Whew. Now that we got that out of our system, let’s look forward. It’s a new year, the US has a new president, and we’ve got brand new vaccines flying through the approval process. There are brighter days ahead. At least that’s what I tell myself, because hope don’t cost a thing.
What’s travel going to look like in 2021 and beyond? It’s the million dollar question. (Which, it just so happens, we are addressing soon!) Right now I am taking the approach of moving forward with making future plans, but trying my best to stay flexible and keep expectations light. For me, having things to look forward to is key to getting through this difficult period in which work, travel, and relationships have been interrupted or put on hold.At the beginning of the year, I sat down with my calendar bursting with rescheduled conferences, weddings, and events and found that many in the first quarter of the year had once again been cancelled or postponed — no huge surprise given the current state of the world. Still, many later in the year are holding out hope for a return to some semblance of normalcy as the vaccine is more widely distributed and warmer weather makes its way to the Northern Hemisphere once again.
February – April // Up In The AirWell, here’s my big announcement — in February, I’m flying back to New York. I’m not sure if it’s going to end up being a whole new chapter or simple a palate cleanser to my Mexico one, but let’s see where this goes. When I flew to Mexico at the end of November 2019, I truly thought I might be here until May… so making solid predictions just feels futile right now.
May – June // The Middle East… Maybe?
Please, 2021, be kind! Yes, the plans outlined in this post are ambitious. Yes, I could end up spending the whole year once again cancelling and scrambling. Yet I’m so hopeful that I’ll be getting back to work, back in my friends’ arms, and back on the road at some point this year. That said, I’m trying to take the lessons I’ve learned in this time of stillness and not backslide into old habits — ones in which I obsessively filled in every day in the calendar, allowing me little time to soak up life and feel settled and stable. I want to root myself in a home base again, somewhere to nurture and love when I’m not on the road. I want to remember to give myself some breathing room still, when the world starts slowly unmasking again. So here’s to a fruitful first half of the year, planting seeds for what I hope is a bright and full future in the second half, as our world heals from this difficult time. I’m rooting for us.
