I was embarking on the second half of my trip to Europe in July 2022 knowing full well I had a lot less control over what was about to happen.
For one, I would be traveling with Carolina in her part of the world so I let her do most of the planning. We were going to be using her car and using her high quality camping gear for the majority of the trip. Plus, we were going to be traveling with her child.
All of these factors had benefits to me as a solo traveler because it’s always less expensive and fun when you can share the costs of things with locals. What I didn’t anticipate was us all getting sick with COVID-19, diminishing the fun and causing the costs to skyrocket quickly!
In the end, insurance saved me and I got a huge reimbursement bringing my expenses to just under $1500. Not bad for one of the more expensive places in Europe to travel!
Wow. 2022 was actually really good to me! I don't think that is going to be a very popular statement to make, but it is true.
Despite anti-LGBTQ legislation like we've never seen before, ongoing violence against minority groups, a war in Ukraine, and so much else going wrong in the world, yes—2022 is in stark contrast to the last few years for me.
The vaccine, the boosters, and COVID-19 becoming just "a part of life" really opened up opportunities for me this year in the ways of travel, work, fun, and friendships. Everything really took off for me in some of the best and most unexpected ways.
From traveling overseas again to a work-related connection to New Zealand, I am happy to report this mostly positive reflection on my year.
If there is one thing that is equally beautiful and annoying during this pandemic it is gratitude. When bad shit happens, we’re often told to think about what we are grateful for. The last 2 years have been truly utter shit for everyone. Ok, maybe not Jeff Bezos, but for the average person things have sucked big time.
When we sugar coat things with what we are grateful for, I think it takes away from our need to actually feel the feelings we have. Ignoring your feelings or the feelings of others is not healthy—it’s toxic.
That’s why the name of this year’s new year’s reflection is Gratitude and Shit. Because while a lot of good things happened this year, there’s still a lot of shitty shit. Both can be true. And I believe it’s better we be real about it than not.
I’ve flown twice on JetBlue to New York in the last 4 months since getting vaccinated. One was an unexpected trip and the other was planned. Both were interrupted by the industries labor shortage.
I was reminded how different travel is and will be in the near future.
I hope this post gives a bit more insight into air travel during COVID-19. I provide highlighted tips throughout for folks who are thinking about flying in the US again. This is what you might be in store for, including what’s really happening with COVID-19 safety procedures and the airline industry as a whole.
After a morning at Myakka park, I was ready to get in the water!
Kayaking was on the schedule next. This would be my 2nd adventure on the 3rd day of my Gulf Coast trip. I was excited to experience what Sarasota Bay had to offer in the way of mangroves!
This time I would get to be physically distant by not socially distant. My friend was coming in from Orlando to join me on this adventure. We indulged in much-needed friend time while remaining responsible outdoors and with masks.
The mangroves in Sarasota Bay turned out to be the best I’ve ever experienced! We had an amazing time exploring them and having some wonderful laughs as friends.
This past weekend I discovered a new and truly magical park! While I visited in rainy weather, I can’t complain because it was still so warm out!
I feel so grateful that I moved to Florida in time for the COVID19 pandemic to hit. Family and friends are dealing with snowstorm after snowstorm in the Northeast. Meanwhile, I am to be able to go outdoors and explore nature in comfortable temperatures.
I’ve explored parks near and far during this pandemic. But Tree Tops Park might be my favorite discovery yet! Ant here’s still so much more to explore.
Many people have taken up new hobbies during this pandemic in order to quell boredom. Or they have revitalized old hobbies that they left in the past.
I am happy to say I finally revitalized an old hobby and bought myself a bicycle! I’ve been imagining getting my own bicycle for a while so it’s really exciting for me that I have one now.
I’ve been getting myself more comfortable on the bike and exploring some neighboring areas and parks. It’s been a great way to cover lots of ground and see new places right in my Miami backyard. In this post, I share a couple of the rides I’ve taken locally and explore other hobbies I’ve taken up since the pandemic started.
Nobody saw a pandemic in 2020 coming. Okay except maybe scientists, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates.
But us regular folks, us travelers, us bloggers—we were not ready. None of us were ready. And it seems we’re still not doing a very good job of adapting and defeating this virus.
While my travel plans shifted this year, so did my approach to this blog. I went from writing about long-distance international and domestic adventures to writing about walks to my local park.
That is what deviating is all about, though. We deviate, we adapt, we evolve beyond the current norm. Although we all found ourselves in a “new normal” this year, we still had to find ways to make it through responsibly and with our sanity in check!
I made it! My quarantine trip from Miami to upstate New York was a success! I drove up the Saturday before Thanksgiving and managed to keep my 14-day quarantine in tact.
It was tough but everything went smooth and it was so worth the trip. I’ve now been spending time with my family for the last week. I’ve been eating way too much food, having a ton of laughs, and appreciating the quaint beauty of rural New York in late Fall.
This post is a quick overview of my trip and what I’ve been up to since my arrival.
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I decided I would do everything in my power to still see my family but in the safest way possible. My plan is to stay with my parents in New York from Thanksgiving through Christmas. Before I go, I will quarantine and get tested. I will drive instead of fly from Florida to New York under strict conditions.
I cannot plan for every possibility and all I can do is minimize risk. But I believe I have the safest plan for making long distance travel possible this holiday season.
Following my guide may make it possible for you to see your loved ones despite the increasing COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in recent weeks.
With no real travel experiences possible on the horizon, I’ve had a lot of time to sit in the moment and reflect. This COVID-19 quarantine life gave me a few core reflections on travel, life, and human existence.
They are thoughts I’ve had before as a world traveler. But now I see these reflections are truer than ever and a part of a sort of global, social awakening. I offer a few of these thoughts in the hope that some of it may resonate with you, too.
From recognizing my own privileges to recommitting myself to living each day in the present, perhaps you’ve been having the same thoughts!
I thought I might stop posting since I am all out of travel content. Then I thought about how everyone is going through the same thing right now. Every traveler is stuck at home. So how are we getting through this life without travel?
In this post, I share some of the little adventures I take locally around Miami. I take my kayak out. I go for walks through an absolutely stunning Jungle forest. I cook from home. Sometimes I meet up with a friend for a socially distant hang out. Other times, I just hop online for some family bonding time inside a virtual, post-apocalyptic video game world.
Here’s a look at two parks I’ve explored as I’ve been staying local during 5 months of quarantine!
I was hoping to be in another country this month traveling for my birthday. Alas, COVID-19 hit and threw us all for a loop.
No, like, a literal loop. When will this groundhog day end?
Well, it can end tomorrow if you want it to. I am here to report that all is not lost in the way of mixing up your life with travel. I discovered first hand last week, after a stay in a tiny house north of my home in Miami, that domestic and mostly local travel is still an amazing option.
Travel during covid-19 just takes a little, extra creative thinking, planning, and—dare I say it?—deviating! This post includes a brief yet highly necessary overview of what your options are and the precautions you need to take to travel and stay safe.
