Losing and Getting Back Your Jones to Travel

We never lost our love of travel. It wasn't COVID19 that shut the door, but all the restrictions and shutdowns.

We usually do two overseas trips a year. 2019 was our last year for that. 2020, no foreign trips. 2021, we did one to Iceland.
This year, we have done Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands and have a trip to Kenya/Tanzania in August, with a week in Amsterdam on our return trip home.

Next year, we are looking a visiting Israel and Jordan and haven't decided on the other trip.

We were vaccinated and boosted, still both of us got COVID19 two months after booster. Mild cases, so now we have even more protection from COVID19.

It is time to live our lives.

Tell your friend no.

Did Switzerland in 9/21 and just did France in 5/22……loved it……even better after missing it all for 2 years…….time to live again!

I have never and will never lose my desire to travel. So I guess it depends on why you lost the desire in the first place.

I actually felt that way just a little bit on my first international trip in 2022 (London). I went to Iceland last August on a solo trip, but Iceland is such a different trip from a big city, which has always been my favorite thing to visit in the past.
In London, I felt like I had lost my travel groove, like I had forgotten all the skills that made travel easier, and I felt very overwhelmed and overstimulated by the city and crowds (and the stress of the testing requirement in mostly unmasked London). I found myself wishing I hadn't gone. I already had another trip planned a few weeks later, to Berlin, which I had cancelled three times already. I seriously thought about cancelling again. I had to remind myself why I wanted to go in the first place - I had been learning German for a few years and really ramped it up during 2020, and I am fascinated by German history. I focused on the opportunity to use my language skills and nerding out on Germany history instead of "I hope I'm not homesick on this trip, what if I am", etc etc. I gave myself permission to have downtime in the apartment where I was staying, instead of beating myself up for wasting time. I had a great trip.
In my case, it was partially because I have spent so much time since March 2020 at home with my husband and son and had gotten out of the habit of being around people. We downsized and moved in 2021, and we have a cute bungalow that we really enjoy, so like another poster above talked about, I want to be at home, doing homey things.
I really love travel, but I am essentially a homebody, even before the pandemic, and coming home after a trip is always sweet.
I think travel is like a muscle you have to exercise. You have to learn how to be outside your comfort zone all over again.

After a harrowing escape just before a Covid lockdown in Poland, Having spent 10 hours looking for a plane back to the US on the day the borders were closing, I lost my desire to travel for a bit. It did give me a much deeper appreciation for people who have the need to leave the country but not the means, such as currently in Ukraine. For several months, all I wanted to do was hunker down at home and be thankful for being there. But this was short-lived, as I found myself waiting for Covid restrictions to ease. I’ll be leaving in a little over a week on my first trip abroad since Covid, taking my 16-year-old granddaughter on her inaugural trip to Europe. Looking forward to seeing Europe through her eyes.

I also had a somewhat "harrowing escape" as borders were closing and flight schedules were collapsing as the pandemic blew up (I was in Istanbul at the time).

My reaction was different. I never lost my interest in travel, but was more than happy to stay at home behaving myself for a while given what was happening. I figured it wasn't "forever" and I was looking all the time at when/where travel would be appropriate (and updating that constantly...I've booked and then cancelled a LOT of trips in the past 2 years!). My initial trips during the pandemic were domestic (regional, road-trips) done with a lot of care and consideration. Then I started planning carefully chosen international destinations, and started going places again, only when and where it seemed appropriate. In the past year I've made trips (carefully...) to the Azores, Copenhagen, and Thailand, and am now planning my next trips to Malta and Istanbul in September with great enthusiasm and dedication (we have some unfinished business in Istanbul since that's where we were when the pandemic called us home early).

I have not lost my desire to go places at all. The "time off" has only sharpened and deepened that (and I've had too much time on my hands planning next trips and learning about potential destinations...the list keeps getting longer, sigh...).

I definitely had some weird mental health moments on my trip to the U.K. last month, there really were times I wanted to go back to living life in front of a screen and talk to Alexa all day.

But I pushed on, there were definitely lots of challenges on that trip. It won’t go down as my favorite European trip, but I am starting to readjust to normal life, even went into the office for the first time on Thursday.

Yes. After I had a heart attack 5 months ago, I didn’t think I ever wanted to travel again especially alone which is what I typically do. I was afraid the stress of airports would kill me. I have been in cardiac rehabilitation these last few months and am getting stronger every day. my cardiologist is encouraging me to return to travel as long as I make my first trip overseas an easy one which is what I have planned for early October. I’m ready to return to the passion I’ve always had which is European travel.

Continental, it's good to know you'll soon be back in the saddle again.

I'm enjoying everyone's unique perspectives here.

Kayla, I can relate. I have always been a big-city person. After 35 years living in a small town, I loved any city that had super public transportation and traveled to many of them. But for my first trip after Covid and first solo trip, I wanted to avoid big cities, pickpocket worries and so forth. I picked the Berner Oberland in Switzerland as a safe, easy place to go. Here's hoping my August trip turns out to be just the ticket!

Just the opposite. When Covid sidelined me I became depressed. I was more agitated, more annoyed at little things.

After a year on the ground, I had to fly to another state to get my Covid vaccines. Even though everyone was masked and extra precautions were in place, it was so nice to be back on an airplane. To get on board in one city, and get off in another halfway across the country. I felt as if I had been gasping for air for a very long time and now I could breathe again.

Have I ever lost the desire for trave? Never. And when I do.....well, I hate to think about it.

Thanks, Mike!

The last 2 years 3 months have been miserable - even though I've seen more of my home country than I ever thought I would. FINALLY in early May we got out to the beach - Fiji - for a week. Got COVID - yeah got max immunity now with 2 vaxs and a booster. Now in exactly 31 days we are FINALLY leaving for a proper trip.

All my depression, sadness, and lack of joy with life has disappeared - didn't need drugs or therapy - need travel bookings I'm confident in using!

I worried that my big city (I am most comfy in big cities, though I do love to get out into nature or spend a day in a charming little town) travel skills had become a tad rusty, so I tested them last fall in NYC. Planned and executed to near perfection--one small glitch when the subway I needed to get to the Tenement House wasn't running on a Saturday, so I high-tailed it up to the street and immediately got a cab. That little glitch reminded me to always check and double-check transit if timing matters. Thus I planned my first international trip in 2.5 years, somewhere familiar, non-stop, one location--London. The joy of consulting train websites and planning day trips and perusing theatre options and buying tickets for wonderful museum exhibits...it was all the much sweeter for not being used for over two years, so maybe that was helpful after all.

After college, I lived abroad for two years. I loved it but when I came back to the U.S., I tried to catch up to my friends by getting in a relationship, starting my career, etc. I did that for a while but my boyfriend and I broke up and work wasn’t that satisfying… and I started traveling again after about 10 years off. My first trip was a solo trip to the big island of Hawaii - and after that, I wanted to go more places. I’ve been to Europe and Asia on my own for vacations and I love traveling again!

My mojo comes and goes now. I plan a trip, but when it comes time to commit, my interest disappears. It might be because I have moved to a new area of my state and it is so new, I am still exploring and relishing its unique beauty. Or it has to do with the behavior of many people right now. Or has to do with not being able to enjoy travel in the old way I did. I might just wait for all those people who put off traveling and then Covid happened and now they are rushing. I just don’t know… Travel doesn’t seem important to me right now. i will just have to wait and see when I can pack my bag for real. I have been fortunate to have traveled for many years and I am enjoying traveling vicariously through others at this stage. My list of what I want to see has also gotten shorter since Covid. Places have to have a special meaning for me right now, or interest; whereas, before I would go anywhere.

In the last 3-4 months I've been busy downsizing, not just in sq. ft. but also in clutter - I've always had a minimalist nature and it has taken holt. I have been a frequent traveller in the past, but not hearing the calling to return to the road just yet. Got a couple of trips planned for the fall, with only 100% guaranteed refundable flights booked so far, so we'll see when the time comes.

Big Mike,
I have been thinking about this since I first read your post a few days ago.

I have not at all lost my desire to travel, I just do not desire to travel "right now." Does that make sense?

If travel did not still interest me, duh, I would not be clicking on the Rick Steves Forum every day or two. So, oh yes, still have places I want to experience.

I guess my clicking is to sort of see "how many arrows the pioneers are getting," if that makes sense. How is it going for those who are traveling? What is happening in the world? What are travelers experiencing? And, of course, we all saw on national news that some 4000 flights were either canceled or delayed over the weekend.........ugh........and, that may likely be somewhat of a "new normal," as weather issues seem to be more recurring and airlines are being very honest and straight forward about pilot shortages, under the wing staff shortages, as well as all the other important staff that make an airline work. Those challenges will not be solved overnight. Even though return covid testing gone for many places, covid is not gone, despite the number of vaccines/boosters we have.

Used to be wise travelers meeting a tour would arrive a day early. Last night I said to my husband, "I would not even think of meeting a tour without arriving maybe 3 days early, and then even be hopeful we would still get there on time."

Several months ago, I put ourselves on waitlist for a multi-week long "around the world" type journey for a few dates in 2023 (that just might be the final "swan song" trip....the one I always dreamed of before I die type).... and I had also begun to seriously look at travel for places we have not yet been (like Egypt)............but still not ready to actually book/make deposits.

So, the "desire" is there, but the "comfort with execution" of said travel is not yet there.

Each one of us will know "when the time is right."

In the meantime, I am truly appreciative of the experiences Forum members are posting. I am reading, cheering for you, and someday joining you. Happy travels to all.

Maggie, makes perfect sense to me. I think we all reach a certain age when we realize there are a limited number of years we can visit those places we want to see. Comfort, desire, age, health, "world events," and finances are all interwoven into our decisions.

Interesting post. My family and I have done some amazing US trips the past two years, some of the coolest and most ambitious ones we’ve done. But I am very cautious about international travel right now. It’s not that I don’t want to; I think part of what is holding me back is I had the most amazing, meticulously planned trip that was canceled in 2020 and I just don’t want to go through that again. I also don’t like uncertainty and I am not keen to deal with the hassle if countries end up changing their entry or exit requirements after I book. On the other hand, my oldest child graduates high school in three years so I’m feeling the pressure to do at least one more big trip before she goes. I think for me the key is going to be more last minute bookings in the shoulder season. I am a long term planner and I have been accustomed in the past to booking everything months in advance, which just doesn’t seem like the best idea right now for Europe. So I am toying currently with the idea of maybe going to Europe over Christmas or in May, but not booking it until say October or February.

Kind of...After not having gone international for three years due to grad school and then Covid, I wanted to get back to Europe in 2022. This would be a solo trip, and I hadn't done any sort of an international solo trip for six years. Even then, that was just a few days in Belgium before I met up with a larger group in Amsterdam. This was to be a longer trip of at least 10 days. I had Spain on my bucket list, but despite some awesome airfares out there in fall '21 for winter '22, I was just not pulling the trigger. I thought I'd lost my love of travel, but as I reflected, it was just that Spain was not the best trip for me to dip my toes back into solo travel after so long. I decided to go a little more manageable with a trip around England instead, and once I did that, I found my excitement coming back. Eventually my mother decided to join me so it won't be a solo trip after all, so it all worked out. Plus, if I'd followed my original plan of Spain in winter/early spring of '22, Omicron may have disrupted the trip and I still would have been subject to Covid restrictions. England this fall will be much more relaxing without the need to test on the front and back end.

It's a great time to watch Casablanca again. The gist of the movie is people trying to flee Europe pre-WWII (or at least U.S. entry) by routing through Casablanca. It reminds me a lot of now.

I want to travel, just looking for countries that are happy to have me without an ever-changing laundry list of requirements (that might change again after I've purchased my airline tickets).

Right now it looks like Scandinavia and Spain are high on my list to visit.

Lost the desire to travel? I answer that with the following: depends where to.

Absolutely no loss of the will and the desire to continue traveling in France, regardless of any red tape obstacles imposed, or in Germany. Those places are simply basic.