Bolt on Points

boltonpoints

We moved…to Maui!

by

The view from our lanai

To say the last few months have been a whirlwind feels like an understatement. We just got here 8 days ago – July 31st – and yes we are quarantining (more on that later). But first, the obvious: how did we end up here? I also briefly detail what our day of travel experience was like.

Over Memorial Day, we drove down to Pismo Beach to get out of the city for a socially distanced weekend. On the way out, we ordered from Philz Coffee (an SF staple) and Leigh was picking it up while I waited in the car. Leigh gets in with the coffees and begins to tell me about a conversation she overheard in line. A couple ran into some friends and begin telling them they were moving out of SF to road trip for the rest of the year. They would move to a new location every month.

Lightbulb!

By Memorial Day, I think most of us were beginning to question the point of life after having been cooped up at home for the better part of 3 months. For us in particular, we started to question why are we living in the most expensive city in the US when we really don’t need to physically be here? We spent the rest of the weekend scheming as to what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go.

With San Francisco being so expensive, we figured we could literally move ANYWHERE for cheaper than what we’re paying now. That and the fact we don’t have anything tying us down to SF left us in an the unusual position of being able to choose our next move.

When we made the list below, we had no idea that the first wave of COVID would actually never end. It was that weekend that the United States hit 100,000 deaths from COVID, while today we stand at more than 160,000 with no signs of abatement.

Our criteria was as follows:

  • Reduction in cost of living (easy)
  • Lots of free outdoor activities, including the winter, when we expected the second to hit
  • A killer view

Tahoe? Sounds awesome, but what about the winter? If the second wave is as bad as scientists are saying, will the ski resorts open? How about a SoCal beach town? Sounds awesome, but the weather isn’t great in the winter, not to mention the “town” part of it could be severely reduced. The Pacific Northwest was also high on our list, but again, winter. The idea of moving monthly also sounded appealing, however my concern was that if things went south, where would we be when the music stopped? What if short term rentals got shut down again like they did in many places in March/April? A lot of risk, we decided.

“What about Hawaii?” one of us asked.

Coincidentally my brother was in quarantine at port when there was an COVID outbreak on his naval ship about this time, allowing us to be able to talk to him regularly. Hawaii is notoriously difficult to move to with a pet because they’re a rabies-free state (the only one in fact). Since he’d done it, we picked his brain and it sounded daunting. We started to look into the requirements and I thought, okay this is a lot of stuff, but it’s manageable. I’ll provide those details in a separate post.

At the same time, I started casually looking at apartments on different islands. Oahu sounded great if things opened back up because there’s so much culture on the island, but traffic sucks, housing is more expensive, and it’s just crowded. I’ve been to the Big Island several times and absolutely love it there, however it’s a little too laid-back. Maui – where we’ve both been exactly once – seemed to split the difference between the two.

After sifting through a lot of scams on Craigslist, we ended up finding a rental from a local realtor who was taking her vacation rentals off the market. At that time, she had a couple from Seattle that had come to Maui for about a week in March and was still there…in June! The location of the unit in Kihei looked perfect, not to mention it was ocean front. The pictures looked incredible; we’ll take it!

And so began the whirlwind that was the last 2 months of dog vaccinations, blood work, and vet check-ups, all the while packing up an apartment we really loved. Leigh’s work quickly approved her move, however mine was a little more complicated but ultimately got approved. During the same time, my work was requiring 60 hours a week, leaving my what feeling perpetually drained.

We left SF, but our stuff is still in storage there

We elected to not tell anyone until we get all of our affairs in order, including the certification from the state of Hawaii that we could bring our dog, Dallas. To think all of our plans could’ve been torpedoed by a dog!

We made it, but how was traveling again?

The last time we were on a plane was March 19, when we flew back from Mauritius. To say it was a surreal experience isn’t really adequate. We’d flown through Istanbul – and the incredible new airport there – in both directions. We started our trip in South Africa, and on our way there on March 4, the airport was mostly bustling; the business-class lounge was a great experience. On the way home was another story. The airport was mostly shutdown; huge swaths of the terminals were barricaded, blocked by police, the lights dimmed. The lounge went from buffet/self-serve, to almost everything being individually portioned, using an insane amount of plastic. We arrived back in the US with no temperature checks or hand sanitizer to be found.

Needless to say, we were both ready to flying again and had some idea of what to expect from great reporting on several of the other blogs. Our expectations were, even in paid first. We certainly didn’t expect a great airport experience so most of SFO – including the Centurion Lounge – was shutdown.

We moved out of our apartment in San Francisco the day before our flight, electing to stay at the new Grand Hyatt that’s connected to SFO. I’d stayed there before and it’s a phenomenal hotel, not to mention being connected to the airport would make our lives much easier the next morning.

The Grand Hyatt SFO
A junior suite at the Grand Hyatt SFO

The hotel amenities were mostly unavailable, including the bar and restaurant. They did have a market/take-away cafe which had decent food, snacks, and plenty of drink options (non-alcoholic and the hard stuff). Prices were steep thought, however as a Globalist, we did get the choice of 2 free coffees + 2 breakfast items, two drinks, or two dinner entrees. Since the dinner food looked weak and the breakfast food was inexpensive, we opted to use it on a severely marked up bottle of wine.

Not much plane spotting to be had these days

The morning of, we walked Dallas several times and took him back out to the parking lot where we were able to throw the ball with him to get him tired. After that, we took our checked bags to the airport to drop off since we had Dallas with us + carry-ons. We had the maximum amount of bags we could get for free with United; since I’m 1K, we each got 3 bags at 70 lbs each, which we used every bit of. The hotel was nice enough to take us in their Sprinter van with our bags rather than try to drag them onto the AirTran: a lifesaver! We went back to the hotel, had a liesurely breakfast, then headed back to the airport, this time on the AirTran.

SFO was a ghost town when we got back to the terminal. Leigh and I both have Clear, however her Pre-Check didn’t print onto her boarding pass, so rather than walk down to get another reprinted, she opted to just go the regular route since there was no one in line. I was through in seconds, however she ended up having some issues I could only laugh about at the time (she definitely didn’t think it was funny).

So as we were packing, we did bring some things out of our panty, including a 2 pound bag of Italian 00 flour. We ran out of space in our checked bags and that bag of flour ended up in her roller board. Well I’ll let you guess how TSA viewed that bag of flour! Hint: TSA is not looking for drugs, so they weren’t concerned that Leigh was Scarface, but rather the Unibomber.

They called an explosives expert who started doing all sorts of tests on the flour and Leigh’s bag, all the while I’m just laughing. Surprisingly, Leigh didn’t find this so funny! We offered to just throw the flour away, which they wouldn’t allow until we sat through a full inspection of her bag. Things did get a little more stressful once we got the boarding notification and her bag was still sprawled out.

He ultimately let said no big deal, have a good flight, but at the point we had to book it to our gate. Getting sweaty before a flight is one of the absolute worst things on the planet and something I try to actively avoid. I failed on this day.

The gate area was empty and we shortly found out the plane was too. We bought first since we had Dallas, and it was completely full, however economy only had 17 people, giving us a total headcount of 33 for our flight!

We weren’t proactively offered anything to drink, which I was expecting, so I went up to the purser and asked for two beers. We were both exhausted and stressed from that little ordeal and the only thing that could resolve it was a cold beer, which she happily provided.

An almost completely empty flight to Maui in August

The blankets were just the standard crap you get on any domestic first class flight. The only available food was the “tapas” snack box from coach, which they just handed out to everyone in first. Alcohol was fully available, however the wine was just the wine from coach, meaning they were in the single serve plastic bottles. There was no glassware, only plastic cups.

Fancy!

Overall the flight attendants were lovely and gave excellent service. It just sucks that United (and other airlines) have used COVID has a means to absolutely gut premium service.

We made it!

Looking ahead

We’re in the second half of our mandatory 14 day quarantine, so at this point, we’re starting to look at what our life as Hawaiian residents will be like. I have some downtime from work in addition to a couple of weeks of PTO that I’m behind excited to use. As someone that’s incredibly active and a thrill-seeker, I’m beside myself on the opportunities that living on Maui will present. Whether it’s waking up to swim in the ocean, surfing, mountain biking, road biking, hiking, or learning how to kite surf, there’s really no end to the activities here (tons that are free). As avid scuba divers, we’re both stoked to be in a world-class diving spot.

I know we’re going to love it here for all the reasons above, as well as the people. Every time I’ve visited Hawaii, the people have been as hospitable as anywhere I’ve been (rivaling the “Southern hospitality” I grew up with in Alabama). We’ve been here a short time and already the people that have helped us through quarantine have been so gracious.

The home stretch of quarantine!

Lastly, I’m looking at this time as a moment to reflect. Living in a city like San Francisco can mean a constant feeling of go, go, go. I think I can speak for Leigh as well in saying that we’re both anxious to reset. Our landlord told us to be prepared to shift our way of thinking, to not expect things at a moment’s notice like we do on the mainland. Being content with where we are and the things we have around us will be a nice change of pace, one that I don’t know that we’ll be ready to abandon after six months. 😉

A quiet three months

by

Like everyone else, getting through the last three months has been interesting…or uninteresting, depending on your view. Here in San Francisco, our reopening has moved slower than most places. Starting this weekend, outdoor dining – which is not common here – has started with restrictions, however many elements of the city remain shuttered: the subway, offices, hotels are all still closed.

The subways are boarded up in San Francisco

Leigh and I returned home from our South Africa trip exactly three months ago today, which is crazy! We’re both still working (thankfully), and frankly, have been busier than ever. Like many, we had a to cancel a trip we had planned around Memorial Day (to Paris), and really don’t have any trips planned for the rest of the year. If we do travel, it’ll likely be last minute.

One of things that’s struck me about the last three months is how quickly time moves by when there’s nothing concrete to look forward to. The pace at which the weeks have gone by really has been dizzying, and the most depressing part is that we have very little to “show” for that time. I don’t mean that in any material sense, but rather the human interactions with friends and family, milestones, and other events that have fallen by the wayside. I know our situation is light compared others, especially those that have lost loved ones through the pandemic.

At first, I remember documenting a city that overnight became a ghost town and trying to memorialize all of the times I waited 20 minutes just to buy groceries or plywood over our favorite haunts. Like many, we started to try new things, but eventually, the newness of the situation wore off and our life adjustments became routine (although I still forget my mask at least half of the time). We don’t own a car and our families live on the east coast, both of which has exacerbated the feeling of isolation during this time.

We already cooked 90% of our meals at home pre-COVID, however I tried my hand at baking, which was fun (yes I made a sourdough starter, which I subsequently forgot about only to find it in the back of the fridge two weeks ago, now black). As renters, our house projects are somewhat limited, however we did convert our office/guest room into a dining room and built a new dining room table!

New table, who dis?

I also installed a pull-up bar in our garage and my awesome (formerly) CrossFit gym was awesome enough to let me borrow some equipment, so between having gear and attending virtual classes, staying in shape hasn’t been the struggle I thought it might. In fact, I’ve lost 7 lbs since quarantine started. 😉 We make it a point to take long walks now with our dog, with a goal of at least 4 miles a day.

Black Lives Matter and racial justice

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the massive protests that have been occurring through the country in the name of George Floyd and racial justice. As a product of Alabama, I can say that I wish I’d done more as a student and young person while I lived there. I never witnessed explicit racism, but I heard crude remarks and witness systemic racism that in hindsight, I wish I’d done more to stop.

Leigh and I marched last week, but that isn’t enough. Systemic racism is pervasive in our country and the only way that we can change things is to build a better system. That starts at the ballot box and electing leaders, at ALL levels that look like the population of the United States. Local elections are hugely consequential when it comes policing and the criminal justice system.

I’m so inspired by the black and youth activists of today, but none that enthusiasm doesn’t matter if we all don’t do our civic duty: vote.

Protests start change. Voting is change.

Vote

I also want to seek out and hear more black voices in the travel industry. A great story is Jessica Nabongo from Detroit, the first black woman to visit every country in the world. I would love to hear other recommendations of who to follow!

What about travel?

This is the longest stretch I’ve gone without getting on a plane in 8 or 9 years and I truly don’t know when my next flight will be. We are planning travel as we find availability into spring of 2021, including Hong Kong, Morocco, and Kenya. Booking refundable awards is a nice temporary escape from the routine, however most of our planning is spent on exploring the west coast in outdoor environments. I’m also enjoying the peace-of-mind that my statuses are all extended into 2022, which really has put a damper on my desire to travel, which is a good thing (kudos to the airlines and hotel chains).

In the Bay Area, we’re spoiled with options for things to do, many of which don’t even require an overnight. Just last weekend, we woke up early and drove to Pinnacles National Park outside of Salinas and did 13 mile of strenuous hiking.

Pinnacles National Park

As for overnight trips, we did go to Pismo Beach over Memorial Day weekend, and that was a nice break, although the “we’re not doing this due to COVID” excuses at the Marriott Autograph Collection hotel where we stayed got a little tiresome. I’ll detail more of that later and what I think it signals for the travel industry.

Pismo Beach

We are also planning a camping trip to Lassen National Park, an overnight near wine country (wineries are open with ample outdoor space for distancing), and maybe a trip down to Big Sur (I’ve had my reservation canceled at the Ventana Big Sur three times so far and now there is zero award availability the rest of the summer 🙁 )

So what’s next?

I don’t know, but something different. I hope. Despite our suburban (southern) roots, we are both city slickers. We love being able to walk, bike, or take public transit to anywhere we need to, not to mention the cultural advantages of a city like San Francisco. When you take all of those things away, cities start to look much different and less-appealing, although this city is a one of the best ones to be stuck in given our climate and amount of outdoor activities within the city limits. Now that we can work anywhere, so we’re now asking “why do I live here?“

As I write this, first wave of COVID is still aggressively ongoing, with new hotspots in 20+ states, including California. Experts are warning of a second wave in the fall, so our thought now is where do we want to be when the music stops: an urban environment that could be ghost town in a matter of days, or somewhere that offers outdoor activities regardless of a pandemic? We know the answer to the question, the where and the action are still TBD.

How have you dealt with the pandemic? Are you questioning where you live?

Marriott extending status through February 2022

by

Better late than never! Marriott has announced that all members will see their status extended through February 2022. This announcement comes on the heels of Hilton (the first) and Hyatt announcing extensions in March, along with several airlines programs (including United, Delta, Alaska) announcing blanket extensions as well.

The official communication came from Marriott this morning. Beyond the status extension through February 202, the other key takeaway is that prepaid reservations will be allowed cancellations through June 30th, 2020.

For Our Customers
We remain committed to ensuring our customers experience flexibility during these challenging times, so we have further extended our cancellation policy and I wanted to give you an update on those changes.

For guests with existing reservations for any future arrival date, including reservations with pre-paid rates that are typically more restrictive, we will allow full changes or cancellation without a charge up to 24 hours prior to arrival, as long as the change or cancellation is made by June 30, 2020. Please note that any changes to existing reservations will be subject to availability and any rate differences.

For guests making new reservations for any future arrival date, including reservations with pre-paid rates, between March 13 and June 30, 2020, we will allow the reservation to be changed or cancelled at no charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival date.

Please continue to visit our website for the most up-to-date information.
For Our Marriott Bonvoy Members

I also want to take a moment to address our Marriott Bonvoy members. Like many of you, frequent travel is a way of life for me and most of the Marriott team. It is the way we connect, get inspired and evolve our business every day. While it is the right thing to do, it’s been hard not to be able to travel. We know that when you get back in the air and on the road, your points and status will be important to you.•Status Extension: We want you to be able to enjoy the status that you earned in 2019. With that in mind, the status you earned in 2019 will be extended to February 2022.•Points Expiration: To provide you ample time to redeem points, the expiration of points will be paused until February 2021. At that time, your points will only expire if your account has been inactive for at least 24 months.
As the days unfold, we will continue to monitor and evolve our program requirements as necessary.

Marriott helping out

Marriott also shared that they’re helping out locally and nationally through a couple of programs:

With support from our credit card partners, American Express and JPMorgan Chase, Marriott has committed to provide $10 million worth of hotel stays for healthcare professionals leading the fight against COVID-19 in the United States. The initiative, called Rooms for Responders, will provide free rooms in some of the areas most impacted including New York City, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Newark, N.J. To implement this initiative, we collaborated with the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Emergency Nurses Association to match doctors and nurses with free accommodations at participating hotels.

In a separate effort for frontline healthcare workers, we have joined with a number of our hotel owners and franchisee partners to launch the Community Caregiver Program. This initiative, available in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, provides significantly discounted rates for first responders and healthcare professionals who want to book rooms at hotels in close proximity to the hospitals where they’re working. The rate is available on Marriott.com at nearly 2,500 hotels.

Both Marriott and the franchises of their hotels deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve contributed to the entire coronavirus response. I know that in my home of San Francisco alone, the city has about 5,000 hotel rooms for those in need during this time. While the city is paying for it, Marriott and franchises are no doubt taking a financial hit, starting with the rate and finishing with a thorough cleaning of the entire buildings.

It’s also awesome to see that they’re providing low cost hotel rooms for healthcare workers near their place of work. Healthcare workers across the country are already maxed out, so hopefully this at least gives a percentage of workers a break from their commutes (at a reasonable rate).

My take

This is another development in the travel world that’s a win for customers. No one should be traveling right now, so I really appreciate the fact that hotels and airlines have taken the incentive out of unnecessary trips.

Personally, I’m happy to be keeping my Ambassador status for another year, however I’m more concerned about whether my actual ambassador is going to be keeping her job. When I emailed her a couple of weeks ago to see how she was doing, I was met with an indefinite out of office. Alie really has been a great steward for not only Marriott, but her members as well. She’s always gone to bat for, and I appreciate how passionate she is about her job. I hope Marriott does that right thing and not only ensures she has a job in thenear future, but is continuing to pay one of the faces of the company to their most valuable customers.

Wow, it’s been a crazy two weeks! (coming home from Africa)

by

I’ve been radio silent for the last couple of weeks, some by intent, some not. Since my last post, the COVID-19 outbreak is now officially a pandemic, and within the US, it’s clear we’re woefully underprepared (and late to the party). Things are looking bleak for not only the health of the global population, but the economic outlook has gone from bad to worse. The stock market, and countless retirement accounts have lost almost a third of their value over the last two weeks, and most economists expect a recession to immanently. Anyway, I’m not here to break news, but rather give my slice of the pie.

Leigh and I left for South Africa on March 5, back when the Coronavirus was still – rightly or wrongly – an isolated phenomenon. We’d been planning this trip for almost a year, so the thought of cancelling it seemed extreme. Even more extreme when you consider that during the first week of March, COVID-19 had not officially reached the contentments of Africa, South America, or Australia, or even been classified a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Since that time – and the day we left – it’s clear that it is now everywhere. We just left Mauritius yesterday, a small island in the Indian Ocean, where they too are experiencing cases of COVID-19. This is not something any of us can run from.

The most surreal travel experience

Thinking about anything other than penguins was not an easy feat.

Leigh and I have been to almost 40 countries in the last seven years, and we’ve never had an experience like the last couple of weeks. It all started when we left San Francisco, only to find an empty SFO airport and Polaris Lounge due to flight cancellations to/from Asia. Meanwhile, Washington leadership assured the country that we were safe and this was not such a big deal (to be fair, we don’t pay a lot of attention to what comes out of the White House). With those things in mind, we decided to continue onward with our trip, arriving in Cape Town on March 7th. When we arrived, we were greeted with temperature checks and questions about where we’d been. Passing those tests, we spent the next 10 days in the Cape Town region (the Wine Lands and Cape Town proper). By the time we were getting ready for the next part of our journey – Mauritius – Coronavirus had entered South Africa, and at the same time, the US shut down it’s borders to foreign nationals from Europe, escalating the crisis. Two days after leaving South Africa, they followed suit and banned all foreigners from entering the country. Foreigners that were already in the country needed to get tested immediately. We got out just in time, as airlines immediately began cancelling flights all over the African continent. We had an incredible time in Cape Town, eating some of the best meals I’ve ever had. With that said, when you juxtapose the looming crisis with the disparity of haves and have nots of South African life – especially after visiting a township – made it all the more real that real pain was to follow, everywhere.

Langa Township in Cape Town

Upon arriving in Mauritius, it was clear that things were going from bad to worse. We were staying at the St Regis Mauritius – an incredible property on the crystal clear turquoise waters of Le Morne – where we found ourselves to be two of about 80 people (the hotel has 196 rooms, or 400+ people). By the time we left yesterday, there were 40 people left at the resort. We got an incredible upgrade and plenty of attention, but in frankly it was weird and eerie to be one of a handful of people at a resort in high season. The hotel did an admirable job adapting, while still trying to run a business (and none of the individual employees would ever let you know they’re worried).

Chamarel waterfall in Mauritius

During our time in Mauritius, things deteriorated rapidly. As I mentioned, Mauritius started seeing cases, and just two days ago (March 18th), the government announced restrictions that prevented anyone other than citizens from entering the country. Those measures went into effect yesterday (March 19th) at 10am, and it was clear the island was not prepared.

Thinking we would pick up some last minute items, which included everything from rum to vanilla to toilet paper (now a US delicacy), we were met with the same panic buying that the United States has been seeing for weeks. Concurrently, we woke up yesterday to find that Turkish Airlines had cancelled Mauritian flights effective the March 20th, although we didn’t actually know the effective date, which meant our final morning was nothing short of a panic.

Sure, there are worse places to be stuck, but the idea of being almost 13,000 miles away from home during a pandemic seemed foolish at best. After we confirmed our flight was in fact the LAST flight off the island that would get us home in any reasonable time (and not through the EU), we were met with a wave of uncertain certainty, meaning we were certain we needed leave paradise for our home, and uncertain of when the next time we might actually travel. Between water skiing, snorkeling, and beach time, we relished the last couple of days in Mauritius.

A shameless picture of me waterskiing. Le Morne Mountain is quite the backdrop!

A retrospective

During the trip, I kept thinking about what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. For one, I felt guilty that I was traveling while the world was coming to grips with a pandemic not seen in a hundred years (Google: 1918 flu epidemic). I wanted to justify WHY we were traveling. The “we already had it planned”, “it wasn’t a big deal at the point”, “we’re young and healthy”…all of it. It wasn’t until our last day in Cape Town that it really hit me that I don’t owe an explanation to anyone, but rather a responsibility to everyone. Yes, we could’ve cancelled the trip, but didn’t. We decided to stick it out, mainly because who the hell knows when we will take our next trip (our trip to Paris in May is almost certainly cancelled). After I made peace with our decisions, what’s really hit me is how interconnected we – the people of earth – really are.

Despite the nationalist rhetoric that’s presently coming out of the US (and other countries) is flat wrong and economically stupid. We all happen to share one planet, and as of 2020, share one global economy. Watching the dominoes fall from afar – and so, so, so rapidly – is an experience I will never forget; the rain cloud in the distance, coming closer until you’re soaked.

We were also struck by the people of Mauritius (and South Africa, though it wasn’t as dire when we were there) – some of the most kind and generous we’ve met to date – that now face an uncertain future. How will they provide for the families or make ends meet? They’re asking themselves the same questions that citizens of previously far-off countries have been asking themselves for weeks. We made it a point to leave extra gratuity on every bill in hopes it might bring a little uplift to a country where the per capita income is around $20k/year.

What’s next

Who knows?

While we were in Cape Town, we toyed with coming home as soon as travel restrictions were announced. Our parents – all of who are in the 70’s – are high risk for COVID-19 for reasons beyond just their age, which frankly scared the hell out of us. With that said, there was really nothing we could do, especially considering our international travels, so instead, we pleaded with them to follow the CDC guidelines (and stay at home)!

Ultimately, we made a personal decision not to cut our trip short, and as I sit on our final flight home, I’m grateful we didn’t. We don’t have kids, only a dog, so the thought of rushing back to San Francisco to be on house arrest just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Let’s enjoy this last hoorah as much and as safely as we can, because who knows what the future holds.

As I mentioned, we’re supposed to go to Paris in May, but I seriously doubt that will happen, and I’m content with that. Like most people throughout the world, we’re most focused on whether or not we keep our jobs and can continue to afford to live in the most expensive city in the US. Travel is secondary. That’s not to say if we find a great deal to a place we want to visit – WITH a flexible cancellation policy – that we won’t book it, but it’s just not top of mind right now. We don’t know what we’re going home to, and having food and supplies is number one, especially since the entire state of California has been given a shelter in place order.

On the health front, Leigh and I are self-quarantining for two weeks upon our return this evening, given our extensive international travels. We will do everything we possibly can to not enter any place of public place where we might infect someone else. Staying away from people is the absolute least we can do, and we’ll also do our best to order delivery from some of our favorite restaurants to keep them afloat (not interacting with the delivery person of course). We’ll also order gift cards from those that offer it.

The last couple of weeks have been eye-opening for everyone, but for us, watching it from afar has left an impression that we won’t soon forget. We are all brothers and sisters in this world, and we owe it to each other to be responsible and take this pandemic seriously. Travel can wait.

How I’m approaching travel during the coronavirus outbreak

by

By now, we all know that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread throughout the world, resulting in the deaths of more than 3,000 people. Hundreds of flights to Asia and Europe have been canceled, leaving airline stocks in the dirt. Further, most airlines are now offering some sort of change fee waiver, which I’ll outline below.

Between the news cycle and the lack of testing kit roll-out in the US, it’s no wonder that hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes are nowhere to be found. With spring break approaching and other pre-planned trips coming everyday, what’s a person supposed to do?

1) Don’t panic

It’s easy to get freaked out with the wall to wall media coverage, but let’s be clear: this is not the bubonic plague that is coming to kill us all. Yes this is a serious health emergency (an impending economic one too), but panicking is something that’s not going to help anyone. Buying up an entire store’s worth of supplies or food – like I saw at my local grocery store – is also detrimental to the greater good.

Please, buy only what you need and stay calm.

2) How I’m approaching travel during this time of uncertainty

Uncertainty is one of those things that us as human beings don’t deal with very well (take a look at the stock market over the last week and half). As Leigh and I get ready to leave tonight to South Africa and Mauritius, we’ve had droves of people ask us whether we’re concerned about the coronavirus, to which we’ve emphatically replied no.

With that said, here are several questions that people should ask themselves when traveling for the foreseeable future:

  • Where you’re traveling
  • Is my travel necessary?
  • Are you willing to get stranded?
  • Are you a higher-risk population?

Where you’re traveling

It’s likely that if you were planning to travel to one of the outbreak hot zones (Italy, China, Iran), it’s likely that your flight has already been canceled. But what other places should people be concerned about?

Generally speaking, Asia is a tough place to try and travel right now just because of so many flight cancelations. At this point, US domestic travel appears to be running as normal, but of course that could change any day. In the most broad terms, three continents appear to be largely unaffected to date: South America, Australia/South Pacific, and Africa. Again, as more testing comes online, that could change.

Is travel necessary?

This is a loaded question, but it’s one we should all ask ourselves at this point. Do you really need to fly across the country to have that one meeting giving the state of flux things are in right now? Likely no, but everyone’s situation varies. Many companies – such as Amazon, Salesforce, and Twitter – are actually prohibiting employee travel all together (mine is suspending all international travel). Further, we’re seeing large gatherings of people start to either be prohibited (like France) or canceled (like numerous upcoming conferences). My view and personal situation is if – and for many that’s a big IF – can do your job remotely, now is probably a good time to enjoy some time at home.

Personal travel is one that each person will need to consider themselves. Back to Leigh and me, we’ve assessed the risk and feel like a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip is one we’re willing to take some risk.

Are you willing to get stranded?

For most people, this is probably the biggest concern of travel right now. As we see more and more international flights get canceled, it’s becoming more likely (though not yet likely) that getting home could be a challenge.

Leigh and I experienced this exact concern a few years ago when we were visiting Bali, which at the time was dealing with the ongoing eruption of Mount Agung. Our concerns were never really whether we might be in danger, but rather would we get there and then get stuck (there are worse places 😉 ). Nevertheless, we ended up going and had a great time. Even though we were there in high-season, crowds were considerably less, while the locals, many of whom depend on tourism, were happy to have us.

Now with that said, every situation and place is different. If local or national governments have asked people to stay away or if there’s a state of emergency, don’t visit! One good place to start is the CDC’s website, which has the most up to date information, including areas where it recommends canceling all travel.

Now as for Leigh and me today, we’re actually bringing our work computers for a change in the event something unforeseen happens and we can’t get back on our planned date. We’ve also made arrangements with our dog sitter and friends in case we’re unable to get back to our pooch.

I always like to live my life by the same motto the Boy Scouts taught me: BE PREPARED!

Are you in a higher-risk population?

Luckily, the disease is not as fatal as initially feared, and there have been just 9 deaths in the US – meaning there isn’t a lot of data to date on who’s most susceptible. What we do know so far is worth consideration:

  • In China, most of the deaths have been in adults, with effects on children there appearing to be minimal based on reporting
  • Of the 9 deaths in the US, all have been in Washington state and 6 of those in people over 70.
  • The deaths of the other three are due to underlying chronic illnesses (which we still don’t know)

With that said, if you’re older, have a weakened immune system, pregnant, or have chronic conditions, it’s probably best to wait it out at this point.

3) Know which airlines are offering change fee waivers

All major US airlines are offering some type of change fee waivers, which can be found here:

Closing thoughts

This is just the way the my household is approaching travel, not the way everyone should. While this is an ongoing health emergency, it shouldn’t stop everyday life from occurring or make the entire world afraid of each other. Travel offers us an opportunity to view and understand the rest of the world, and in times like these, that understanding is more important than ever.

Everyone’s situation is unique, but hopefully posing yourself some questions is helpful. Further, listen to the health agencies in charge of managing the crisis and not the political spin!

Are you still planning on traveling over the next few months?