I’ve wondered a lot about who will emerge when I leave quarantine. I’m getting my second vaccine dose on Tuesday, which is absolutely fantastic news, and I couldn’t be more excited. More and more of my friends and family members are getting their shots, following the inoculation trend around the country. All adults will be eligible as of April 19, and though vaccine appointments can still be hard to get, we are getting close.
Although common-sense mitigation measures will likely have to continue for a while, especially as young children aren’t getting vaccinated any time soon, many of us are thinking about what a “post-pandemic” life will be like. We can start to see more friends, more family. We can eat at a restaurant, visit a museum with less fear. We can come out of our shells.
But I am also so unpracticed at being out in the world. I don’t look the same. I have barely worn makeup in the past year, let alone the formal dresses in the back of my closet. My mental health has been at some of its worst points, and I feel a bit like a different person. What will my friends and family see when they see me?
This, of course, is an excellent problem to have in the scheme of things. So much more could have gone tragically throughout the pandemic for my family and me. So I approach each day with a sense of gratitude. But I am worried about getting back out there. And I’m not sure how long this anxiety will last.
Today’s summer preview: What travel will look like
Have you made some summer travel plans? If so, you aren’t alone. As vaccinations speed up around the country, many Americans schedule trips, although things won’t look back to “normal” immediately.
Airport terminals and hotel lobbies continue to look like hospitals, with all those masks and latex gloves. And that will continue, according to experts like Rudy Dunlap.
“Even in destinations where vaccination is relatively widespread, mask-wearing, social distancing, and frequent sanitizing will continue to be the norm,” says Dunlap, a tourism expert and associate professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
Here are a few things to expect from our travel experts.
- Longer trips: Travelers are making plans to leave longer and go farther this summer. “I’ve had requests for longer stays – even months – to fulfill bucket lists,” says Silvana Frappier, owner of North Star Destinations, a travel agency in Boston.
- Most of the world is still closed: Americans’ options for international travel remain limited, says Christine Buggy, vice president of marketing at Travelex. “Most Caribbean islands have reopened to international tourists, and many Americans are traveling or planning trips to Turks and Caicos, Aruba, Bahamas, and other popular island destinations,” she says.
- Safety matters more than ever: The post-pandemic traveler will be much more cautious, say, experts. “Travelers have adopted new filters for trip planning,” says Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue. “Especially for international excursions. They’re selecting destinations that have robust healthcare infrastructure and stable pandemic protocols with reliable border management.”
