Remember When?

Me, nomadicjoe on Salisbury Plain, South Georgia, October 2019.

2020, the year of the coronavirus and the abrupt stoppage of international travel. Like many people I was abroad, in Australia, when the pandemic began and Justin Trudeau called all Canadians back home. Many of my friends and family also had to come back from Bermuda, Costa Rica, Florida, Mexico, etc. Sadly, I had to come back a few days early and then cancel three trips that I had planned. I was to go motorcycling with a friend through the western United States in May and June. I was to teach a summer school program to grade school students in China for July and August and was to sail the Northwest Passage with a friend I've know since grade 2 through northern Canada in September.

I had retired from teaching in June of 2019 and intended to travel extensively for a few years. I immediately took a trip to Antarctica and Patagonia, and then spent the winter in Melbourne, Australia. So, I thought I'd take a moment to reflect and celebrate the fact that thankfully I didn't leave all my travel to "when I retire". So, here is a short summary:

This map represents the first sabbatical travel year of 2010-11. I left Toronto on my motorcycle and toured the Western US for 7 weeks before returning home and taking the first of 29 flights to four continents over 10 months. All the details are contained in the posts on this blog under the headings Western US Motorcycle Trip, South America, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

This one represents the second year long sabbatical 2017-18. 47 flights to 24 countries. You can find all the details in the posts on the left of the blog from Iceland up to Mongolia.

This shows the route of my graduation trip to Uruguay, Falkland Islands, South Georgia, Antarctica and Argentina.

And finally, an amalgamation of all of the trips, including my touring of New Zealand and Australia when I had the good fortune in 2016 to live in Melbourne for the year. There are also a few short Caribbean holidays and two trips to Europe, for two months and six months respectively, in the 1970's that are also illustrated on this blog.

All of this is not meant to be a gloating or bragging thing, but rather a longing for and celebration of the travels that I managed to undertake before the world changed. I wait impatiently and listen to predictions of the future of travel and the possible new restrictions and rules. It is all very worrying and disheartening.

However, I fully realize just how lucky I am to be in the situation that I find myself in during this pandemic, which is much better than many people in my home country and infinitely better than millions of people in many of the countries I have had the privilege to have visited. For that I am very thankful and I worry about many of the wonderful people I have met in my travels who are in much more vulnerable predicaments than myself. I hope that this horrendous situation is resolved sooner rather than later and that all the millions of people worldwide who have lost their jobs and livelihoods in the travel industry somehow survive and return to the work they love. So much of the world relies on the economic benefits of international travel, and I would argue the world is better off with the cultural exchange of ideas and beliefs. The more we learn about each other and realize that we are not so very different, maybe we can get along better and come together globally to solve the many issues that confront us.
But I guess, we'd better start with this one, bring on the vaccine!! (please...)