2021: Travel Adventures in a COVID world

The saying is that, “Timing is everything.” I started my blog shortly after retirement from teaching in 2019. I was looking forward to sharing some of my past experiences initially and then moving on to new adventures. While my wife is still working, she has generous vacation days so I expected we would travel a lot. However, about seven months later the world shut down as COVID took over the world. How was I going to write a travel blog when I couldn’t even travel?

2020 was definitely a struggle. I racked my brain for ideas of what to write and local sites I could still visit and share about. Somehow I managed to find enough ideas to get me through the year. I ended up looking back even further in my travel experiences as I wrote about my first major trip overseas.

As 2021 approached, there was some optimism as the vaccines became a reality. We got our vaccines as quickly as we could and began to look for opportunities to travel. For the year we had four major trips. Our daughter Andrea influenced our first three. She also loves to travel and was frustrated with a lack of opportunity so she looked to us to be her travel partners.

Now as we come to the end of 2021, I thought I would share some of the challenges of travel during this year. But I don’t want to leave it there. I’ll also share some of my favorite unexpected moments during our travels.

So what were the challenges of traveling this past year? One of them was the various regulations regarding COVID. Our first trip of 2021 was to the Hawaiian island of Kauai. We traveled there during my teacher daughter’s spring break. Hawaii’s COVID protocols made this a challenging trip to prepare for. Despite being vaccinated, we still needed to get a test done, fill out information online and then get that information recorded at the airport. Thankfully we got it all done and finally made it to Kauai.

The other trip that involved COVID protocols was the trip Andrea and I took to Iceland. Our entrance into Iceland was really not too bad. We simply had to show proof of vaccination, and they accepted our US vaccination cards. However, returning to the US was a bit more of a challenge. Needing a recent test, we had to figure out how to obtain that. We found a testing site nor far from our hotel. With a morning appointment, we arrived to a long line in front of us. The line moved quickly, however, and they emailed the negative results to us within an hour. Now the US is requiring a test taken within a day so it becomes even more challenging.

Let’s talk rental cars. You may have read that rental cars in 2021 were a challenge for tourists, and we experienced that first hand. The price for a rental car in Hawaii was over $800. When we arrived, the lines were long, but fortunately we made a point to get to the rental car area quickly so our wait wasn’t too bad. We were given a choice of a convertible or an eight passenger van for the three of us. Andrea was actually excited about having the convertible. The back seat was not comfortable for my wife, but otherwise it was fun. We had the top down a few times. I just had to hold on to my hat!

I thought Hawaii was expensive, but Alaska was even worse.While we had a more regular car to drive, the price there was over $1000. That was really sticker shock. I had booked the car through AARP travel as they allowed an extra driver. Most places allow a spouse as an extra driver, but I wanted Andrea as the extra. That turned out to be an issue. The clerk insisted they were an independent agent and did not have a policy that allowed that. However, after some back and forth they agreed to let Andrea drive without further cost. I was glad for that.

At least we had a car. The next morning in the lobby of our lodging, I overheard a conversation in which a young couple asked for a ride to a car dealership as they were hoping to be able to get a loaner car from them to use for a few days. I don’t know how that turned out, but it indicted how difficult getting a car had become. Fortunately I had booked early enough to get a vehicle. I thought that the situation in the US was improving in regards to cars, but Andrea told me a friend of hers just paid $1800 for a car rental in Hawaii. That takes the cake.

If you read my daughter’s blog post on Iceland, you may remember her frustration with the car there. She made that reservation, and I didn’t drive at all. However, she was not happy when they placed a $3000 hold on her credit card. I had never had that happen before, but in the end they removed it. That hold and the long waits to get service convinced her not to book with an independent company next time.

The situation with accommodations was mixed. In Hawaii we rented a condo for the whole week. It was large and expensive. It had high end appliances, so high I had trouble figuring out to use some of them. However having two bedrooms was really nice to give us some separation.

We stayed in a variety of accommodations in our other trips, although cabins seemed to be a trend for us. I would say that two staples of previous hotel life are now somewhat tenuous. The first is the buffet breakfast. COVID has pretty much wiped that out. Some places may offer some grab and go type options, but the only place that offered a full breakfast to us this last year was our last hotel in Iceland.

The other common element that is not so reliable is the daily housekeeping. Some hotels offer housekeeping only if you request it in advance. Others only offer it if you stay for a certain length of time. A few places still offer it daily. I’m not sure why hotels are changing their standards, but I would bet staffing shortages are as much a part of the issue as anything COVID related. However, if you read the websites of hotels, they will all tell you they are taking extra cleaning measures to keep you safe. We never felt unsafe in terms of COVID in any of the places we stayed.

So what about our actual experiences? Well let’s take a brief look at the four trips. We arrived in Kauai just as they were loosening the travel restrictions there. We felt like the tourist industry had really pulled back. Things didn’t seem very busy which was sad. However, we had great weather, and it was a relaxing time. I especially enjoyed our visit to the Waimea Canyon. It was a beautiful place with its red soil. I also like the rugged cliffs along the coastline. Kauai is not a place with many beaches to sunbathe on, but it is a great place to enjoy nature.

Alaska is such a big place. We did a lot of driving. I was somewhat disappointed with our tour of Denali as I explained in my original post. However, I loved our boat trip on the Kenai Peninsula. It was a great experience, and the scenery was so spectacular. The southern coast of Alaska is huge, and if I were to go back, that is the area that I would explore more. The most unique experience was discovering the spirit houses built by the Native Americans just outside of Anchorage. They were so interesting.

I liked Iceland, however it was not a WOW experience for me as it seems to be for others. I think it was because of the recent experiences I have had. A year before we had visited Yellowstone and seen geysers and other types of geo-thermal activity. Then we had just visited Alaska and seen glaciers there so seeing Iceland’s glaciers just didn’t wow me. However, it is a beautiful country, and if you like waterfalls, as my daughter does, you can’t go wrong there.

As odd as it may seem, my favorite trip of the year was in our own state on the Olympic Peninsula. This trip kept surprising me with things I was not expecting. It started with being above the clouds as we went up into the Olympic Mountains. The next day I saw salmon spawning in the Dungeness RIver. Then I discovered surfers along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. That was completely unexpected. The waves at Rialto Beach were amazing. Finally the trip ended watching people clamming on the beach in front of a beautiful sunset. I felt so lucky to be there taking pictures.

As 2021 nears its end, I look back with gratitude for the opportunities to travel. For many this year has been a challenge due to all the issues surrounding COVID. While we did not travel as much as we might have liked, the places we did go took us out into nature which is always a rejuvenating and humbling place to be. There we are reminded that we are just a small part of the world which God has created, and He is doing so much more than we can ever know or understand.

So this is my last post for 2021. I will be taking a few weeks off for the holidays and return sometime in January. I’m going to leave you with a teaser, however. The picture below was taken during our trip to California over Thanksgiving. Do you know what is causing all the white water areas? Be sure to read my next blog post to find out. In the meantime, have a very Merry Christmas with your family and friends. Remember Christ came into the world to bring peace on earth and good will to all.

Credits: Video by Silvette Lee