Items

• 
  2019-10-05

  Tourism Story for the COVID-19 Archive

  Living in California, there were many local travel restrictions, and many transportation methods, stores, and restaurants were shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19. When travel restrictions were lifted in 2023, My family and I didn’t travel, and we continued to wear masks and practice social distancing. At the same time, I would daydream about traveling to many places. One place in particular that I have yet to revisit is the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, located on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A few months before COVID spread globally, I had traveled to Cancun with my father just to go and see the ancient city; although I did take photos of the ruins, I wish that I had taken pictures of the placards and recorded the historical facts that tour guide was sharing with us. For my next visit to Chichén Itzá, I’ll create a note to write a journal about the people, places, and any historical facts I come across while taking videos and photos.
• 
  2022-03-03

  Wellbeing and Travel to Hawaii During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  tourism changes and effects on local economy
• 2020-08-11

  Story of Sickness and Travel

  During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was mostly at home. I lived in, and currently reside in Miami FL. During the earlier stages of the pandemic, everything was closed, shops, national parks, malls and the like. The only things seemingly open were liquor stores, not sure why up to this day. My first moment outside of Miami, was after the restrictions were lifted and I took, a small staycation in Fort Lauderdale. Things were still pretty uneasy, and heavy mask mandates were still in place. I stayed at a smaller hotel in North Las Olas. And we spent the day in the beach, and went around to downtown Fort Lauderdale. The city seemed to be moving as normal, and the populace was very relaxed with social distancing, and mask mandates seemed to be abided only by a few. Nowadays any remnants of Covid restrictions are few if any. About 1 year after covid officially was put down to a low extent with the use of vaccines, I traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana and I noticed a very similar ambiance as to when I was in Florida almost right after the pandemic. All of the populace was very relaxed and laid back with masks and social distancing was at an absolute 0. My guess as to why these things occurred was with the mentality of certain demographics and political narratives. Southern states generally have a more laidback outlook on life and fear the overall reductions of personal liberty, such as travel, in regards to national emergencies. Where as states such as New York and California were some of the heaviest in Covid restrictions, some even present to this day. Travel was always a beautiful thing to do for me, and Covid-19 put a small halt on it, but not completely. These stories happened between August of 2020 and June of 2021.
• 
  2023-01-21

  Our Family's Winter Road Trip

  Here, I share a bit about myself and my family. Though many people are still not traveling, my family and I have done quite a bit, especially with my work as a grad student, an educator, and a coach. The pandemic slowed a lot of things. And my very demanding schedule is always a factor. But with the help of family, we are able to do much more than expected.
• 2021-03-07

  Story of Sickness, Vices and Travel

  I remember when then Covid-19 pandemic first started, I was working at my current suit store, and we did not know what was going to happen at first. I did not travel anywhere, as at this point the global travel market was almost completely shutdown. There was discussion between the managers as to whether we would close the store and wait this out until government officials set the release date, or stay closed indefinitely. Eventually as more earlier information was released, we closed the store. As the pandemic spread, most of Florida as well as the rest of the country was shutdown. I spent most of my time at home. I tend to enjoy a cigar with a whiskey and/or another drink while enjoying the cigar. Eventually the whole state was shutdown and completely incapacitated. I spent the time eventually trying to remain entertained within the "Tiger King" series on Netflix, but once that was over with, I went through other modes of Coping. Eventually I went through my late Fathers Cuban cigar collection to try and have some type of enjoyment. I smoked close to all of his Cuban cigar collection, which in case of misinformation, Cuban cigars in the USA are impossible to obtain by retail standards, otherwise my grandfathering them in pre-personal consumption ban. I smoked close to 90% of my late fathers Cuban cigar collection, something which I didn't want to do other than celebratory or personal reasons. Covid-19 was most definitely not a reason. Therefore with the smoking also came the drinking and drank almost every bottle of anything, within the 5 month period in the state of Florida for the outright shutdown. I think eventually after a long lookback into the vices that were involved in being so isolated, the vices reign supreme when human beings do not have each other. Which speaks to the point that throughout history we, as humans, are extremely social beings. Isolation does not work well for long term, and state sponsored isolations. I think that if i were to travel, given the chance, I would not have traveled anywhere being so close to the genesis of the disease. Not in terms of China, but being so close and available to the disease without further info, would have been disastrous for my family. If I would have gone to any country would have been either to Israel or Rome, Italy, more specifically the Vatican. I believe my faith is primary to life, and either the homeland of the Christ or the home of the church during those times would have helped me spiritually, and physically, in tremendous ways. I probably would have documented my trip via my own phone camera or Instagram in whoever was viewing at the time. I would have definitely been sure to have gone to see St. Peters Square, The Sistine Chapel, and other sites in the Vatican City. Other than that the Israeli areas would be the supposed areas where Christ walked and spoke. Such as Golgotha, Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These places during the pandemic, assuming they were open, were locations at the top of my list. Date: These thoughts and events happened on March 19-20 of 2021. Location: These memories and forethoughts would have taken place at the same time.
• 
  2021-07-16

  Since we can go anywhere... Why not Texas? Go big or stay home!

  We didn't know anyone in Texas, but we knew a few people from there, and they were nice. We didn't know anything about San Antonio except that the Alamo was there (we remembered that), and the internet said it had a Six Flags. We had no reason to go anywhere, except that it was July of 2021 and I had just finished what I could only hope would be the most difficult year of my teaching career (turns out it was). We had a tax return in the bank and a fire in our eyes. It was go time. We didn't have to fly there. It cost a lot more, and neither my wife nor I had ever flown in an airplane as children. But then again, we hadn't endured a Pandemic as children either; so we flew. How did this random trip turn out? Magical. The hotel was expensive, but my daughters loved the pool. The Alamo was full of historical paradoxes, which I completely geeked out on, and we all loved Six Flags. But the best moment of all happened as we walked the cobblestone streets of old San Antonio, sharing a box of chicken. We saw a man camping on the front steps of a church, and my daughters together decided to give him the rest of the chicken, since he was probably hungrier than we were. He thanked us with his words, but even more with his eyes, and my daughters learned that even 1000 miles from home, with nothing but a half-eaten box of chicken, you can make a fellow human smile. And that made the trip worth every penny. I could never ask for a better return from a tax return.
• 2020-08

  Trip to South Lake Tahoe in 2020

  Shortly after it was announced that some of the most restrictive measures in place due to the covid 19 pandemic were to be lifted, I took advantage and planned to leave town. One of my first trips was to South Lake Tahoe in August of 2020. I choose this trip because I figured it was the safest option since I would mostly be outdoors and could stay away from people as much as possible. I was also desperate to be outdoors after being stuck at home with family. The trip went without a hitch and got the rest and release I needed. Along the way however, I did notice several changes because of the ongoing pandemic. Thankfully the areas we visited were mostly to ourselves as there was hardly anyone. Still the people we did encounter seemed almost as relieved as us; I'm not sure if it was because they were also in the great outdoors or if they were just happy to see another person who was also just wanting to be out in nature. Still, mostly everyone maintained more than sufficient distance from one another. Restaurants still offered reduced capacity and keep guests distanced. Although some businesses and locations did not require masks anymore, many still wore them (including myself). I observed mothers wiping their children's hands. Fathers carrying extra masks. Hand sanitizer was still hard to find (thankfully I had some). Occasionally there would be that person who defiantly denied a mask or just didn't wear one when everyone else. Many people would stare at this person. I would personally get nervous around groups who were particularly loud or in large groups, although I must admit I've always been a bit socially anxious. It was just that now I was not only uncomfortable with unfamiliar groups of people, I also wondered if they were sick, or if they ever were, and did they even care. I thought these things as I watched spit fall from people laughing or eating. I paid special attention to employees and staff at restaurants and establishments. Would they wipe the spit off the counter? Did they wipe down the tables? I was especially hyper vigilant and felt guilty. I was traveling during a deadly pandemic with my family still back at home. Thankfully, I didn't get sick. That didn't happen until after I was called back to work since I was deemed an "essential worker." Then I would become ill for about 4 torturous months.
• 2020-05-23

  An Anxious Stroll Through the Japanese Tea Garden

  Although I have taken longer trips to New Orleans, Costa Rica, Boston, and Mexico since COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, I consider the local afternoon stroll through the local San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden to be the first real COVID trip. It was May of 2020 , and, at that point, the most of outside I had experienced since late March of 2020 was sitting in my backyard or making hasty trips to the grocery store. With the weather so gorgeous and with doctors and politicians saying it was safe to go to parks so long as we kept our distance from other people, my boyfriend and I decided to venture to the Japanese Tea Garden for a stroll and a picnic in the park, just outside of the gardens. Unbeknownst to us, this was a very popular idea; we arrived to the gardens to find it swarmed with other people hoping to get some fresh air. The Japanese Tea Garden can be tricky to navigate with an abundance of people around; it consists of narrow pathways, bridges, and stone staircases surrounding large ponds, streams, and waterfalls, so we found ourselves having to squeeze past people, only inches away from them. What was worse, we neglected to bring masks, thinking we'd be far away from park-goers. Not having my mask made me feel incredibly anxious. We cut our walk through the gardens short and continued with our picnic in the larger park, safely away from the crowds. I felt like I could finally breathe safely. When I got home, I was very nervous that I may have come in contact with someone with COVID. This feeling persisted for a while. At the time, it was still very difficult to get tested for COVID if you were not a healthcare professional due to the scarcity of tests and testing locations in San Antonio. Additionally, our mayor, county judge, and local health advisors warned of a spike in COVID-19 cases which did not ease my tension. I essentially waited on pins and needles as I monitored myself for symptoms. While I didn't catch COVID (the first time I caught COVID was in November 2022 actually), I didn't make another venture like that for another three months due in part to the anxiety I experienced that day.
• 
  2020-06-08

  Cross-Country Road Trip During Summer of 2020

  This story is about my family's experience of having to move during the COVID-19 pandemic from Georgia to Washington State and the road trip that took place. It was a stressful event because we did not know much about COVID-19 at the time and how it would affect us if we did contract the virus. We did not even have typical creature comforts to comfort us.
• 
  2023-07

  Grandma's Funeral: A Trip Not taken

  It tells a story about how COVID prevented my family from attending my grandmother's funeral. Leaving us unable to properly say goodbye and grieve with family. It's a travel story with no travel.
• 
  2022-05-15

  Bahamas 2022 - First Trip Post-Covid

  My first trip in the post-covid era was to the Bahamas in May 2022. It had been years since I was last out of the country. The family of one of my close friends has a timeshare and I was invited to spend a week down there with a handful of friends. Heading into the 2022 trip, I was nervous about international travel, especially to a place I had never been before. The fact that I was with my friends made things a little more comfortable for me, but I still didn’t know what to expect or if I would even be able to make it to the Bahamas and back home. See, at the time the Bahamas still required a negative covid test to enter the country as part of their “covid visa” protocol. The country also required a negative test to leave the country. The friends I was with were very cavalier when it came to covid and covid restrictions. I was nervous, and I was and am considered high risk due to the nature of my asthma, but I was still determined to have a good time with my friends… and it ended up being one of the greatest trips I ever went on. New experiences, new food, a break from my life (which had become aggressively difficult to deal with), that trip was everything I had hoped it would be. I always kept a mask in my pocket just in case, but the nature of the negative covid test at least gave me some peace of mind that I’d be okay. The picture I included is of a smaller part of the group - 5 guys having a time on a lazy river. I remember laughing hysterically with each lap we did. That was the first time post-covid where I finally felt free and relaxed.
• 
  2020-03

  Canadian Travel During Covid and After

  Contrasts domestic travel during Covid to respond to security program needs versus personal travel from Canada to the United States post-pandemic, and the different airline/airport experience.
• 
  2021-03-19

  Easing Into Travel

  This story details how our family eased back into travel once restrictions were lifted, by starting close to home and venturing further and further out. It reminds me of how much we value family trips, and how a positive outcome was that COVID forced us to discover things closer to home.
• 
  2023-04-15

  Las Vegas Wedding April 2023

  The weekend of April 15, 2023, I flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the wedding of one of my best friends from college, Anthony Dramisino and his soon to be wife, Amy Menegay. I realized I was attending my first post-Covid wedding after the government lifted CDC recommendations and restrictions. I flew United Airlines in economy that Friday afternoon and touched down around eight in the evening due to the time zone difference from Washington DC. The airline did not force us to wear masks but recommended we do so due to confinement in a small space with a lot of people. Other than the presence of a lot more hand sanitizer stations around the airport, Harry Reid Airport in Las Vegas bustled with the activity of people enjoying Las Vegas to its fullest. The first thing I saw when I deplaned was a group of slot machines. I ubered to the hotel, the Flamingo Resort, a Las Vegas icon since the mob sponsored its initial construction in the 1940s. Renovated in the 1990s, it stood as one of the oldest still running hotels in the city and this is where the wedding party reserved a venue for the ceremony. Overall, one could not tell there was ever a pandemic by how the hotels and casinos functioned. People strolled in and out of the building at all hours and the Strip pulsed with noise, lights, and activity. I met up with the wedding party and we stayed up till 3 in the morning on the casino floor socializing unimpeded. The next day, I got lunch with Anthony and some of the wedding party. We went to a Yard House restaurant on the Strip. Like many restaurants, it converted to a QR code menu or optional touch pad ordering system. The server still took our drink order and brought out the food. I had a steak frite bowl over quinoa to steel myself for the wedding day. The ceremony took place in a private outdoor garden grotto that somehow blocked out the noise from the surrounding resort. The moment stood out as strange but beautiful as an Elvis impersonator married my two good friends to each other. Afterwards, the reception dinner lasted well into the night. The balcony at the Caesar's Palace stood isolated from everyone, but overlooked the Vegas Strip glowering in its nightly desert beauty. The venue let us stick around well past the end of the reservation. I went back to my hotel room at midnight to pack for my six am flight back to Washington DC. I took a picture of the new massive globe telescreen built during the pandemic. It danced in a complex light show at night, but apparently it can play full videos as well. I would say my first major post COVID trip was a rousing success and an excellent first time experience in Las Vegas. I would definitely go back again.
• 2020-10-15

  Travel with Your Worries

  When travel restrictions were lifted from COVID-19, I waited a few months to take a trip away from home. One was to Flagstaff, Arizona in October of that year. At this point, mask mandates were still in affect in many places and there was restrictions on how many people could come in with me to the doctors office, which is what I was traveling for. This was the first time I would be seen by my doctor in over a year, as with COVID restrictions, they had shut it down to telehealth. It was also still scary after being cooped up for months to be out, and having to eat out, something we hadn’t done in nearly 8 months. The second trip I took was only weeks later to go to the Children’s hospital in Phoenix. Again, masks were still required in most places, and even a sneeze made everyone jumpy still. My child could only have one person escort them into the hospital and we had to wear masks, which was fun with a child that was under 2 years old, but it worked. It also made things go much slower than it has been since 2020 as well as they were extra careful sanitizing and spreading people out. I also remember the housing for people that needed to stay at the Children’s hospital was also limited to one adult with the child being treated at the hospital, which made it harder for parents that had to stay with their children. I remember a lot of fear traveling, making sure to have sanitizers, masks, and anything else we might need for everyone. I remember a lot of worry.
• 
  2023-09

  My First Solo Trip

  During the events of COVID-19, I was in recovery from a serious illness that attacked some pretty valuable organs and, therefore, was immune-compromised. It was pretty shocking as I had been perfectly healthy up until that point and was just entering my early twenties. Therefore, I did not and could not travel during COVID. So, by the time of my first trip, post-COVID, travel restrictions had been lifted. I am currently as physically recovered as it gets from what happened and living life in a new normal! The first trip I took was to visit my sister in Alaska, where I stayed for about two months. We had a blast, and it was great catching up. I saw the ocean for the first time, and it was a particularly emotionally moving trip to experience. I will be heading out to see her and her lovely puppy, Honey, again in January, and I am excited to see them and explore new places! I am also hoping to rockhound in AK to add to my ever-growing rock collection.
• 2022-09-09

  Seoul-Searching During Covid 19

  Although Covid restrictions were slowing fading away by the end of 2022 in the United States, it was a process for me to travel to Seoul in 2022. Before traveling I had to fill out various forms of documentation indicating that I was healthy enough to travel. In Korea, you were still required to wear a mask in public places but other than these mandatory requirements, the trip was extremely enjoyable. I personally didn't mind it and thought the extra precautions showed a sense of care. In some ways it also showed the difference in societal standards and cultures. I got to go to museums, shops and eat delicious food. I loved it so much and it was an immerse learning experience.
• 
  2021-03

  First Time Traveling after COVID-19

  At the end of March 2021, I took a trip to the Idyllwild Mountains in Southern California. Getting to the base of Idyllwild Mountains was a 15-minute drive from where I lived. I rented an Airbnb with my family to enjoy the upcoming snow. Having multiple members in my family with compromised immune systems, we were still taking self-isolating and social distancing very seriously. During this period in California, Disneyland reopened, and restrictions eased around the state. Right before the trip, California leaders announced that anyone over 16 would be eligible to receive the vaccine the following month. While I wanted to go out and make happy memories, like enjoying Disneyland again with my family, I remember the anxiety of even staying in the Airbnb with my family and the worry that we would catch the virus. However, because of the cleaning policies and the relative isolation of the location, it felt like a safe way to travel while still being able to take enough precautions to limit exposure. While there are excellent restaurants in Idywild, we brought groceries to our rented cabin. We felt this was safer because we were still uncomfortable dining out then. Although we only stayed on the rental cabin property, it was still such an enjoyable experience. I got to watch the snowfall with my niece and nephew. We made snow angels, played board games, and ate homemade chili. It was a magical experience after prolonged stress, fear, and worry. While we were still socially distant and isolated during the trip, it was such a memorable experience, and I will forever treasure the memories we made together during our first time traveling after the start of COVID-19.
• 
  2020-08-20

  Coming Back Home

  When lockdown happened in March of 2020, I was in college in New York. I was immediatly picked up by my uncle and taken to their home in Long Island were I stayed basically stuck in an 8x8 room with a large bed and a dresser as a desk for the next 4 months. When flight restrictions were finally slightly lifted I took the first flight out to my home, Puerto Rico. Everyone had to wear masks, disinfecting stations at every corner, and it was very empty. When I got to PR, the baggage claim turned into a medical security depot with people in hazmat suits everywhere, plastic curtains draping every hallway, and incredibly tight restrictions on movememt. It was a miracle I got back. When I was home, I was finally able to walk outside in my neighborhood and decided to explore the river by my house that I had never really been to, even though I had lived there for 18 years. That's what this video represents. It represents the first real moment of freedom and nature after months of isolation and flourescent lights. That video also represents refuge, I was seperated from my homeland for over half a year at that point, 2 months by choice and 4 months by force. And though I was out in the jungle by myself, it was a much healthier form of isolation than what I had been doing in New York. So I appreciated my flowing river and low hanging tree branches all the more.
• 
  2022-06-22T19:17

  Covid-era Road Trip to Cahokia

  As the cloud of Covid-19 began to dissipate in 2022, we made our annual summer pilgrimage from Arizona to Michigan, where much of my extended family still resides (and we can escape the heat of the Southwest). Due to lingering concerns over crowds and close contacts, we decided we would drive and make stops in Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, and St. Louis, where we ventured to a place I, the dorky World History teacher, had eagerly selected: Cahokia Mounds, the "Largest Pre-Columbian Site North of Mexico". Approaching Cahokia, the scene might appear like a scatter plot of natural hills if they were not carefully mowed and kept generally free from trees and overgrowth. One can climb a staircase that ascends to the higher levels of Monk's Mound, the largest of several earthen pyramid-like structures in the area. I remember feeling conscious that it was the kind of climb that humans had made for several millennia, at Mesopotamian ziggurats, or similar Maya constructions at Chichen Itza, or the Acropolis at Athens-- up staircases, closer to the heavens, to honor deities or witness a royal wedding, or a coronation. I suppose my leashed golden doodle at my side and my chatterbox children following me injected distractions from the historical fantasies... Maybe I'm romanticizing this climb in my own memory. Yet, the view of urban St. Louis from the top of Monk's Mound is beautiful, and one feels the transience of human endeavors-- the rise and fall of cities and civilizations. This particular hill I stood atop was, one-thousand years prior, an epicenter of socioeconomics in North America. Tens of thousands of people resided in the area, and perhaps hundreds of thousands visited seasonally from as far afield as the Gulf Coast to the south and the Great Lakes to the north, to witness and partake in rituals, celebrations, and social and economic exchanges. These mounds, constructed entirely by humans without draft animals, once held up large structures and were heavily populated for special events. They are now mostly barren and lonely, an occasional visitor climbing the steps for physical exercise or an exercise in perspective. Though Cahokia's peak and decline as a site occurred well before the Columbian Exchange and arrival of Eurasian diseases, the barren hills and surrounding areas (and the isolating existence of the pandemic we were experiencing) made me think of the general decline and displacement of indigenous people. We were experiencing, in 2022, a pandemic that caused isolation, debilitation, distress, trauma, and occasionally death... Yet earlier epidemics were an absolute apocalypse for indigenous people throughout the Americas, often emptying entire regions of people well before the arrival of explorers, colonizers, and settlers. To stand atop Monk's Mound, and to survey the urban sprawl of St. Louis in the distance, is to experience, spatially, tremendous change over time. My single life will hopefully last a few decades longer, and making this climb with my own children gave me a joyful sense of legacy and time beyond my own existence. For a few quiet moments at the top, however, I felt alone and small, a tourist under the weight of the distant past.
• 2022-05-01

  First Trip After Lockdown: A Journey Through Cheese, COVID, and Care

  In May 2022, fully vaccinated and cautiously optimistic, I boarded my first flight since the lockdowns to attend a cheesemonger conference near St. Louis, Missouri. I was masked, wary, and meticulously followed all the precautions—barely even touching a beverage on the plane. Traveling again felt strange and exhilarating, though the pandemic was still very much on my mind. The conference was a whirlwind of cheese-related knowledge and networking, and everything seemed to be going smoothly until an unexpected situation arose. A young woman attending the conference broke a tooth but had no rental car or easy way to get to a dentist. Since I was the closest to forty among the group and happened to have a rental, I drove her to an emergency dentist. Stepping into the medical office, I was struck by the fact that no one was wearing a mask—something I was not yet accustomed to seeing in a medical setting. In California, most medical establishments still mask up. But I brushed it off, thinking it was just part of returning to the “new normal.” After the conference, I flew to Texas to visit family. Ever cautious, I took a COVID-19 test in the rental car before returning it to the airport. NEGATIVE! Safe to fly. Everything seemed fine until I began feeling unusually warm mid-air, but I was double-masked and very anxious. Maybe I was just panicking. When I reached my Texas hotel, my nerves were on high alert. I called my wife, who teasingly dismissed my worry as paranoia. But as soon as I took a test in my hotel room, I got a positive result. I called her back on FaceTime to show her the results, and reality hit only then. The following day, my stepmom picked me up from the hotel. I sat in the backseat, masked, windows rolled down, and tried to distance myself as best I could. We went straight to urgent care, where they confirmed my positive test with a PCR. Given my pre-diabetes and higher BMI at the time, the medical team recommended monoclonal antibodies. In my dad’s small town of Lake Hills, Texas, the local fire department and medical staff came directly to his house to administer the treatment. They hooked me up to an IV and provided fluids and antibodies, returning two days later for another round of fluids. In a town where only a few people took COVID-19 seriously, I was quite the Dramatic Californian Gal. Luckily, my parents did not get sick, and I was incredibly grateful for their care and the support of my family. A week later, I tested negative—just in time for a long-awaited cruise to Belize, Honduras, and other parts of the Caribbean. Testing on Cruise Ships was super strict then, and you even had to do a rapid text live on a Zoom-like platform 24 hours before boarding the vessel. Boarding the cruise ship in Miami felt surreal, a return to something like freedom. At that point, there was no risk that I was going to be infected with COVID-19. However, after my recent infection, the fresh sea air was a balm, and the sense of safety I felt, knowing I’d just recovered, made it a unique experience. But the trip left its mark; I am still vigilant about masking on planes, keeping up with vaccinations, and taking COVID seriously. While the fear has subsided over time, that first experience with travel after the lockdown taught me the importance of caution, the medical community, and gratitude.
• 
  2024-07-22T18:05:00-02:00

  Travel during COVID (@HST643).

  This story is important because it shows just how long the COVID restrictions lasted, and also how responsible we chose to be after the pandemic. Hello everyone, my name is Lamario Thompson and I’m a first-year graduate student (and History major @HST643) here at Arizona State University @Arizona State University. When the travel restrictions were lifted for COVID, I didn’t travel, and only traveled for the first time during the summer of 2024. I took a flight from Albuquerque, NM to Shreveport, Louisiana from July 22, 2024, through July 26, 2024, however, by then COVID restrictions had been lifted such as six-foot distancing, mask wearing, and fist bumps rather than shaking hands. The only restriction that was still mandatory was getting the COVID booster, but that was primarily for my job as I work for University of New Mexico Hospital as a Patient Care Coordinator in which I come in close proximity to many patients (and staff) @unmhcovidboooster. I still wore a mask while in the airports and on the flights as I felt I could get exposed to anti-vaxxers who felt invincible against COVID. I flew from Albuquerque, NM to Houston, Tx, and then had a connecting flight to Shreveport, Louisiana. There weren’t any indications that there were any COVID restrictions at the airports or when I arrived in Louisiana. It’s interesting to note that when my folks traveled here to Albuquerque from Louisiana in June 2021, COVID restrictions like mask-wearing had literally been lifted a day before they arrived. However, less than 24 hours after their arrival here, the mask-wearing mandate had become mandatory again here in the entire state. The COVID restrictions really didn’t get lifted here at work until Spring 2023. I, however, kept wearing a mask and social distancing until Spring 2024 @covidprotocols. @Fall B Session 2024 @HistoryofTourism.
• 2022-06-04

  My 21st Birthday in Las Vegas

  During the pandemic, I didn't get the chance to celebrate my birthday through a party or the drive-by birthdays that became common. My Grandma was high risk and because of this I was out of work and could not go anywhere aside from the grocery store or her house to bring her groceries. This caused me to feel sheltered in our home for almost two full years until I returned to work late in 2021. Even whilst working I tended to keep a mask on and gloves just to be cautious and protect my family. Despite the difficulties we still ended up getting sick several times, but we kept our time away from the house minimal. This changed with my twenty-first birthday which took place in June 2022 when the restrictions were much lighter. We decided to take a trip to Las Vegas as I could do many things that come with being 21, including gambling, drinking, and the sort. Even though this was long after things had reopened, I still felt very uncomfortable to be in public. The idea of staying in a hotel felt as if I was begging to catch COVID again. This is because it looked as if there had never been a pandemic to most of the people walking around, since nobody was wearing masks or trying to be overly clean (myself included). It looked the same as it had many years prior when I had last visited the city. I did not think about it at the moment but it felt as if we had achieved a level of normalcy that I had taken for granted for so long. It made me understand how grateful I should be for having the luxury of travel or being outside for that matter. Some people will never have that type of luxury again, much like my grandma who I still have to wear a mask around. As she is in her late 90's we still cannot take the risk of exposure, this makes me remember the pandemic and how tired I was of being at home. She is still living through that and this is years after we have left lockdown.
• 2021-11-25

  Thanksgiving Travel 2021

  After COVID 19 restrictions were lifted in November of 2021, I did take a trip to Arizona for Thanksgiving. My daughter had recently moved to be with her mom in Texas for the year and we decided that since we could travel, we would meet in Arizona with my ex-wife’s family for Thanksgiving. I took a flight from Oregon to Arizona and had to wear a mask in the airport and on the plane, it was not a problem for me because I had worked in the service sector for the entire pandemic and was accustomed to wearing a mask for hours at a time. Once I was in Arizona we mostly stayed in the familial group at the house, I took my daughter to an outdoor park, and a few of us shared a car trip to a convenience store. I had to wear a mask the whole trip back to Oregon as well and I took a COVID 19 test a few days after and watched for symptoms, but I did not contract it.
• 
  2021-12-01

  A Very Covid Christmas!

  it was December 2021, covid vaccines had come out earlier in the year and many people were excited to get it, while some were completely untrusting of them. My whole family was on board with vaccines and beleived that as the vaccines were becoming availabe to everybody, the worst of the pandemic was behind us. We needed a vaccine card in order to travel to England. We had been vaccinated and were willing to abide by the conditions for travel that the US and the UK had in place. The night before we were supposed to fly out to Enlgand, "Omicron" came out and we did not know what to do. If we didn't go we would lose thousands of dollars that were non refundable. If we went we were risking our health because, according to the reports, Omicron was a different, more potent strain that the vaccine did not cover. My family and I talked about it and made the decision that, so long as we used N95's, took precautions and were safe we would be ok. We did that, we traveled to England at the height of Omicron, we went for 4 days and even though the virus was potent, we were safe and had a great time. The masks actually helped in two ways, one: they kept us safe from the virus and two: they kept our face warm as it was about 30 degrees. We saw a lot of people in England that abided by the health mandates, everyone was respectful, it was a trip that we will never forget.
• 
  2021-11-26T20

  Indie Rock Amid a Pandemic

  My first major break from the COVID-19 pandemic was attending a concert. I saw Houndmouth perform at the Vogue theater in Indianapolis on Nov. 26, 2021. I flew home for Thanksgiving from AZ to IN and my friends invited me to see one of our favorite bands. I thought, well I've already had so much exposure to other people on this trip, what more could this outing do? I felt safe enough to put myself out there maskless for the first time in a year and a half. November of 2021 was a significant lull in the number of COVID cases, likely the downturn from the Delta variant. I was glad to get out for this experience because barely a month later the Omicron variant hit nationwide and discouraged us from such outings for a few more months. The concert was an absolute blast. There was a recent change to the band's lineup after their new album Good for You came out. I got to stand right up front with loud bass, thunderous drums, and some very good friends I hadn't seen in a long time. It was like a literal breath of fresh air to "get back to normal" even though we'd be masking back up once again for about another year. Since I was coming from the Navajo Nation where I teach high schoolers, our mandates and regulations were far stricter than Indiana's where many folks had enough of the rules and ditched their social distancing and mask early. Returning back to the Rez, I had to resume conforming to tight regulations, especially in my classroom.
• 
  2023-10

  Trip to Canada

  This object says about the pandemic is that the world was able to recover from the pandemic. This is because a lot of countries had shut down their borders and so this picture shows that people were able to travel quickly again. This is important to me because this is the first time that I traveled outside the United States.
• 
  2023-01-20

  Happiest Place On Earth Found Its Spark

  This picture was taken in January or 2023, just a few months after the world “opened up” after the 3 year pandemic that rocked our world. This was the first trip my family and I took after the pandemic, the feeling of the park was that the world had healed and everything was normal again. Oftentimes, Disney is regarded as the happiest place on earth. They’re are multiple pictures that show the barren, happy-absent parks during the pandemic. The castle being lit, surrounded by people with no more fear of COVID was a great feeling. It felt as if the world had a giant sigh of relief.
• 2020-03-12

  Young Mom during Covid-19

  I had a birthday weekend trip planned to GA in March 2020. My baby and I flew down a few days after the initial outbreak and warnings began. I remember wondering if it would add an extra week or two to the trip, with delays and precautions, but would've never guessed months would pass! We stayed in GA for 3 months, grateful to be out of a big city and to have my parent's large home and yard, sidewalks to walk but really hard being away from my husband and baby from their father. I was grateful to be surrounded by extended family but it was sad not spending time with my partner and for him being isolated. He didn't interact with anyone while he stayed in our home and worked remotely, it was lonely and hard. When we decided enough protocol was in place we could try our best to safely return home we were anxious in the airport but thankfully did not get sick. The masking protocol didn't feel burdensome or silly to me, it was a challenge for my child, though they did wear it as needed for small amounts of time. My child's 'toddler' years were not spent interacting with many children their age, or with any adults other than family. It was interesting to see how they developed after the pandemic and was able to become more social in time and with more opportunities.
• 2024-03-14

  A lifelong Dream Journey to Egypt

  At the height of the pandemic, I was in Arizona working in the Maricopa County Supreme Court system. In transparency, there were not very many restrictions, let alone travel restrictions. Additionally, several times I was able to leave the state and go visit my family in my hometown of California which had several different restrictions such as a complete shutdown as well as social distancing and wearing a face mask. Once travel restrictions were lifted, I did not take any specific big trips, due to my living/daily life experiences not being drastically changed living in Arizona during the pandemic. I was still going into the office everyday, in court everyday, and able to do many of the same activities that I would do on a daily basis. As an additional note, if I could travel anywhere in the world, I would love to visit Egypt, specifically Cairo. For as long as I can remember I have had a great fascination with ancient Egyptian history. During my free time, I love watching documentaries about the discovery of ancient Egyptian artifacts and what they symbolize. Being able to actually see Egyptian artifacts personally, would allow me to gain a deeper understanding of ancient life in Egypt. On this trip, I would also like to see the Giza pyramid complex. Pyramid construction and symbolism is another great interest of mine. Recently I have started watching a documentary called, Lost Tombs of the Pyramids, and it exploration and excavation of pyramids. Overall, on this trip, I would document this trip using photography and videography. Those are what I normally use to document trips taken. I like this method because I am able to go back and physically look at sites in my camera roll if I ever wanted to. I have never been outside of the United States, and I hope to accomplish the goal of traveling out of the country soon!
• 
  2021-07-23

  The Trail to Angel's Landing

  There are few ways to describe the events of 2020 other than chaotic. The vast, sweeping changes that occurred left many confused and grasping, often in desperation. Meanwhile, 2021 was a mixed follow-up for a year where much remained the same, but travel restrictions began to lift. Seeing this window of opportunity, four friends and I leaped at it. We planned a weeklong trip to Zion National Park and on the first day, we headed for Angel's Landing. The situation around the pandemic resulted in a kind of claustrophobia that superimposed a hyperawareness of personal space. For many, where six feet distance apart was not just a courtesy in some establishments, but a rule that was often enforced. This condition of anxiety or even fear of contracting COVID-19 from another person in the limited size of restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores was easily felt. This kind of spatial awareness bled into one's perception so deeply that it might be retroactive. While watching a pre-pandemic movie with a shot of a crowd, the thoughts would intrude, "Where are everyone's masks?" or "Why is everyone standing so close together." Southern Utah is a great expanse of mesas, mountains, and bluffs under a rolling sky. Zion reflects this in the great size of the rock formations and the verdant greenery accompanying it. The contrast in scale highlights the simple fact that getting up to the tallest point of Angel's Landing is an exercise of walking upwards at steep inclines, often with other people in front of you, creating a line. Maybe it was the change in setting, but for a while, it was as if the pandemic was left behind. Everyone still brought masks, wore masks in crowded environments, and used hand sanitizer but the anxiety was not there. It appeared to be the common rule that the other tourists had agreed to. Replacing the fear was a determination to get to the highest point of the trails and photograph the scope of it all. It was only the first day of the trip and I had already been astounded.
• 
  2024-03-14

  Reflection on the Attitudes About COVID-19: A Concert Venue

  The photograph is not so much exemplary of my thoughts as much as the story. Even then, it was very late and much of the "heat" surrounding COVID had since died down. Regardless, it serves as a reflection of my thoughts concerning the attitudes regarding COVID-19 and its treatment when attending certain events. It is among the few travel experiences I have, however, it is an important time to me. The story explains the general unconscious aversion to COVID consideration, at least, as I understand it upon reflection.
• 
  2020-12-26

  Everyday life amidst a global pandemic

  When the covid restriction lifted my husband and I decided to visit family in Mexico. Because of the ban we were not able to attend funerals, birthday parties or any type of celebration. Despite the pandemic and the restrictions life seemed to be about the same 8 months after the pandemic had first been announced with some small changes. In a street corner waiting to order food, everyone was wearing masks. The elderly, children and the vendors themselves which was surprising considering the push back there happened to be originally from the Latin communities. The solidarity in the mask enforcement had now came from fear. The people in the streets were scared but had to continue their jobs as vendors and others having to go out side and purchase from these same vendors despite the fear of getting sick. When I think back to the first year of the pandemic I think about small moments like these, something as simple as purchasing street food now came with a worry of possibly getting yourself or others sick.
• 
  2022-10-16

  One Last Trip With My Old Face

  This is a story about my first trip out of state after the pandemic began. During lockdown, I reconnected with an old friend and was later invited to his wedding. It was my first time going to Chicago and I had a wonderful time.
• 2024-03-14

  Multiple Covid Trips

  When travel restrictions were lifted, did you take a trip? If so, where did you go and why? What are your memories of this trip? Were there any continuing COVID-19 restrictions in place? I swear I have no strong political opinions, but I looked at the stats for 30-something men for COVID, and decided I'd just go for it and refused to ever hide (except for that time I got Covid in July 2020). I went on SEVERAL trips. Also, I was a teacher in a VERY conservative area (read: students and parents were aggressively anti-Covid measures) and my wife was a nurse. I figured I was bound to get Covid and ruled a personal judgment of "Who cares? Especially if it's inevitable as this stuff spreads like glitter ..." I was a teacher and then delivered Ubereats nonstop as a form of "time travel". But we took the following Covid trips: May 2020 to Houston/Galveston. June 2020 to Colorado (Between these trips, I decided to focus on working and saving to buy a house as everything was shut down worldwide, there were no more trips to make) June 2021 to Port Aransas, Texas August 2021 to Colorado again (wife is from Colorado, thus the repeats) March 2022 to Northern Finland (Lapland) and was able to spend about an hour in Sweden, since we rented a car. August 2022 - Went to Costa Rica for the wife's 30th birthday. (Covid restrictions were gone by this trip). May 2020 to Houston/Galveston was a bit strange. I got asked to pick up a painting for my parents at her friends' house and so we turned it into a birthday trip for me. Hotels and beach were curiously packed and Texans simply did not care about COVID at this point. June 2020 to Colorado - George Floyd riots/protests (your decision) shut down downtown Denver and put us in a curfew where we couldn't leave the house after 8:00PM, so that was interesting. Still enjoyed the mountains and the fresh air, but we couldn't do much in Denver. The interesting thing at this point was the "two weeks to flatten the curve" was being revealed to be wrong, so we didn't know what to think anymore after this. August 2021 to Colorado - I have little in the way of memories of this trip. Wife really wanted to go. We saw more mountains and more of her friends. We ran away from a giant black creature in the woods (BEAR!) that was revealed to be a black cow and my wife makes fun of me for this to this day. More scared of that "bear" than I ever was of Covid. March 2022 to Finland - This was interesting. Finland was completely open and the primary restrictions were the US Government requiring masks on planes. We had to get a booster in order to go, which annoyed me, but I did it. The service in the airport was fascinatingly horrible and we were delayed by about 36 hours to Finland, which means we just missed the last Aurora of the winter. They also lost and then broke my wife's luggage. We drove around Northern Finland and even popped into Sweden for an hour because "Why not?". Other funny thing was everyone was very scared for us, because Russia had just invaded Ukraine and I had to reassure everyone that after the Winter War and World War II, Russians decided Finland was haunted and to never return (for historical accuracy, this is a joke, but it was a fun joke). I liked Finland/Lapland, but it was more expensive then Tokyo. I've never been anywhere more expensive in my life. Gas was somewhere in the range of $11/gallon, due to the invasion (on top of already high European prices). We met Santa, I got bit by a reindeer and sled dogs are a rambunctious bunch of creatures. We slept in the ice hotel you see sometimes in travel blogs. The stores were all open. Everything was open. Finland simply did not seem to care about Covid and my understanding was Sweden didn't either (part of the reason we shrugged and popped over). I had literally one person one time ask me to put on a mask when I went into a store, but this annoyed us and we left. August 2022 to Costa Rica - Flew in and out of Liberia, Costa Rica (not San Jose) for reasons I don't remember - I think I did that because I was desperately trying to make it an open-Jawed trip (fly in to Liberia and fly out of Panama City). I remember being annoyed because I told my wife repeatedly that "I don't think Costa Rica will be as cheap as everyone has told you" and it wasn't. It's pretty and nice. It's not really cheap at all. Interesting thing here is there were absolutely ZERO Covid restrictions. Nothing. None. Not one. Over. The story was over. So I'll end it there.
• 2021-06-14

  Family Trip to Florida 2021

  My father is a world class powerlifter who has podium placed at world championships before. He was planning to do the qualifier for the next world championship in 2020, but that was understandably delayed. When stay at home orders were lifted, he competed in the state level qualification event, in his case North Carolina, for the national championship. He had to lift in a mask, which was uncomfortable and potentially dangerous as lifters could not always get enough oxygen during and after a lift causing some to pass out and need medical attention. He did well enough in the qualifier to proceed to the national championship in Daytona Beach, Florida. On that trip, COVID restrictions were very few, if any, with the hotel, lifting event, and restaurants/stores not having mask mandates or vaccination checkpoints. Unfortunately, my dad did not win this championship. He did, however, come back the next year and won the 2022 championship in Orlando, Florida. When we went on that trip, COVID precautions were not really present at all, and it almost seemed life it was before COVID.
• 
  2021-07-30

  Covid Was Over

  In 2021 my Mom and I planned a trip to Mexico to visit her side of the Family. We had been putting off the trip because of a lack of money and then Covid hit. It had been seven years since my mom had been able to visit her mother and her siblings. At this point in time, travel restrictions and quarantines were largely a thing of the past. People in my area no longer considered Covid to be a threat in the way it was viewed in the early part of 2020. Masks weren’t in common use and people went about as they pleased. Deaths were still rising. By June of 2021 our trip took place. Most of the big travel restrictions had been lifted, but oddly enough America still had testing restrictions for reentry. Mexico, a nation that still cared about limiting the spread of the virus, had no testing or vaccination requirements for entry. We went on our trip and had a great time visiting our family in Mexico City. While staying we decided to visit the Museum of Anthropology in the city center. To enter, we had to go one at a time and be sprayed with some sort of sanitization chemicals by guards in the front. Being a poor Spanish speaker I was afraid I would do something wrong and that they wouldn’t let me enter. Thankfully everything went well at that time. When the time came to leave we had to locate a pharmacy that would do rapid testing for our return trip. America had very specific instructions that only allowed for certain pharmacies to do the testing. This made it very difficult to find one that would work. When we got to the testing site it reminded me of zombie movies. The pharmacy was surrounded by tall iron fences with razor wire at the top. People wanting to be tested were funneled one by one to a testing kiosk. The kiosk itself was a glass paneled box complete with attached glove arms and a ventilation system. The test itself was a simple swab test that was much more painful than I thought it would be. My nose hurt for an hour afterward. On the day of our departure I was nervous that something would not be correct with our records and we would be stopped from leaving Mexico. The person who officially went over our records was in the baggage check in area. She took our documents and didn’t even look at them for one second before handing them back. I was confused but this, since our American travel sites made such a big deal about it. Honestly, we could have easily faked the records to get back into America. Ultimately we got home safe and sound. A little over a month later everything went to hell. My cousin, Aunt, and Abuelita all contracted Covid and were hospitalized. My Aunt and Abuelita passed away from the virus, only my cousin survived. My mom had to deal with the loss of two close family members less than two weeks apart. It felt so wrong, how could they have both died when Covid was over?
• 
  2021-07-27

  San Diego Zoo Safari Park

  Looking back at my camera roll, I chose this picture as the subject of this assignment. The picture reminded me of the first trip that I took, a year after COVID happened. The summer of 2021, my family and I were able to take a trip to San Diego, California and we decided to go to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. I am a lover of nature and I enjoy the scenery and being able to appreciate the simple beauty of plants and animals. As any other normal traveler would do, I snapped a bunch of pictures as I was walking through the safari park zoo. I snapped this picture as I was on the tram and we were observing the large animals (rhinoceros, giraffes, etc.). This particular picture spoke to me, becuase I saw it as the first time I could actually enjoy the simplicity of having the means to travel and enjoy the beauty of the outside world, after being cooped up for so long. Since I live in the Phoenix area, it is not often that I get to see lily ponds or vibrant plants/animals in my area. I remember feeling free and appreciative of having the means to travel and see the outside world again.
• 2022-05-20

  The time I travelled to Punta Cana

  When the restrictions were lifted, I took a trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic right after finishing my internship and getting ready to graduate. Originally, I was supposed to go in November with my family, but we couldn't because my parents and sister got COVID. Unfortunately, we had to reschedule the entire trip. During that time, I had to isolate in my room, wear a mask inside the house, and wash my hands frequently. This time, it was just us traveling. When we were getting ready to board the plane, we needed our vaccine cards. My dad got a bit worried, thinking I might have forgotten mine, and had a mild panic attack. In the area, many people weren't wearing masks since the requirements had been lifted and they were no longer mandatory. However, I still noticed quite a few people wearing masks, even boarding the flight. Our rooms were spacious; my parents had their own room, and my sisters and I had ours. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, where drinks, food, and activities were available all day long. One memorable part of the trip was going on a boat excursion where we got to snorkel with other travelers and see various fish below us. It felt like COVID was a thing of the past, but there were still reminders like stickers and signs in both English and Spanish reminding us to stay six feet apart. Overall, it was a fun trip that helped take my mind off the stress of the pandemic, although there were still reminders here and there.
• 2020-12-30

  Travelling in December 2020 and January 2021

  I remember first hearing about COVID-19 in January of 2020. There were concerning reports that Chinese authorities were wielding apartment doors shut to contain the virus, which was certainly a bad sign, and I was fairly certain that if those measures were being taken, the disease was a big deal. I followed the developments fairly closely from my parents' home in Oklahoma. In late March, around the time of my 21st birthday, I was working as a substitute teacher at the high school I graduated from. I was able to work one singular day before the virus shut down the school district. The next few months were full of changes. Uniformed National Guard personnel staffed vaccination centers, groceries were delivered directly to houses, and entire industries went work-from-home. By the time December rolled around, the initial panic had mostly died down, and many travel restrictions were lifted. I needed a break. I decided to catch a ride with a buddy of mine from Indiana who just so happened to have family here in Tulsa. I bought a plane ticket to facilitate my return trip. We have some mutual friends in Zionsville, a little suburb of Indianapolis, and we collectively decided that we wanted to have a New Years party. Here in suburban Oklahoma, many of the mask mandates had been dropped by this point, but it was still prudent to carry a mask in the somewhat rare event that a business owner preferred patrons cover their faces. It was much the same in Zionsville, but businesses in Indianapolis proper, in my experience, were much more strict. I understood that COVID-19 was a serious health risk, and that it was smart to wear a mask, but it was somewhat confusing to go from a place that seemed so carefree - and admittedly irresponsible - to a place that was still mandating face coverings. The party with my friends went well and many margaritas were consumed. It was a much-needed break. The locations with the strongest COVID restrictions were perhaps the airports. It made sense to me, since airline travel likely contributed a great deal to the initial spread of the disease. Regardless of reasonability, masks were worn the entire duration of the flight. The entire cabin smelled of sanitation wipes, and the airport felt somewhat emptier than I was used to. This was Indianapolis' airport. I had a layover in Dallas and that Airport felt much more lively, in that sort of carefree way I was accustomed to back in Oklahoma. Masks were still required on the plane itself. I landed back home late in the evening without too much excitement. It was nice to take my mask off when I got into my mom's car. Overall, the trip made me realize that different states and regions were treating the ongoing pandemic very differently. While New Years was a welcome break from the monotony of the initial quarantine year, the trip did raise questions about my state government's commitment to public health and safety.
• 
  2021-06-07

  A Pandemic Wedding

  My friend had been planning her wedding for nearly two years when the pandemic hit, and suddenly, she had to put all of her plans on hold. It was a devastating moment for her and everyone who was looking forward to the special day. When travel restrictions were lifted, her bridal party (including me) rushed to get plane tickets to ensure our presence by her side in small town, Texas. We wanted everything to go perfectly for her considering the delay she endured and the preparations that were now unclear. It was an outside wedding filled with beautiful twinkling lights, neatly placed wooden benches, and masks, sporadically, spread throughout the crowd. A year after the lockdowns and restrictions, Covid 19 still affected people enough to don masks outside during a wedding. Despite the residual fear, my memories of spending time with friends, eating good food, and cheering on the beautiful bride are happy ones.
• 2023-06-06

  A Journey East: Exploration of Singapore & Southeast Asia

  Sitting in our small kitchen during our first full school year of teaching since the Pandemic my fiancé and I scribbled the names of places we'd like to travel to on scraps of paper and threw them into a bowl. Swriling them round and round I reached in and pulled out a piece of paper with "Singapore" scribbled on it! Elated that we'd chosen one of our dream destinations we immediently set about preparations for our jounrey - booking a cruise that embarks from Singapore and stops in Maylasia and Thailand. Our flights took us from Phoneix to Los Angeles for a brief layover and then an extensive flight to Tokyo, Japan. He stayed in Tokyo for nearly 48 hours - longest layover - and were able to catch up with my host family - I had previously visited Japan pre-pandemic in 2019 and stayed with a family there. I expected Covid regulations to be quite strict in Japan, though they were incredibly lax! Here we were, sharing drinks and a meal in a small, noisy, crowded restruant in the heart of Tokyo. Everything seemed to have reverted back to pre-pandemic rythms in my observations. These observastions would become quiote commonplace throughout the rest of our trip. Landing in Singapore, our cruise didn't set sail for 4 days, so we explored every inch of the city! Staying in the Clarke Quay distirct of Singapore, we were centrally located to many distinct and excting locations such like: Chinatown, Little India, Gardens by the Bay, Orchard Road, The Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Singapore Zoo! Each location was inrecdible and unique in its own special way. The bustling streets and open air hawker markets of Chinatown and Little India buzzed with excitement as crowds of people shuffled back and forth from tables to but more food or in and out of shops and temples. The city was alive and thriving which gave both my fiancé and I so much joy! Singapore and Southeast Asia for the larger extent, had been quite extreme in their COVID lockdowns and draconian in punishment if COIVD protocal was broken. So we were overjoyed when life returned to normal in these parts of the world. One night in Chinatown, we sat down to a wonderful meal of beef, chicken, and shrimp Satay - meat on a stick - accompanied by a cold pitcher of Singapore's finest beer - Tiger. We were eating in the center of a packed night market. This night market stretched for two to three city blocks and was jammed with people enjoying anything from ice cream to chicken feet. As we enjoyed our meal, two men sat next to us and we engaged in a breif conversation. The conversation became prolonged and we eventually learned that one of the men was an Arch bishop in the Catholic Church and an Ambassador of the Vatican to Singapore! He shared many wonderful stories of his time living all over Southeast Asia and gave us some advice and sights to see as we continued our travels. Our cruise set sail and we embarked on the second leg of our adventure! Sailing the strait of Malacca, we visited cities in Malaysia such like: Kuala Lumpur, and Georgetown! We hired a private guide in Kuala Lumpur to show us around the city for a day - this was probably one of the best decisions we'd made on the trip. We got such a personal view of the city as our guide took us not only to various temples, memorials, and landmarks, but also to his favorite local stops! From Port Klang and Kuala Lumpur, we sailed to Georgetown where we climbed their famous Hill and explored the city and all of his rich colonial, Chinese, and Indian heritage. Our final destination for our cruise was Thailand, and it did not dissapoint! Taking a shore excursion, we travelled to Ao Phang Nga National Park visiting the famous James Bond Island and a floating Thai-Muslim village. After an awesome day of travel, we made our way back to the Ship and began our jounrey back to Singapore. Making it back safe and sound to the US, my fiancé and I reflected on our trip and were both incredibly grateful that all travel and experience had returned to normal following the Pandemic. The COVID-19 Pandemic and its restrictions were an after thought at these destinaitons. Not to say these countries have abandoned all sense of proticetion from the virus, rather they seem to have - like most of the world - pivoted to a stance that COVID will always exist now, and we must all collectively "deal with it" much like the Flu. With this experiance under our belts, we are both exicted to venture back out into the world and explore all it has to offer!
• 
  2022-07-09

  A New World: How Covid-19 affected my anniversary trip.

  Originally, I always had the idea of taking my wife on a Mediterranean cruise for our 10 year wedding anniversary. However, it seemed as if Covid-19 would make those plans impossible to carry out. Thankfully, vaccines became available, and the Mediterranean countries would begin to open up to tourism again with some restrictions. On July 2022, we flew out to Rome, Italy to spend a few days there before the cruise itself. Even going through the airport was an entirely different experience, since this was our first time seriously dealing with the restricted rules(we had previously isolated ourselves for over a year and did everything online). We had to wear masks everywhere in the airport, our tram was partitioned into sections by barriers, and airplane boarding took longer since the boarding groups were made significantly smaller. When we arrived in Rome, we still had to wear masks inside of buildings(which was consistent with our experience all throughout Europe) and transportation(some buses enforced it, some didn't). In addition, as we visited restaurants, shops, and tourist locations, there were only a limited amount of people allowed in each location since there was a priority in having space between different groups. The restrictions continued as we embarked on our cruise a few days after. If you were vaccinated(as we were), you only had to take one antigen rapid test before you entered the ship to make sure that you did not have Covid-19. If you were not vaccinated, you had to take two tests, one a few days before you entered the ship, and one on the day of embarkation. This was unique, as a lot of other cruise brands were not letting anyone who was unvaccinated aboard their ships. When we boarded the boat, each group was given their own table and their own serving team(with masks on). This was possible because the allowed capacity that was on the boat was severely reduced. This allowed for us to have a more intimate experience with the serving staff, which was still at a relatively high capacity as compared to the population of the customers. As it comes to the picture itself, it is very important because we were only allowed to take off our masks for pictures inside of buildings. In addition, that picture was inside of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, which is a place that I have always wanted to enter due to its Christian symbolism. The walls and the statues tell the story of Christianity that has spanned over thousands of years.
• 2021-03-18

  A Burial Post Pandemic

  I did not travel during the entirety of the strict lockdown period of the COVID-19 Pandemic. My wife and I worked in retail and were deemed essential so we worked through it from April 2020 until the restrictions were broadly lifted. In March 2021 my mother died of an unrelated illness, the first trip I took after the travel restrictions were lifted was to bury her in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We did not hold a funeral service and we did not hold a memorial, she was cremated and buried quietly. I remember this very vividly because even at that time it felt wrong to travel and to be interacting with people in a way that wasn't required by work. We wore masks the entire time. Due to our proximity to El Paso, TX I remember vividly when they were storing bodies in buses in the streets there and this made us fearful and cautious. Even had we not been still in the throes of the pandemic, I don't think I would have done anything differently but I do believe that the added stress of travel would not have been present thus making the trip more manageable. Due to our need to isolate, and resist getting sick, what I remember most of all is the loneliness of the matter, and the quiet car rides, and wondering 'How might things have been different?'
• 
  2020-03-22

  Travelers Nevertheless

  Faced with the impossibility of international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, my family embarked on an unplanned intrastate adventure that led to a deeper appreciation for the city of Los Angeles and for family members that call that city home. Along with posing serious day-to-day challenges, the pandemic created opportunities for new relationships with people and places.
• 2022-06-22

  The Two-Week Road Trip

  When COVID-19 shut everything down in March 2020, I was in the middle of student teaching and preparing to take my last teaching certification exam. My college graduation was moved to a PowerPoint presentation, and summer plans were canceled. The first year of my teaching career was hybrid. I had a small portion of my students in person, and a majority tuned into my world geography class via Zoom. In my second year of teaching, things were slowly returning to normal. Asynchronous and synchronous schooling was no more, and students had to attend in person while wearing masks and trying to maintain social distancing as much as possible in a high school. During this school year, my family planned a two-week road trip to explore historic sites in the United States on our journey from San Antonio, Texas, to Eau Clair, Michigan. On this road trip, we traveled through and stopped in eight states. In the Summer of 2022, I embarked on a two-week road trip from June 19th to July 2nd with my mom, my younger brother, and my grandma to visit family in Illinois and Michigan. It was chaotic and wonderful at the same time. We traveled through Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri until returning to Texas. Travel restrictions at this point were lax or nonexistent in the states we traveled to, and many people we encountered acted as if COVID-19 had never happened. Masks were hardly worn, and social distancing was gone, although signs recommending the six-foot distance still lingered around different locations we stopped at. I, however, carried hand sanitizer with me religiously and had a mask with me in case it was needed. Because of how relaxed the COVID-19 safety restrictions were in the states we traveled through, my family and I were convinced we would get sick. Luckily, we did not, but whenever we returned to the car after a sightseeing excursion, we always said, “There’s no way we didn’t get COVID that time.” We were most convinced that we had come into contact with the virus in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While in Chattanooga, we went up Lookout Mountain and into Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is a series of caverns that lead to the tallest and deepest underground waterfall in the United States. You must descend in an elevator to get down to the cavern entrance. There were no mandatory mask signs or social-distancing warnings to board the elevator, only a weight limit. So, my mother, younger brother, and I squeezed into an elevator with about twenty maskless people and descended into the cave. On the cave tour, we were still in close quarters but were able to spread out a bit more. We traveled into the depths of the caverns until we made it to the waterfall, took our pictures, and then road back up to civilization again, compacted into an elevator. We traveled and stopped in many different places, each with various rules and restrictions regarding how that establishment was handling COVID-19. Our elevator ride at Ruby Falls was the most surprising part of our trip. This elevator ride made me feel as if people had forgotten the entire COVID-19 epidemic had occurred. My surprise was mainly influenced by the precautions I had to take as a teacher, and going out into the “wild” opened my eyes to how different parts of the country were coping with the aftermath of the epidemic. I observed many people's attitude on our road trip: "Let's just get back to normal.”
• 
  2020-07-30

  Exploring Close to Home

  This story describes the first trip that my husband and I took during the pandemic. It was at the July 30 - August 1, 2020, and we took our first trip without children in twenty years. The pandemic shaped this trip completely. First, we could not cross the border we had wanted to cross, which meant we stayed in our home state. Second, we researched destinations in ways that we never had before. Finally, the pandemic had forced many other people to seek outdoor vacations, which led to large crowds in many of the parks we visited.
• 2024-12-10

  Visiting Maui with Respect to Native Traditions and Local Population

  Since travel restrictions were lifted on the island of Oʻahu, I still have not traveled outside the island. One place that I am keen on traveling to is the island of Maui because it is one of the main Hawaiian Islands that I have not yet explored. Prior to the devastating Lahaina wild fires in August 2023, I was deeply interested in understanding the cultural richness and historical significance of Lahaina. Now, if I get a chance to visit Maui, I would be mindful of the trauma that continues to inflict pain on the local and native populations of Maui. Therefore, I would avoid the area of West Maui and instead explore the main cities of Kahului and Kihei to better understand why Maui continues to be a tourist attraction for Americans. Near Kihei, the site of Haleakala observatory is a common tourist attraction for locals and foreigners. The ongoing debate over tourism development and the restoration of native practices is ever-present on Maui. Tourism on Maui was just recovering from the economic consequences of the pandemic and the economic hardship was again devastated by the Maui wildfires. If I were to document my trip to Maui, I would use a journal to understand the complex dynamics between the state government, tourism industry, and local and native populations. I would also use my journal to record what tourist sites continue to recover from the pandemic in spite of the wildfire catastrophe.
• 2021-03-11

  Missouri Travels A Year After COVID

  In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, and the world went into a global lock down. A year later, restrictions started being lifted and my mother and I traveled to Osage Beach Missouri, as well as the surrounding areas. Because Osage Beach was a tourist town on a lake most of the local attractions were closed due to it being the off season. It was March of 2021. Previously, my family had loved going to Missouri, but always had gone to Branson. We chose Osage Beach, however, because we could get free accommodations through my parents timeshare points. The day I remember most of the trip was traveling to St. Louis, Missouri to visit the St. Louis Zoo. The day before going we had to book a time slot in order to reduce our chances of being exposed to COVID and in order for the zoo to know approximately how many people were there. We did not have to wear medical masks outdoors, since we were fully vaccinated, but when in areas like the gift shop or some dining facilities we had to wear masks. If a zoo worker asked to see our COVID vaccine cards we had to show them or put on masks. After visiting the zoo, my mom and I went to a local pizza pub in Osage Beach that had St. Louis style pizzas. They were not as concerned about the COVID regulations and did not enforce any mask or social distancing policies that the St. Louis Zoo had. This was a theme of Missouri restrictions as I saw when I toured the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City. There I was not required to wear a mask or social distance, but group numbers were limited and reservations had to be made. Luckily my mother and I did not get COVID during the trip, but after a year of lock down and restrictions, the few restrictions still in place felt like a culture shock, even though I still lived in Texas at the time.
• 2022-06-25

  Exploring Cairo

  I visited Cairo in the summer of 2022. I decided to upload a picture of myself overlooking the city of Cairo. It was my first time visiting a Muslim country and a non-Western country. This was the main reason why I wanted to go. I chose to upload this picture because it reminds me of the awing experience of taking in Cairo for the first time. There were still a few Covid-19 restrictions in place at the time, but the Egyptian authorities didn't seem too interested in actually enforcing them at the airport or anywhere else. I took this photo on Anthony Bourdain Day (June 25th). Anthony Bourdain and his show are one of my major inspirations to travel and experience the wider world.