dined on local wine and learned to tune out the church bells that rung every fifteen minutes to tell time. We fell into a comfortable routine that I hadn’t experienced with anyone else.  The five star Kempinski Gozo helped wash away the bad start to help me hit reset and be open to discovering so much more.

Houston: We Have A Problem

Houston, Texas (USA) – At first I thought it’s me, there’s more to the city than the cold highways, megachurches and shopping malls.  I even agreed to a second date to give you another chance.  You are Oil and I’m Water there is just no future for us.  I don’t even have a photo to share!

Sydney – The Supermodel Guy Who Surfs

Sydney, Australia is the cover model who is a smart businessman by day, cultured food & wine connoisseur at night and a surfer on the weekends.  He is multi-faceted and constantly surprising you.  He won’t commit to just you because he doesn’t realize you are smitten with him (everyone is in love with him) but he’s too nice to notice.  He’s happy with his awesome life and wants you to be happy too.  He shows you the beach, pours his friend’s wine from the Hunter Valley and introduces you to his family and friends.  You feel special with him because his attention is all on your happiness.  There’s no long term to this relationship but your ego (and photos) definitely get a confident boost when you are with him.

Miami – It’s Definitely Me Not You

Miami – we are so different that even in the opposites attract category….we don’t.  You are the perennial party-er with money, you keep saying we’re all good but I don’t feel we travel in the same circle. It’s probably my insecurities but I don’t fit in your world.  I’ll still say a transient “hello” on the way to the cruise terminal and maybe meet you for a drink or two but thats all.

Solo Traveler: Independent & Brave

I’ve had many more blind dates with the cities of the world (and small towns) and I still enjoy the awkward first meeting, the getting to know you stage and then waiting to see if it will be love, lust, like or loathing.  So I’m “still single” because I’m still dating the world, Mom says “I’m too picky”.  For the rest of the world, I’m independent, bold and brave and yet missing “my husband”.  As for me?  I’m still having a good time exploring the world. What about you – what’s your travel love life look like? How would you label your dates with cities/countries? Are you dating the world too?

We all need something to look forward to right now.  The pandemic took away the weddings, reunions, family vacations, summer cruises and so much more that we need a bit of hope.  Travel has always been that ray of sunshine, the reason to work all day, to save for, to plan for, and to shop for.  It’s the escape from the daily bubble of life’s drama.  It’s an escape from 24/7 news cycles, an escape to relaxation and an escape to fun. We all miss that right now.  The airlines miss us, the hotels miss us, the restaurants, museums, and tour guides miss us.  We miss them too.  As much as we complain about flying coach, we miss it.  Yes, hard to admit that but I miss that tight, no leg room seat right now.  That seat represents the first step to adventure, the conduit to discover a new destination and the reason you go to yoga class to become flexible and bend yourself into the seat.

So how do we move forward when so much is unknown?  How do we become comfortable again going through the airport and onto a plane and to the hotel?  We can’t stay home forever, well we could, but won’t you miss pain au chocolate in Paris? Miss the pints at the London pub?  Miss the glorious morning views of Zion National Park?  Miss seeing family and friends in person again?

The planes are being cleaned more frequently and hotels have shared their cleaning protocols and health partnerships.  Is that enough to make you feel comfortable?  Do cleaning protocols make you safe?  Are we ever really safe?  So many questions, so many unknowns.

Waiting for a vaccine might take a while (18 months or longer) and even then how effective will it be?  The seasonal flu vaccine is effective less than 50% of the time according to the CDC Flu Effective Studies.    (Note: I have friends who have recovered from covid-19 so I am not downplaying it, just stating a scientific fact that not all vaccines are effective and some are yet to be found (i.e. AIDS, a coronavirus that mutates).

Can we wait until herd immunity?  You’ll need to at some point weigh your risk factors and want to travel.  It won’t be an easy decision as the world is fed with fear every day.  We fear so much – fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of exposure, fear of snowstorms, fear of rain, fear of food, fear of being fat, fear of spiders and snakes (ok, that one is real), etc.

Now we fear people and crowds.  Fear sneezes, coughs and airborne particles.  Fear quarantines on either side of a trip.  Fear medical insurance deductibles (U.S. only), costs and job security if we get sick during travel.  There’s a lot of fear out there and if you consume any amount of media that fear is amplified, for good and bad reasons.

But there is hope out there – we’ve seen people come together to help neighbors, we hear of recovery stories, watch the car parades for birthdays, anniversaries, retirements and weddings.  We’ve learned to adapt and figure a way to move forward. We are resilient and determined to work together to find cures, to find ways support our businesses and communities.

We are already seeing small steps to restore traveler confidence – wearing masks on planes, some (not all) airlines blocking out middle seats and boarding from back to front with deplaning front to back to social distance best they can. Hotels cleaning protocols, Uber mask requirements of both driver and passengers and restaurants outdoor dining.  TSA has allowed increased volume of hand sanitizing liquid in your carryon, they won’t take your boarding pass from you and are cleaning the bins more frequently.   At PHL airport and many other airports, the GRAB app will allow you to order airport food online and have contactless pickup. I’m sure more airports are looking at social distancing and safe opening of their restaurants and shops for travelers use.

I wish I could see unicorns, rainbows and sunshine in the near future with travel but I can’t.  We all have our own level of fear, risk tolerance and opinions.  The travel vendors are trying their best to navigate the new travel expectations, local/state/federal guidelines for health and safety while trying to stay in business and bring back employees laid off or furloughed.  I’m sure you’ve seen many videos, tweets, posts about bad travel experiences so far – passengers not wearing masks, middle seats full, vows never to buy/fly/stay with x vendor again!  I think we all need to take a step back and realize there’s no guidebook for restarting the travel economy around the world during a pandemic.  Everyone is stressed and anxious and doing their best to move forward.

It’s ok that you are afraid to travel and conversely it’s ok if you want to travel tomorrow.  We all need something to look forward to and provide a sense of normalcy even in the midst of a global pandemic

So if you do choose to travel when your stay at home orders are lifted, when businesses go full green in your city/state, please choose kindness in the interactions and know that everyone is trying their best. Do share your experiences so others can learn from there and see the good/bad/ugly as we all baby step our way to the new travel normal.

One rarely mentioned quirk that I have, that my friends know about me (and tease me), is my OCD like behavior in hotels.  The first thing I do after taking photos for the blog is open the bar of soap and wash my hands then get a tissue (or ten) to pick up the television remote and put it inside a Ziploc bag. I then go to the door to check out my fire escape options (I’ve been awaken at 1 a.m. twice to fire alarms which is scary). I will always wear shoes (or slippers) in the room and never, never, ever will I walk in bare feet.  My friends have accepted my quirks as I try to hide my disgust for their lack of concern as they take baths, walk in bare feet, touch every surface with abandon and even use the in room coffee maker and amenities. I’m not sure when the germaphobe tendencies started but it’s the classic Odd Couple situation (when I travel with friends) where I’m the weird one until now.  So how will hotels change after covid-19 and will that affect me much?

Hotel Cleaning Procedures

Now with Covid-19 the topic of cleaning in hotels has come to the forefront in recent weeks as each hotel adopts and shares their cleaning protocols to provide a “perceived” level of safety for travelers (nothing is 100% – there are no guarantees in life or travel) to get back on the road, in the air and to their hotels. You’ll see updates daily by hotel brands as if one cleaning protocol over another will swing the needle to make you stay there.  Sadly there are no standards in the industry (yet) to get certified in cleaning methods, products, equipment, etc.  So for me, who rarely touched things in the hotel and did my own version of a clean room, will this really change things for me?  Probably not.  I welcome more cleaning and sanitizing.  My concern is whether this is a temporary change or long term?

My Hotel Routine (Pre-Covid 19)

Pre-covid, I put on the “do not disturb” sign on my door (as if that was a barrier to germs) and decline daily room cleaning so that the linens were not changed nor the carpets vacuumed. No outside germs (in my mind) were allowed in my room during the stay so limiting the number of staff in room I thought would help.  I swapped towels with the housekeeper if I saw the cart nearby or called later in the day for delivery.  Despite declining housekeeping daily, I always leave a tip on the last day. My one exception to in room visit by staff, was of course, room service.  This quick visit would deliver all the good food, wine and dessert.

So now with everyone talking about “will you go to a hotel again” and touch things – if anything it will be even more attended to with cleaning schedules of common areas and handles/buttons. A bit like you always thought they did but didn’t (if you saw the NYC subway close down for nightly cleaning recently, I’m sure you, like me, thought “didn’t they clean the subway every night anyway?”).  You will likely see staff cleaning common areas on a regular schedule.

Hotel Check In Changes During/After Covid-19

As for those common areas – we’ve all been there – crowded hotel lobbies, long check-in lines and dreaded the waits.  Now you’ll be able to bypass all of that for some hotel brands/locations. But before you get to the front desk and/or lobby, you might miss the bellman offering to carry your bags or the welcome staff to sit with you personally for check in.   I don’t anticipate temperature checks in the long term at hotels because of the liability, increased staffing required to administer and enforce each time and the bottleneck of people in line in the lobby.  Enforcement of masks will be a tough one too.

Despite all of my weirdness in the hotel room, I never considered the room keycard an issue but now will wipe that down with each use in the elevator and room door.  I’m probably an outlier in that I’m not a fan of hotel keyless entry options using your phone and yet another phone app to download. Keyless unlock with phone will likely become the norm so be prepared to connect to hotel Wi-Fi, have some data/battery left on your phone to access and bring a phone at all times when you leave the room.

• Check in online, get keyless code and bypass the front desk to your room (unless old European hotel key weights)
• Carry your own bags to your room or use the provided cart for assistance
• Less crowded hotel lobbies as furniture will be removed, social distancing in force with groups

New Technology in Hotels

In room touchscreens were just starting to come into their own but will you want to touch them now?  Will you use the TV remote to order/control what you need? Will smart rooms become voice enabled?  Do you run a voice privacy risk in hotel for guests?  You are ok to chat up Alexa, Siri and other voice assistants at home, which have had their own issues with hacking and data collection but what about in a hotel – are you weary of privacy and ability to listen to you?

I’ve seen a few hotels with text options to retrieve your car from the valet – you text the claim number and are told when the car will be available in the driveway.  This would allow you to stay in room longer.

Smart elevators are already in use in some hotels such as The Moxy Times Square NYC and The Hard Rock London Hotel.  You scan your hotel key card and are directed to a numbered elevator. Once inside there are no buttons to press, the elevator is going to x number of floors to make the system efficient.

Hotel Room Changes due to Covid-19

If I was really flying my “don’t touch that” germaphobe flag in room, I wouldn’t be surprised to see all in room amenities such as the minibar, coffee maker, iron/ironing board and other shared items that guests can use during their stays removed.  Removal of extra bedding, pillows and comforter cover too.   Limits to daily in room cleaning.  Addition of sanitizing gel and wipes.  Sealed items and the death knell of hotel toiletries to favor of in shower items. If you need anything, you’ll have to call to have these items delivered (don’t forget to tip!) or buy in the lobby/front desk shop.

• Goodbye Hotel Minibar (I won’t miss the $5 M&Ms and $7 bottle of water) but I will miss the best hotel minibar at 1898 The Post in Ghent followed by The Westin Sydney minibar
• Call Housekeeping for extra blankets, pillows, iron/ironing board and other amenities
• Removal of individual hotel toiletries of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand cream, etc.  I will miss collecting hotel toiletries especially luxury ones.
• The hair dryer – can we dip that into a Purell bath? Not sure how you really clean it.
• Unknown what happens to the coffee/tea options in room and in lobby

You may see changes to daily housekeeping changing of linens, towels and cleaning schedules.  There are so many moving parts in the room that I’m sure you’ve never thought about so likely you won’t miss much in the short term (long term who knows?).

Hotel Restaurant & Bar Changes

Room Service – I discussed my thoughts on How Room Service Will Change and it’s probably the “death of room service” as we knew it (at least for now).

Other hotel changes to expect will be the restaurant buffets (goodbye self-service), Kimpton famous wine happy hours (please, don’t take the wine away!), lobby seating, bar seating, pool bar seating, etc.

Will the hotel be responsible for enforcing social distancing? What if they remove bar seats – what’s to prevent someone from standing next to you or sliding their seat over to chat you up?  Hotels are there to provide a service not to police guests normally however does the social contract, health risks and local state/city regulations change that?

Hotel Gym Changes

Hotel gyms have always been an afterthought of small spaces to provide enough equipment for guests to use.  I rarely see the gyms in use by more than one or two people at a time.  That said, I suspect that reservations will become the norm to provide social distance and time to clean equipment between uses.  Equipment may need to be removed or limit the number of guests per time slot (30-45 minutes). Will hotels increase delivery of in room stationary bike, yoga mat or equipment usage? Hotels already provide yoga mats in room (Kimpton hotels),  deliver workout equipment to your hotel room and in recent years introduced fitness suites.

Hilton workout rooms look pretty awesome now, they call them “Five Feet to Fitness” workout rooms, will this model become more popular? Maybe?  I know I want to try this room type out if I can afford it. Will we see more hotel rooms with Pelotons or  hotels with the Mirror workouts?  Will hotels charge extra for these room types – you bet!  They will likely be in the Suite category to provide the extra space needed for the equipment. Or you can social distance yoga in the park instead.

Final Thoughts – How will the hotel experience change

To be honest, the world of travel has always had risk to it – from norovirus on a cruise ship, food poisoning at restaurants or food stalls to being chased by hippos (ok that’s just me). There are earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, fires and now murder hornets (those guys had a good doom/gloom PR agent) so the world continues to throw stuff at us while we live and when we travel.   You need to decide for yourself and your family what risks you want to take with travel and what you don’t.  No one can decide that for you.  If you do the research, make the backup plans, use a travel agent (where best needed) and expect the unexpected then you’ve done all you can do to travel.  I’ll be back at my favorite hotels when I can travel again, hopefully you will too.

So just a few thoughts on how the hotel experience will change (or not change) for me.  Thoughts on what you think will change at hotels and to your hotel experience?

I think it’s safe to say we all want to escape our homes right now –escape to blue waters and sandy beaches with a pineapple rum drink in hand.  The current pandemic situation is fluid with governments around the world limiting people movement and restricting travel and borders. When can we cruise again is one of the top questions I see in the various groups followed by opinions on what cruise changes we can expect to see.  Valid questions as folks are itching to get back onboard and explore the world. The cruise community of travelers is like no other – passionate, loyal and fun folks from all walks of life that share their love of cruise life with friends from around the world.

Recent high level PR nightmares, quarantined ships, environmental fines and scandals hasn’t helped the cruise industry. And there’s no love for the fact that they are flagged outside the U.S. as foreign companies avoiding U.S. wage/income laws, federal tax and other fun things which kept them from receiving bailout funds. Unfortunately, for the cruise industry,  recovery will require a complicated and multi-layered response over years.

So what does the cruise industry do now?  Well it’s on a 30 day+ time out for now.  As a reminder, the cruise industry is massive $45 billion in revenue industry dominated by a few cruise lines – Carnival, Royal Carribbean, Norwegian and Genting Hong Kong with about 300+ ships sailing in a normal week. More than 20 million passengers in a year!  That’s a lot of passengers now add in the additional crew and staff, supply vendors, destinations, governments, taxi drivers, tour guides, tour operators, restaurants, wineries, liquor vendors and so many more people in the supply chain.

When Will We Cruise Again?

When can I cruise again? I’m hopeful that some cruise lines will slowly start to sail again in late September/October with modified itineraries (such as 3-4 day cruises) subject to change daily.  Cruise line marketing of low fares will be all around you once there is an all clear and travel restrictions/warnings are lifted.   You may be tempted to jump on that low fare and if you do, please know that there could be disruptions, itinerary changes and other changes as this is a work in progress for everyone in the travel industry. There will be a learning curve, a trial and error period for everyone going forward as we find a new normal. 2020 will be slow starts and stops and create a roadmap for the future.

Always Research Cruise Destinations

Research for all travel is important and even moreso for cruise vacations as the ports are many, the uncertainty of weather and backup plans are often needed.  I’ve seen more than my share of folks stranded in the unknown because of cruise ship changes.

Dept of State Information for Cruise Ship Passengers 

Register travel with U.S. Dept of State STEP program  when traveling internationally.  This will allow you to access embassies notifications by email and text and have local U.S. Embassy information for rapidly changing environments.

Cruise Ship Ports Open or Closed

The biggest uncontrollable unknown will be ports – will they be open, accept ships and have staff available to process passengers while also keeping their city, town, country safe?  Will they remain closed to mega-ships? What government changes will need to be adopted in order for a ship to dock and spill out their guests for a few hours a day? Will you want to be on a cruise to nowhere if ports aren’t open?

Set Expectation:  Itineraries may change enroute.  Ports may close and deny docking.  Ships may visit their private island(s) more.  Don’t have your heart set on any one destination/port. 

Airline Schedules to Cruise Port Cities

Airlines will also need to have flights available.  Many airlines have drastically scaled back their schedules and equipment to limit travel. Can they quickly ramp up service once the cruise line cities are back on line.  Summer months would mean Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Seattle, New York are main cruise ports, Fall ports are limited to Florida generally. Seats may be limited for a while I rarely recommend buying flights from the cruise line, given the current environment, it’s best to research and consider their options as they handle arrangements.

Set Expectation: Airports are still open and flights are drastically curtailed. Fly out the day before your cruise sails in case of delays or flight cancellations. You don’t want to literally miss the boat on this one.

5 Cruise Ship Potential Changes

There are many moving parts to how each cruise line and ship will adapt, adopt and evolve their current procedures, policies and processes in the next few months to restart sailings.  With four major cruise lines dominating the landscape, you may see some brands adapt quicker than others.  A few thoughts on first round changes I anticipate –

Doctor’s Note Required

Will you need a doctor’s note to board a cruise ship?  The CDC had asked that those over 70 years old supply a doctor’s note that they were ok to travel but the CDC is a U.S. organization, what happens outside the U.S.?  Will the CDC rule become standard? Here is the current CDC website for Covid-19 Cruise Ship Travelers. For the many folks with pre-existing conditions, invisible illnesses, immunocompromised but medicated, etc. will they be able to sail at all?  If there is a risk of exposure or outbreak to a vulnerable population the cruise lines might try to mitigate the risk with doctor’s notes to decide whether or not to accept a passenger onboard.

Set Expectation:  If you have any concern about traveling with a medical condition, talk to your travel agent and/or cruise line directly before making reservation(s).  Make sure you have submitted all required documents in advance and bring copies with you.  The cruise line contract allows the cruise ship to deny boarding, disembark you at any time and confine you to your cabin if you are a risk. 

No More Self-Service Cruise Model

This seems like a no brainer to me.  While all dining areas have staff to Purell you upon entry or direct you to sinks to wash your hands, passengers do sneak by (I know I have).  The “washy -washy” song is cute and catchy but now even more important all over the ship. It’s hard to manage hundreds of people at one time swarming the buffets at key times. Cruise lines will need to staff all buffets and close self-service kiosks such as free stations for coffee/tea and ice cream.  They already do this during outbreaks.   Dining tables will not be pre-set with silverware, place settings and glassware. Staff will bring out individual salt/pepper, creamer, sugar packets as needed.

Temperature at Check In on Cruises

Anyone can fill out the paper health form and lie about being sick in the past 24 hours to two weeks.  Relying on people to be honest after they’ve paid thousands for a vacation and could be limited or denied boarding isn’t the best option in my experience.

I think the cruise lines will do a temperature check upon boarding (similar to what is done in many Asian cities) at each port and at the end of the cruise. Every time you swipe your keycard, you will undergo a temperature check. To accomplish this will require staggered times to limit the crowds and delays and massive staffing increase. Cruise lines (and captains) will need to establish procedures for those with a fever at each port.

Set Expectations: What are your plans if you are denied boarding?  Confined to your cabin because a family member (or traveling companion) is flagged? 

Cruise Ship Medical Staffing & Space

On our last cruise, my friend was bitten by a dog (long story) and we had to go to the medical facility.  It was closed (limited hours) so the crew called ahead so my friend could be treated.  There was a small staff of doctors and nurses with a few treatment rooms.

I think the ships will need to increase medical staff, increase hours, add isolation rooms (or areas) in the medical center to keep infected folks away from the general population to slow spread and set out a treatment policy for future infections.  Quarantine in cabin works for norovirus (I was on a ship with outbreak in Turkey) but not for covid-19 based on what we’ve seen on the Princess ships and others in the past few months.

Set Expectations:  Know your medical insurance coverage regarding medical treatments on cruise ships.  The costs can be exorbitant as you are not in network and often not treated by a U.S. Medical professional (ships are flagged in countries outside the U.S. and follow different regulations).   What type of medical coverage (if any) will be available to buy as travel insurance coverage?  What if the ship decides you need to be evacuated off-ship to the nearest medical facility and/or hospital?  Will you need a medivac by helicopter?  The costs will quickly, very quickly add up.  Also Medicare does not cover you outside the U.S. so you need to be aware of your coverage, rights and alternatives.

Muster Drills Changes

I’m not sure how to change this mandatory requirement which ensure all passengers know where to go in the event of an emergency.  Each cabin is assigned to a muster area which can be outside on deck or inside a bar, showroom or restaurant.  Folks are packed like sardines in my many experiences.  Crew take attendance to ensure all passengers are accounted for.

Set Expectation: BYOM (Bring Your Own Mask) to crowded gatherings like this.  Sadly you don’t have the opportunity to sing “Don’t Stand so Close to Me” by the Police although it might rattle in your head during this exercise.

Summary of Cruise Ship Sailings and Changes

Demand for cruises will be lower than normal in 2020 despite the summer vacation season and pent up need to escape stay at home orders. With high unemployment and folks fearing job security, a cruise vacation will be a luxury most won’t be able to afford this year.  For those that can, they will see ships sailing less full, crowds dispersed the best they can and new procedures in place for safety of guests.  2021 cruise bookings are already seeing uptick in interest and reservations so many travelers realize it might be a while before they can sail again.

I’ve sailed many cruise lines and ships solo paying a single supplement (solo cruise cabins), with friends and with family on Disney cruise and I will sail in the future with some changes (i.e. book balcony cabin instead of the cheaper inside cabin). Mom is now banned from cruises and travel (which she isn’t thrilled with) due to her immunocompromised status. When a vaccine is available, Mom will be back in the bingo game on the ship!

I hope this time out will give the cruise industry and cruise lines time to regroup and reimagine the cruise experience.  We all want to be together again but maybe not that close together?  Let’s see how they respond and adapt.  When can I cruise again is a date that continues to change.

On day 2 of work from home (WFH) this week, I almost ordered a trampoline.  My neighbor has one and my home office window looks out to it so my inner child was screaming “I want a trampoline!  You need to remember how to have fun!”  Thankfully Amazon is shipping only essentials right now as we social distance and while my inner child might disagree, the trampoline is not essential. She keeps telling me there are other online options that will ship a trampoline big and small – she’s getting bored.  I’m telling her she can still travel the world with virtual tours, blogger posts, YouTube videos and a plethora of photos.

The sentiment is correct – we need to have a bit of fun right now – it’s a scary time with so many unknowns that we need to self-care best we can. Travel for me, as I’ve mentioned many times, allows me to hit reset on my life – to reboot my mind, body and spirit.  Lately, all have taken a beating in the past few years with unemployment, parent caretaking and the uncertainty of temp jobs and client projects.  I’ve had to learn to readjust my travels near and far.  I was planning on another transatlantic cruise next month to see friends but that’s no longer an option. My travel class “How to Travel for Less” has also been canceled.

You can still read about travel, still plan for the future trips (don’t put any money down just yet) and dream of places outside of your home to help take your mind off of all the negative stuff coming at you from all angles. Escapism is ok and blogs could use some views as support.  Right now the local park is my exotic destination – funny how when the world quiets you notice the birds chirping and the palette of colors in the landscape as you put one foot in front of the other. We’ve been busy we tell ourselves, well the Earth has given us a “time out” to rethink our priorities.

Growing up, I lived in a rowhouse in Philadelphia which meant you could knock on the bedroom wall and your neighbor could knock back.  There were at least thirty homes on each side of the block so about sixty families in total – lots of people for summer block parties, Tupperware parties, sharing cookouts and swimming pools.  Life was orderly, not busy per se but scheduled in a different way. I walked to school, came home as a “latchkey” kid, watched cartoons and started my homework before my parents came home from work.  I had sports on Saturday and my mom would drop me and my friends off at the soccer field and come back later at some point.  If it ended early, we would need to walk a few blocks to the pay phone to call her to pick us up early. We knew our neighbors. We left after breakfast and played outside all day long until someone’s mom would yell out the kitchen window that it was dinner time.  It was usually my mom yelling “Suzanne – dinner time” which prompted me to drop everything and run home in record time.

We don’t live in the world of my Gen-X memories anymore. The isolation is real for so many folks in today’s world – we don’t know neighbors, we are too busy, we are stressed out, we are lonely.  I don’t have answers (I wish I did) but a few ideas – schedule a virtual lunch or happy hour with friends and co-workers.  Netflix has a new feature so you can all watch a move together and chat in a Netflix Party. Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of 24/7 news. Go for a walk.  Find ways to exercise. Download Meditation apps or talk to a professional with TeleMedicine Therapy. Call, text, video check in with everyone – don’t wait for others now – you might be the lifeline someone needs.

For entertainment that allows you to travel the world – there are a few vendors helping out with that right now so let’s escape with them to discover the world from your couch. From concerts, mass, street art and museum tours…..

Virtual Street Art Tours

You know I’m a big fan of Street Art with my trips to see Shoreditch Street Art in London,  Paris Street Art, Melbourne Street Art and Rotterdam Street Art.  Now you can explore even more with Google Street Art https://streetart.withgoogle.com/en/

Museum Virtual Tours

Museums may be closed but the virtual tours, curator discussions and beauty is available all day.

• My recent art discovery was the Wallace Collection in London
• Other London faves: the V&A London and British Museum
• The one museum though that has resonated years after the visit is MONA in Tasmania, Australia – the Museum of Old and New will make you rethink “what is art” and challenge you at every turn.

For Impressionist art lovers, the Philadelphia Barnes Collection is amazing!  Watch the “Art of the Steal” documentary to learn more about the power struggles with this impressive collection.

While I’ve only scratched the surface in museum visits – Google Arts & Culture invites you to discover 2,500 museums and galleries around the world!   https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?hl=en

The National Constitution Center is offering weekly classes, a podcast and town halls.  Fascinating discussions of how the constitution lives, breathes and continues to be challenged in our world today.

• Online class Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 1 pm EST https://constitutioncenter.org/debate/live
• We the People Podcast https://constitutioncenter.org/debate/podcasts

Cute Animal Virtual Tours

After my safari visits in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, I see the animal kingdom and all the rescues differently.  After visiting the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka, Alaska and learning that there are no laws to protect the bears and that bullets are cheaper than rescue, I’m more impressed by the work of local rescues, zoos and shelters.

Check with your local animal shelter to see if they need volunteers to foster the animals as they are closed to adoptions so the animals, like you, are really isolated.  They are literally in cages and you are in your house, free to move around.

For cute live cams – many places are offering a dose of cuteness (you need a few cute breaks a day)

• San Diego Zoo Live Cameras https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams
• Monterey Aquarium Live Cameras https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams

National Parks Virtual Tours

Living in Philadelphia, I have access to Independence National Park, home of the Liberty Bell (seen through glass right now), Independence Hall and the Constitituion Center.  Outside the city, Valley Forge National Park offers a respite from life with monuments and walking, biking, running trails. With current grey skies, I’m reliving my trip to Zion National Park, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend. For more insight into the U.S. National Park system, visit  https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service

Opera & Broadway Streaming

I’ve never attended an opera but the Met and Royal Opera are streaming performances so I may catch one or two and see if I like it.

• Metropolitan Opera Free Streaming https://www.metopera.org/
• Royal Opera House https://www.youtube.com/user/royaloperahouse

Broadway may be dark but you can get your fill with the Broadway HD subscription.  It has a free trial period and then a monthly (or yearly) subscription.  Schedule time with your family and loved ones to see Broadway at home  https://www.broadwayhd.com/

Kid’s Programs:

There are online book readings for kids, music, crafts and many lessons – check out Instagram, Youtube and Facebook.  I thought these were interesting:

• If you are ready to explore beyond Earth then the Space Center Houston App is for you and your little astronauts in training https://spacecenter.org/app/
• Kid’s Programs (K-6) at Scholastic https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

Final Thoughts – Virtual Travel from your Couch:

The world we once knew will never be the same after this – we will rethink how we treat each other, create jobs and social safety nets and learn to be kind as folks are coming together to help each other.  My beloved travel industry has been decimated and will need our help to rebuild.  Our humanity ties us together – we really are quite similar despite the differences in language, culture, religion, politics, etc. I’ve learned from traveling that we have more in common – we want to be healthy, work a good job to earn a living to support our families and be happy.  So in this time of uncertainty, please be kind to each other and know together we are stronger.  I look forward to being back on the road, in the sky and sailing the seas to be able to breathe again as travel is my air.

I still might buy that trampoline, let’s check back on WFH day 12!  In the meantime, I bought my inner child a jump rope and am feeding her chocolate! Be safe everyone!

What do you have to add?  Any fun ways to keep entertained and explore the world from your home base?

The controversy has popped up into our social feeds and reignited a debate of fierce stances – should you ask to recline the airline seat or not or just go for it without warning?  I don’t normally jump into the “topic of the day” but here I am because I’m been the victim of the seat recline, rather my poor knees have been the victim of the seat back.

By now we’ve all seen the video of the guy pushing (or punching) the seat in front of him because the passenger in front of him leaned back without asking or providing any indication.  I’m not sure when we forgot to use our words and treat folks with respect.

The airplane seems to be the wild west of manners and attitudes. There has to be a common sense middle ground. We are all too “whip out the phone first” crazy for likes, cancel culture and viral attention.

This could have probably been settled easily without the escalation but alas it’s now in the social media sphere and being discussed.

In my opinion, based on what I’ve read (I’m sure there stuff I don’t know) both seem at fault.  The woman could have asked first to see that leaning back didn’t cause any obstacles or discomfort.  What if his tray table was down and he was working on his computer?  What if the seat recline hindered that ability.  What if this was a woman who did this or the reclining passenger was male?  So many what ifs.   So many opinions.

The woman in her tweets discloses a medical condition with her back/spine and says the incident caused more damage requiring a doctor’s visit, x-rays, lost time from work, etc. comparing it to “assault”.  So it seems there’s more to her experience that led her to go public with the incident. A few steps seem to be missing – tell the guy to stop, tell him you have a medical condition, ask to be moved to another seat, etc.  A lot of options at the time on board before bringing it to public scrutiny and opinion.

It’s reported that the guy did ask her to put seat up so he could use the tray table to eat, which she did.  She then reclined again. This was a two hour flight!  The guy was in the last row of coach and if you’ve ever sat there (I have many times) you know those seats don’t recline at all. So you could be pinned in depending on your body type.  The man pushes the seat a few times and instead of the woman with the spine issues saying anything to him, she chooses to film the man (did she get his consent to film him?) instead?!  That’s a bit crazy to me.  If someone kicks my seat once I get annoyed more than that?  I’m saying something, I’m not filming it.  I’m resolving it right then and there.

I think it’s safe to assume we’ve all been in this situation in some way or another. I’ve had kids kicking my seatback – I told the parent and the kicking stopped.  I’ve had situations where I’m on the aisle and the girl in front of me not only threw her long hair over the seatback (ewww!) but also reclined without asking thus pinning me in.  I pointed this out to the flight attendant (as the passenger and I had different languages) as her hair was offensive in my space.   She removed her hair but kept reclining and gave me a death stare mumbling under her breath (words I did understand in her language) when I needed to get up as it disturbed her flight.

Here’s the thing – I book an aisle seat as I’m tall and short waisted with long legs.  My knees are already likely pressing into the seat.  If you push back, my knees will likely push into your back and I will be pinned into my seat which is frankly dangerous for evacuation.  In order to stand up, I need to hold the seat in front to angle myself up and out (thankfully all that yoga pays off!).  Using the tray table is not an option when you push your seat back so I can’t work on my computer even if I wanted to nor can I eat (when or if the airline serves food, the flight attendant always has to ask the passenger to put their seat up so I can use the tray table).  I often try to sit sideways if the seat arm will push up but then I’m at the mercy of beverage carts (they will hit me all the time) and people walking to/from bathroom.

Now if you ask me if you can put the seat back, I will say yes (Catholic School guilt being nice) but disclose my issues above.  If you are ok with those conditions, go for it.  Most times folks will recline, feel my knees in their back, feel bad, say sorry and put the seat back in upright position.

A few times, I’ve been able to avoid all of this unpleasantness by paying for a choice seat (on American Airlines out of PHL)  for $35-50. The few times I’ve done this, I’ve ended up with a while row to myself.  When that happens, I will move to the window seat and stretch out.  Best use of money to upgrade to the seat others don’t want to pay more for.  Other times, if I can afford it, I’ll buy a first class ticket or upgrade with points for the extra leg and seat room.  Just take my points to let me stretch out in comfort.

The only answer to me is to politely ask (or notify) the passenger behind you first.  Be respectful if someone says no or offers up a reason why (i.e. working and using tray table, already poured into the seat and will be stuck, etc.).  The recline feature doesn’t do much in my opinion other than take personal space away from someone else.  The airlines created this mess trying to jam in more seats to maximize revenue.  The seat pitch continues to shrink as does the seat size for a growing population that spills into the seats and make the notion of neighbors that much cozier when you are thigh to thigh (or shoulder to shoulder) for a few hours.

Be Kind seems so simple – Treat others the way you want to be treated sounds easy – Life, however, has made us stuck in a bubble where all of our wants/needs are catered too with immediacy – Let’s start a bit of a revolution on the next flight with empathy and respect.  Please ask before reclining your seat.  It’s the right thing to do.

Your thoughts – should you ask to recline the airline seat or just push back at will?

As I get older, the days and years really do seem to speed and the highlights become flashes of memories whereas the low points, the really low points in life seem to be set on slow motion torturing me even longer. That doesn’t seem quite far – 2019 has been a weird year that was full of high points for travel and low valleys personally with a job search and a family member’s illness.  I’ve been lax in posting, sorry for that, I’ll be better next year.

Trying to find a balance to an awesome work/travel life is never easy.  Hopefully you had a fantastic year of travel discoveries and are planning more adventures in 2020.  Fingers crossed, I’m back on the road and in the air much more next year. That said, there are still many posts to share about this year’s travel – the charming Wallace Collection of Art in London is one that I’m sure you’ll love as much as I do – look for that in a few weeks.

Prior Year Highlights

Read why I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but rather travel lists

Watch the NYE Fireworks in London that was a dream experience

Travel Highlights in 2019

Television Appearances

When the producer reached out to ask me to appear on the local lifestyle show “You Oughta Know” on PBS Station, WHYY, I was pretty excited.  I could talk travel all day long but she only needed me for a segment which is a few minutes.  I still said YES and arrived at the studios ready for my hair and makeup to be done.  I met the hosts and then we sat down and they began taping.  I was asked back for two more segments in the summer.  You can watch them here

• Travel for Less – Travel Savings
• Disneyworld Orlando Tips
• Staycation Tips

XM Radio Interview

Unlike television, radio interview segments are much longer in length – about ten minutes which might seem like an enternity but flew by quickly with many laughs.  The XM radio program “The Lisa Show” interviewed me about favorite Travel Apps.  Everyone laughed about Sit or Squat but commented on how useful it is especially with kids on roadtrips.

Listen to the segment here

https://www.byuradio.org/episode/5a4f8535-3b8c-4b58-97a1-cccedb4b75ca?playhead=891&autoplay=true

Teaching my “How to Travel for Less” Class

I was invited back by the local adult education non-profit, Main Line School Night, to teach my “Travel for Less” tips class after my 2018 class was a hit.  The small group class was so much fun.  For 2.5 hours we discussed all things travel and I was able to take the pulse of the students to get insight into what folks find interesting (points, housesitting and savings hacks) and what they aren’t interested in (cruises, group tours and airbnb).   The foundation of the class is helping me develop an e-book and/or online classes (I’m not sure yet which to pursue).

Three New London Hotel Stays

My visit to London was notable as I was able to explore two new lodging options in Bankside, a neighborhood I’m liking more and more each visit.  It’s a short walk everywhere and quiet at night.   I was able to stay at the Hilton Bankside which has a basement pool – swimming in London was fabulous. Then I discovered my new favorite flat rental – Native Bankside.  The converted warehouse hosts furnished flats with full kitchens.  It was hard to leave to explore the city but the Thames was only steps away.  I will be torn with options on my next London Bankside stay – I’ve stayed at SeaContainers (formerly The Mondrian), Hilton Bankside and Native Bankside.  Now The Hoxton has opened a new property on Bankside (can’t wait to try it) and the Marriott Autograph Collection luxury boutique hotel, Bankside Hotel with water and City views.

On the other side of town, the London Hard Rock Hotel  converted the massive 600+ room Cumberland Hotel to its own version of boutique luxury.  The hotel has single rooms as well as family rooms, both elusive room types in London.  With its prime location at the end of Oxford Street shopping across from Hyde Park and Marble Arch, it’s at the center of tourists and yet just steps away from Marylebone and the hidden secret that is its high street of boutiques, pubs and intimate restaurants within walking to the Wallace Collection art gallery.

A Year of Superheroes

The day before the cruise set sail, a number of passengers had bought tickets to see Avengers Endgame which was opening in the US.  They couldn’t wait until they returned to see how the story would end, they were also wanting to avoid spoilers on social media during the cruise. For me, I waited until I returned to have a week of Superheroes at the movies and in the exhibit at the Franklin Institute.  The Marvel Superheroes exhibit was a fitting way to enjoy the Marvel universe. Some days, I wished I had superpowers to deal with the ups and downs of life.

Travel Compromises

With a few last minute trips to New York City, I had to make a few compromises, one of which was to travel by Bolt Bus.  I couldn’t justify an Amtrak ticket that was nearly $100 each way!  I could however, drive to Philly, use SpotHero for parking and pay $15 each way for a bus ticket to/from NYC.  Travel is often full of compromises to adhere to a budget – maybe you like to stay at airbnb or hostel and splurge at a fancy restaurant.  For me, it was the bus vs train.   I did get to return to the Moxy Hotel in NYC, a new favorite hotel only a short walk from Penn Station (Amtrak) and the Javits Center (where the Bolt Bus drops off).

Travel Disasters

Thankfully only one travel disaster this year, knowing me, its actually lower than normal but that said the NCL Getaway Transatlantic Cruise was, from beginning to end, one thing after another.  This year my disaster prone life of being a travel jinx extended to my friend who sailed with me and was bitten by a dog onboard!  A few years ago, I escaped on my EPIC vacation travel sabbatical via a transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona.  This year, I had another opportunity for a sub $500 sailing across the pond to the UK with stops in The Azores, UK, Bruges and Normandy or so I thought.  Just be thankful that I get to experience all the crazy things so you don’t have to!

Last Word Travel 2019

As always, it’s a privilege to share my stories and photos with you.  Thank you for following the blog and social media accounts on twitter and instagram.  I love your comments, stories and the many notes of thanks.  Let’s hope 2020 is full of travel, fun and chocolate!  The world is waiting to be discovered, where will you go next?

Such is the curse that is a holiday birthday or one near any holiday.  My sister might have it a bit worse with a birthday a few days after Christmas (combo presents).  So rather than be disappointed when friends and family aren’t around to share cake with me, I started traveling for my birthday a few years ago.  I started making my birthday really about me and not waiting for others to celebrate me.  Finding somewhere to travel is November is tricky though as not only is it off season but its also a bit chilly in most places.  Not that the weather will stop me, its just a consideration. I’ve traveled in November to Australia twice for a bit of spring warmth (plus lots of award space in business class!).

I recently read an interesting article “Birth Weeks” Are Not a Thing which addresses those stretching birthday celebrations into a week or even a month of celebrations.  I had to laugh when the author mentioned her November birthday and the Showtime Couples Therapy show as I felt I understood her opinion so much more.  Many folks stop celebrating their birthdays – they don’t like being center of attention or acknowledge getting older.  But for me, I really never celebrated my birthday which is why for my 40th a few years ago, I rented a bar and invited all my friends for a night out.  Nothing says love like an open bar!  It was fantastic to see friends from grade school, high school, college and work come together for a night out.  It’s so rare to get on someone’s calendar. Fast forward a few years and social media likes and comments are as close as we can get to a night together (yes, it saddens me too).

So while I should be away this year for my November birthday and Thanksgiving, unfortunately, I’m looking for a job.  The cruel irony is that I have a plethora of time to travel but not the money to spend on travel, even if I used points here and there. This year’s birthday trip was going to be EPIC – a birthday bucket list item.  If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you’ll know that I hate the “bucket list” term but it’s appropriate in this context since I was planning on an overwater bungalow in The Maldives. For years, I was saving money and points for this crazy, expensive trip.

Alone in Paradise?  No one understands how I could go away on my birthday and celebrate alone (yes, the irony) and be alone in what appears to be paradise.  That’s the thing about travel for me, it’s about resetting my mind, body and soul.  Every part of me craves travel – exploring the vast world and learning something new about other cultures and people through their foods, traditions and stories.

Each story is a collection to add to my journey.  A story of life, love and loss.  A story of hope, laughter, tears.  A story of a life lived.  Each one adding to the story of my life.  Each birthday is a new chapter in my story.  Travel provides me the words and memories to weave into my story. It seers pictures, feelings and wow moments into my memories just for me.  There are special moments not to share, just to keep and remember with a smile and a tear.

When I’m grounded and unable to travel as I am now, my story feels like I’m stuck reading the same page in the book, or feels like pausing the movie and forgetting to come back and press play.  A life on a ground stop. That’s not who I am meant to be – I’m meant to travel – to create my own story – to add a new chapter. To experience, observe and participate in the world around me.

This year, while I’m home, I’m reminded of the fun November birthday trips of the past (Facebook is torturing me daily with remember when x years you were here).  From the first trip to London during Thanksgiving break to my recent trip to London earlier in the year and the many birthday trips in between.  You can read about some of the adventures below.

• Roadtrip Utah – Red Mountain Spa in Utah and Zion National Park Solo
• Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend (Page, Arizona)
• Las Vegas Solo Birthday Trip
• Sydney, Australia – Raining on My Birthday Parade
• Hobart, Tasmania – MONA Art Musuem
• London Thanksgiving Memories
• Iceland Solo Travel 
• Paris Thanksgiving – The Year Mom Boycotted Turkey

Moving forward, I’m hopeful for a new job and to have a reason to press play again – to record the new stories and to write a new chapter. A life on pause is frankly no fun. Daily rejections feed my want to escape on the next flight. I need to travel – to be up in the air on the way to an unknown adventure and exploring different parts of me that give me perspective on what’s important. Birthdays are wonderful to mark a new year but they can’t be a reason to measure love, admiration and self-worth with likes, cards and well wishes.  For me, a better birthday measure is miles traveled, stories shared, lessons in love, life, loss and finding joy in the everyday normal pace of life. I’ve been lucky to make wishes and blow out candles in multiple time zones, to celebrate with strangers who became friends and to realize that to celebrate me is pretty awesome.  Focus me on me and be selfish with want I want and need (presents always welcome).

So for now, the bucket list birthday is deferred while I get to enjoy leftover turkey and cake.  If you are also a November holiday birthday – Happy Birthday!

Everyone keeps saying the “desert call you back when it’s time for a change” and I’m starting to believe them.  For the past two months, I’ve had photos of the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend pop up in my social media feeds almost daily – sure, I liked a few posts of friends who had visited recently but didn’t think the Facebook algorithm would torture me daily with these gorgeous landscapes, if anything they were calming and so pretty.  But alas, I had to take a week’s vacation and was torn as to where to go.  I had this nagging sense that I needed to go back to roadtrip Utah and Arizona and couldn’t shake it as I attempted (and failed) to plan trips to Hawaii, the Galapagos and London within budget and using points.  Maybe the desert (and mountains) was calling me back but why?

Time to find out…..so I booked my trip to return to Red Mountain Resort in St. George, Utah, a place I had visited nearly thirteen years ago at another cross-road in my life – one filled with grief, loss and excess weight.  Now I was just happy to relax and sleep for my birthday to de-stress but the universe had something else in store for me.  Two days before I was to leave on my vacation to celebrate my birthday, I received a layoff notice effective at Christmas (note: I like gifts for my birthday like wine and chocolates).  Well, if I didn’t have a cross road to deal with before, I sure did now.  But would the desert and/or mountains have an answer for me?

Flying to St. George with a Denver connection

Oh how I wish answers didn’t involve 4 a.m. wake up calls and 7 a.m. flights to the West Coast. Hauling my carry-on luggage and wearing my hiking boots, I was surprised by the number of drivers on the road at 5 a.m. as I made my way to the airport.  My flight to St. George, Utah would involve a connection in Denver so today was a “day of firsts” for me – my first United flight, my first visit to the United Lounge in Philadelphia and my first time in the Denver International Airport. For the most part, there was little stress (other than the tight squeeze in the new forward lavatory on the plane) until I thought about my connection at Denver.  Here’s the video of the landing. On the approach, I thought “wow there’s nothing out here, what a great way to design an airport” and then we landed and kept driving right to the gate.  It was so easy unlike the East Coast airports that are stuck between the cities, residents and highways.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRcbYo8E0JM[/embedyt]

Our flight from Philadelphia arrived at Gate 24 and my connecting flight was leaving from Gate 94 in the same terminal just 70 (yes, 70!!!!) gates away.  I had less than an hour to connect.  As I flew in first class, I was one of the first off the plane and started my fast walk nearly a mile to the gate (apparently ¾ of a mile) – I walked fast with my bag and zipped around slow walkers, avoided the quick stoppers and managed to admire the high ceilings and open airport down to the “garage like” feel (and look) of the commuter terminal.  In between, I managed a restroom stop and chatted with the gate agent for a luggage tag as all bags were gate checked.  Only my purse and small backpack fit overhead.

I was richly rewarded with the 70 gate hustle during take off and on the way to St. George, Utah as we flew over the Rockies and toward the mountains of Utah.  In the one flight, my eyes were glued to the window to admire the views below and afar.  Lucky for me (and my thighs), I had an empty seat next to me so could move to the window seat and have the row of two seats to enjoy the small space.  As it was lunch time, I pulled out my snack bag and enjoyed my meal with a view.

Arriving in St. George Utah airport

Upon landing at St. George, Utah airport, I was exhausted from the long travel day and time change but ready to begin the adventure.  In the van to the resort, there were five others like me – ready to explore.  Three were friends from Chicago-NYC-Palm Beach, another was meeting friends for a 50^th birthday celebration and the man from NYC was back for the third time to hike.  We each had a story, each a reason to be here and each hopes for enlightenment of some kind.

Maybe it’s my age now, maybe it’s the explosion of “wellness travel” or maybe I really do need a dramatic change, either way, the desert and/or mountains were calling me – I’m here! So now what?

Have you ever had a calling?  or strong sense the universe wanted you to go somewhere?

When I was in college, Valentine’s Day was a day the professors dreaded.  They knew the chances of teaching an uninterrupted class was nil as there would be at least one (many more) knocks on the classroom door during class.  But they had to open the door to let the music in.  It was a day of love as well as a fundraiser for the University Singers.  A popular tradition, the accapella group would sing songs of love many years before it became famous in the television show, Glee. I always wished to be the recipient of the love singing telegram but never was.  For many friends, the singers were torture since they never had a visit so they started a bit of Anti-Valentine’s Day.  I was always hopeful.

Flash forward five years after college graduation, when my friend was escaping her single status in the U.S. and we went to Paris for Valentine’s Day.  It didn’t end well as she left me in Paris, years before the internet and cell phone (yes, there was a time neither existed – hard to imagine).  That’s my solo travel origin story , and my anniversary date, which is funny and sad.  Not only did we escape the U.S. because we were “still single and unattached” but I was now alone in Paris for the first time.  I made the scary decision to stay and figure it out on my own, my first time as a solo traveler – no tour group, no friends,  just me.  I didn’t tell my parents until I was home and they naturally freaked out because girls back then didn’t travel alone (at least not from our neighborhood or family).  To put this in perspective, when I moved out from my parent’s home to my house, my father didn’t talk to me for weeks because I wasn’t married and he worried about who would take care of me? who would protect me?

Now more than twenty years after that Paris abandonment, I’ve traveled the world to nearly fifty countries.  My father eventually talked to me and realized that I’m ok on my own.  He then told me “I was so independent I probably scared the guys away” (perhaps). We would laugh about the crazy stories from the road like the many “Where is Your Husband” questions and make the list of Roommate Questions.

Here’s the thing about Valentine’s Day – you are hit over the head with marketing in my opinion – Hallmark movies, Red Roses (ugh!  be original) and Chocolate so it’s understandable if you are alone and get a bit depressed.  I’m against only one day of love – flowers, chocolates, cards, attention should be a regular occurrence.  So while Cupid somehow frequently forgets me, I choose to celebrate each year as my Solo Travel Anniversary, one that has blessed me with my longest relationship – the one with my passport which has allowed me to Date the World. I  continue to discover new adventures near and far, meet some cool and interesting people and marvel at the animals.

This year, I will celebrate Valentine’s Day absent romantic love but still with love – all the love that traveling solo for over twenty years has taught me –

love of the world – love of chocolate – love of flowers – love of discovery

love of adventure – love of new cultures – love of people – love of finding commonality

love of celebrating differences – love of tolerance – love of acceptance – love of self discovery

love of trying new things – love of saying yes – love of knowing when to say no –  love of nature

love of luxury spas – love of boutique hotels – love of high thread count

love of indulgences – love of wine – love of luxury

love of London – love of Paris – love of first class flights and luxury airport lounges

love of points and so much more.

Travel continues to teach me new things and the only exam I need to take involves keeping an open mind and open heart so I can expand my mind, my experiences and my relationships.  The professor is no longer my only teacher and sadly the cute guys aren’t singing my love song but there’s still a knock on the door to the world and what a fantastic classroom to learn from.  I’ve not given up hope but I’m not sitting still waiting either – there too much to discover in the world.

So if you are alone this Valentine’s Day, find something you love and be thankful.  This year, I’m going to toast to Paris, that fateful trip over twenty years ago that allowed me to be brave and carry on.  I brought a mini bottle of Moet & Chandon Rose home from my Epernay Champagne Cellar Tour .  It seems apropos to enjoy my anniversary with the good stuff.

So whatever you choose to celebrate (or not) Valentine’s Day, I hope you realize that you are still writing your own story.  Your leading man (or woman) might not have shown up yet but that doesn’t mean you can’t love the world and all it has to offer.

How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day and what (or who) do you love?