Exactly one year ago, Monday March 16th, 2020, I returned to Denver from a much needed holiday in Puerto Rico with some of my closest friends. The entire time I was gone, a 5 night trip, I had been getting messages from my boyfriend regarding the rapid developments of the Coronavirus. He would send things like, “The NBA and NHL have postponed their seasons. Things are getting real.” I kept brushing it off and tried to enjoy myself. What you don’t know is how much I really needed this vacation. Prior to this trip, which had been planned for my girlfriend’s birthday trip about 3 months in advance, I had spent 6 weeks in Pennsylvania taking care of both my mother and my step-father for separate heart problems. I originally intended to stay in Pennsylvania to help for a week or two back in mid January, but the circumstances kept changing. As my actual departure date for Puerto Rico from Denver approached, I discussed canceling this trip multiple times. My mother, who I was in Pennsylvania to help take care of, knew I couldn’t get a refund on my flight or accommodations so she encouraged me to go. She said I deserved it and shouldn’t let the money go to waste. At the time it felt like the virus was low on the national radar, mainly in California and Washington state. There were no confirmed Covid-19 cases in Puerto Rico where we were headed. My friends and I thought, let’s be careful – use sanitizer, take vitamins, use wipes on the planes and in restaurants, etc.
I made the choice to go and in retrospect I am very happy I made that decision. When we arrived in a tropical paradise, I tried to be as present and grateful as possible. I was absorbing every sun ray, every whiff of mofongo, and every laugh I encountered. It was exactly what I needed at that moment. This trip was feeding my soul in a way only travel can. Something we are all currently starving for.
We got through a majority of the trips events before our vacation turned into a #coronacation. On Sunday afternoon, the day before we were flying back to Denver, Puerto Rico announced it officially confirmed 5 covid cases on the island. It was surprisingly efficient how they sent out a mass cell phone alert to everyone one on the island. They informed us that they were putting a curfew into effect that same evening. It was an immediate mobilization of policies. The next day most shops were closed and restaurants were only serving to-go, if anything. We were shocked at the fast response. I quite honestly, was just impressed and happy we had a flight out that evening. The airport was our next big taste of the massive changes we would see become so universal now. We had brought PPE and wore masks while waiting at the gate. All the airport restaurants and bars were closed. They had one fast food place open and one convenience store in the airport. That’s all we could find. We were not prepared to have such limited options, but we were able to get a few snacks for our 6 hour flight back. We were so happy to have a flight home that I don’t think the lack of food bothered us too much.
Upon arrival back to Denver, things were just starting to develop. My boyfriend had picked me up from the airport. No one was really wearing a mask or acting much different, but I knew my experience in Puerto Rico was just the beginning. Earlier that same day, Monday March 16th, 2020, the U.S. President announced “15 days to slow the spread”, and just hours before we landed back in Colorado, the Governor had issued an order to suspend dine-in services at all restaurants and bars for 30 days. This was the beginning of the biggest international lockdown in modern history. Heck, it was the first of its kind. What a wild ride that was……oh wait, are we still on that ride?! Well, if you believe the powers that be, we will be able to get off this long, dizzying ride in a few short months. I’m just hoping we can get onto a new normal by the end of the summer.
To travel or not to travel? Up until last year, if you would have asked me that I would have said, “ Is that even a question?!?”. I would have thought to myself, if you aren’t traveling you aren’t fully living; you aren’t putting your life and your experiences into context. I would have thought the mere fact that you are asking this question tells me you are doing life wrong. My humble opinion of course, but one shared by many.
Unfortunately, today in March 2021, that is a very legitimate and relevant question that plenty of people have while adjusting to the new normal of Covid-19. The vaccine is being widely distributed and public figures tell us things will start to go back to normal by mid summer. We hope for herd immunity and for more borders to open up. Our souls are aching to venture out again. Some less fortunate people will continue to have health reasons not to travel or go back to “normal”, but I have high hopes we can find ways to get everyone out there xploring. I believe the best way to move on from something is to acknowledge it, understand it, adapt, and continue on. In reference to this pandemic in particular I think it is important to understand how it has changed the world and your relationship to the world. One thing I have learned about traveling is the best way to understand something is to just get out there in it.
One year of a Covid-19 pandemic has changed each of us in our own way and will have many effects on the world for the foreseeable future. One thing I hope it doesn’t change is the natural curiosity humans have to explore and discover new people, places, and cultures. Throughout this pandemic I have been lucky enough to stay employed. I had to change my habits to try to stay healthy. When they loosened restrictions and allowed indoor dining, we were adamant about trying to order from local restaurants. We have cautiously enjoyed several spectacular evenings out at delicious local restaurants (which you will hear about in my reviews and future posts), but I definitely plan to start venturing out further and more frequently very soon. I choose to Xplore. I choose to travel.
This blog and subsequent site is meant to help you dip your toe back in the water; to reawaken (or perhaps awaken for the first time) your desire to learn, see, do, and taste your way into new Xperiences – and hopefully places. To travel is to inspire your soul – To travel is to learn the common threads that weave all of mankind together. Traveling can lead to self-discovery through empathy, perspective, or witnessing nature’s beauty. Traveling can introduce you to lifelong friends or unforgettable one-time acquaintances. It can lead you down paths you never imagined and change your life. In other words, traveling is magical and I hope you will join me in xploring.
XploringWorldWide 