✨Wanderlust✨
COVID-19: Here are 4 tips to help you travel safely during a pandemic
The CDC has warned against traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, but here are some ways to get you safely to new destinations.
USA TODAY
Canceled trips. Dashed plans to see family and friends. Missed opportunities to explore different places and cultures.
It was a year of disappointment for travelers as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. Health officials' advice not to travel, personal concerns and government-imposed travel restrictions to stem the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 were an inconvenient backdrop to a much more sinister reality of mounting COVID-19 cases and deaths – more than 88 million cases and 1.9 deaths worldwide as of Friday, according to Johns Hopkins data.
But as COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll out, we're hopeful that 2021 will bring more opportunities to travel the globe – to the destinations we've been wanderlusting after during this trying year.
Here are the places that staff and contributors across the USA TODAY Network, including travel site 10Best.com, want to travel in 2021 – or when it's safer to do so. When we'll make it to these spots is yet unknown, but we're holding on to hope for a brighter year of travel ahead.
1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: With plunging depths and spectacular vistas, this is one of the great wonders of the world and one of America’s most popular national parks. The Grand Canyon has inspired wonder since Indigenous people first farmed there centuries ago. I love it so much that I celebrated my bachelorette party there. – Megan Finnerty, USA TODAY Network Storytellers Project founder and senior director (Twitter: @MeganMFinnerty, Instagram: @MeganFinnerty)
2. Madagascar: Maybe I’ve watched the DreamWorks movie too many times with my kids in quarantine, but Madagascar seems like the perfect respite from Zoom meetings to get reacquainted with nature. – Julia Thompson, USA TODAY travel & consumer news editor (Twitter: @juliathompson)
3. Hawaii: Since moving to the West (meaning cheaper Hawaii flights), I’ve been dreaming of a beach vacation in Hawaii. It just might be time to pull the trigger after the year we’ve had. – Thompson
4. As far as my saved-up Delta miles will take me: I was saving Delta miles for another trip to Europe in 2020 with my college-age son and hope to take that trip in 2021 instead. If not Europe, maybe the Canadian Rockies. – Dawn Gilbertson, USA TODAY travel reporter (Twitter: @dawngilbertson)
5. Anywhere my mom wants to go: I was fortunate to see my 78-year-old mom more than once this year, but a hoped-for trip over Thanksgiving didn’t materialize after she had a heart attack. As soon as COVID-19 clears and she’s ready to travel, we’re hopping on a plane. – Gilbertson
6. Paris: My cousin and I planned to celebrate my birthday and her graduate school acceptance there, but with an early-April departure date it was inevitably canceled, and I may have binged “Emily in Paris” more than once as an alternative sightseeing option. I have my travel credits ready to rebook ASAP. – Morgan Hines, USA TODAY travel reporter (Twitter: @morganemhines, Instagram: @morganemhines)
7. Prague: I studied abroad in the Czech Republic in 2015, and five years away from the City of a Hundred Spires seems like too long an absence. My two girlfriends from the program and I have been itching for our post-college lives to align for a return –maybe in 2021! – Hines
8. Washington, D.C.: Since I graduated from Georgetown, I haven’t missed a yearly (or more) chance to return to my alma mater – until 2020. While D.C. is familiar, it always provides a new, exciting opportunity in the form of a restaurant, coffee shop or museum. – Hines
9. A COVID-19-free cruise: After a year of reporting on cruises, primarily covering the COVID-19 pandemic, I’d like to get on a cruise ship and see for myself what it’s like to be on board with new health and safety protocols and restrictions. – Hines
10. Amalfi Coast, Italy: After a 2019 trip to visit my brother, who was studying in Rome, provided an opportunity to see Naples and Capri, I’m itching to see more of Italy, especially the coastline, preferably with an Aperol spritz in hand. – Hines
11. Croatia: It’s been on my list for a while, and the wanderlust is real. Will be ticking off as many spots as possible in 2021. – Hines
Croatia: You've seen these spots on 'Game of Thrones'; now see them for yourself
12. Greece: I’ve never been to this European getaway, and living some kind of “Mamma Mia” fantasy sounds just what the doctor ordered right about now. If you’re reading this, you’re probably saying “here David goes again,” or something. You’re right, and you know ABBA. – David Oliver, USA TODAY entertainment reporter (Twitter: @doliver8, Instagram: @doliver8)
13. Randolph, New Jersey: Maybe this is too simple or cliche, but I want to go home to New Jersey. I haven’t been back since the pandemic began, which pained me this fall. Nothing compares to the fall foliage leading to the house where I grew up – cozy canopies of red, yellow and orange. Plus, who wouldn’t want to walk through a picturesque walking trail while listening to Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” and “Evermore” albums? A rollicking European getaway is next on the list, to be sure, but a stop in exurban ecstasy sounds ideal first. – Oliver
14. Australia: The whole country is a mecca for swim nerds (I qualify). I mean, you can swim laps a few feet from Sydney’s Bondi Beach and then go bodysurf in the waves. – Jayme Deerwester, USA TODAY deputy travel editor (Twitter: @jaymedeerwester, Instagram: @byjaymedeerwester)
15. Cape Town, South Africa: To borrow from Joey Tribbiani from “Friends”: Mountains, good. Beach, good. Penguins, good. Fantastic white wines, good. – Deerwester
16. Ha Long Bay, Vietnam: In addition to resuming swimming to maintain my sanity during the pandemic, I also took up kayaking. I first learned of this spot east of Hanoi through a 2008 episode of “Top Gear” and have been low-key obsessed with it ever since. It’s considered one of the new seven wonders of nature and a bucket-list destination for many paddlers thanks to its labyrinth of limestone monoliths, inlets and sea caves. And after a long day of paddling, there's even a hidden bar and restaurant where I can indulge my love of Vietnamese food. – Deerwester
17. Salzburg, Austria: This is where I did my study abroad, and I haven’t been back since, although I still love the town and keep in touch with a friend there. Conveniently enough, my old dorm is a hotel now. I’d like to bike around the Lake District and have a pint at the Augustiner brewery. And maybe replace my ceramic steins, which I’ve lost since my student days. – Deerwester
18. Glacier National Park, Montana: The summer before starting college, I worked at Lake McDonald Lodge in West Glacier. I used to swim across that beautiful lake a couple of times a week. I want to do that again and pay another visit to Sperry Chalet, which is accessible only by foot or horse. This spot, where I spent my 18th birthday, burned down in the 2017 wildfires and was recently rebuilt. I also want to take the gift shop T-shirts up on their challenge to “go climb a glacier” before climate change renders that option impossible. – Deerwester
19. Poland: In an effort to connect with our Polish heritage, I wanted to take my dad on a trip to Poland this year – but health challenges and the pandemic put our planning on hold. So, Kraków, Warsaw and Białystok, we’ll see you when we can (and we’ll be hungry for pierogies)! – Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY entertainment & travel reporter (Twitter: @saramoniuszko, Instagram: @everythingsara)
20. Montreal, Canada: My friends and I planned to take a trip to Canada this spring or summer, but, of course, the pandemic had other plans. Hopefully we’ll be eating poutine and enjoying exploring this city sometime soon. – Moniuszko
21. France: Last year, some of my friends from France came to the U.S. for a road trip, and we made a pact to start alternating visits to one anothers’ countries every year. So, 2020 was supposed to be my year to visit them in France and go on a road trip to Poitiers, Bordeaux and more. But for now, all I can do is say, à bientôt (see you soon)! (Hopefully!) – Moniuszko
22. Japan’s Kii Peninsula: I was supposed to take a self-guided walking trip on the Kumano Kodō pilgrimage trails of the Kai Peninsula in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics. I’m hoping to experience the redwood forests, shrines, hot springs and solitude as soon as it’s safe. – Lydia Schrandt, USA TODAY 10Best photo editor & Readers’ Choice production manager (Twitter: @LydiaSchrandt, Instagram: @lydia_schrandt)
23. Coast of New England: Pre-pandemic, I had fantasized about driving the coast of New England, from Rhode Island to Maine. After having lots of time to research it more (and look at plenty of restaurant menus), the desire to explore that region on a road trip has only grown. – Maggie Tyner, USA TODAY 10Best managing editor (Instagram: @m210t)
24. Japan for the Tokyo International Great Quilt Festival: Over the past several months, I have focused on my hobby as a modern quilt maker as a distraction from the news and isolation of quarantine. I’ve always wanted to experience the sites, food and culture of Japan – what better way than viewing the intricate work of Japanese quilters at this famous show? – Travis Seward, USA TODAY 10Best general manager (Instagram: @Travlis)
25. Ireland: My sister, cousin and myself were organizing a big family reunion in western Ireland to take place in July when COVID-19 hit in March. We were expecting a large contingent of siblings and cousins to come and visit the small town where our grandfather was born. Sadly, we had to put the reunion on hold and hope to make it to Ireland soon. – Mary Cadden, USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list editor (Twitter: @marycadden, Instagram: @marycadden)
26. Portugal: A dear friend immigrated to Portugal before the pandemic, and it has an excellent digital nomad community as well as multiple paths toward extended residency for expats. The second I get stuck with a vaccine, that’s where I’m headed – the cliffs, wine, friends and culture are waiting! – Lindsay Deutsch, USA TODAY loyalty editor (Twitter: @lindsdee, Instagram: @thenomadette)
27. French Polynesia: My husband and I grew up near the Jersey Shore. We got married this year in October and had planned to spend our honeymoon on the fabulous islands and beaches of French Polynesia. We love to travel and wanted to visit a beautiful location to relax and spend our first few weeks as a married couple together. Maybe we’ll go for our one-year anniversary! – Waldy Diez, USA TODAY video content coordinator (Twitter: @_waldy, Instagram: @waldymdiez)
28. Russia and Georgia: My friend moved to Russia last year. I had big plans to visit her in 2020, but – yeah. I want her to show me around Moscow, take the train to St. Petersburg and eventually head to Georgia because
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