Dec 13, 20203 min read

To Travel Or Not To Travel - That Is The Question

Updated: Jan 4, 2023

The way that I think about the world is that it was created for us to explore…created for us to connect, grow, and love across all boundaries. One of the reasons that I started my travel business is because I want more people to experience what is beyond the next border and to see the beauty in other cultures and ways of living. Traveling and exploring the world has become a part of who I am and how I live my life.

Obviously during this global pandemic, my travel has been extremely limited. Outside of work travel in January and February (California, I miss you), I have only made one trip this year when I went to Utah for a few days when the number of new COVID cases was diminishing. I did get out for some local getaways around Georgia.

I must admit that being restricted on where I can go and not being able to get out as I please has done a real number on my psyche.

My anxiety has been on level 10 this year and I think about what I am missing in the world – what natural monuments are wasting away while I am locked in my house? What places are suffering financially because their travel-centric economy is lacking? What person is suffering from COVID that would have been sitting next to me on an airplane flight to have their own adventure?

Pondering life from an infinity pool in Kerala, India. Photograph by Natasha Rogers.

I’m definitely a person that believes in doing the right things for the greater good – I don’t litter so that our environment and animals have a chance to thrive, I give to charities that support the less fortunate, and I mask up when I’m around other people during this pandemic. So, I completely understand why there are travel restrictions and why they are important to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. But I must be honest here, I have been really struggling with not traveling! Remember, travel is a part of my life, so being without it has done a real doozy to my spirit and my overall level of optimism. The recent news of the vaccine has given me a reason to raise my head a bit, but of course it will take time for enough people to take this and for it permeate through our communities.

I have questioned myself several times: can I go visit someplace in the Caribbean or Central America and just social distance and wear a mask the same way that I would here in Atlanta? What is wrong with that? Since the fall, I cannot tell you how many people I see in my Instagram feed that are traveling in Mexico, Jamaica, or Anguilla…and why shouldn’t I go?

Honestly, I am having a serious case of FOMO while at the same time chastising my desires.

I cannot say what the right thing to do is – to travel or not to travel, that is the question. I think traveling right now is a very personal decision.

Because of my own internal struggles on this, I support and understand those that choose to travel and explore the world right now.

Hopefully, they are being socially responsible while they are out and about. I also support and understand those who choose not to travel as they aim to do their part in limiting any potential spread of COVID.

It is amazing how one person can be so conflicted within their own thoughts…it is my very own personal struggle with not traveling right now. I cannot wait to get back to a semi-normal world!