“I can’t wait to travel when things go back to normal” is what I’ve heard a million times via social media. In my honest opinion, what the hell will normal be after Covid? A different one for sure is all I could say! I can’t wait to travel and hit the open road like I did pre-covid. But to be completely honest, even if vaccines are rolling out tomorrow (totally rolling out right now), it will take a long time for things to go back to how they used to be. What I mean is, having open borders across the board and having that freedom to roam. In my eyes, this next year might allow us to see travel again but not all borders will open up. Which had me question myself, what 5 destinations would I chose to visit IF all 5 fully opened up for travel. What places would I specifically choose to travel to not just for the sake of travel, but for a mental rebalance minus some of the strains of issues you might find in certain places? Like visa issues, scams, robberies, overprices tours. A place where the destination was simply all you needed. I have chosen 5 places, one-offs and short extended trips I would take for that post pandemic mental reset.
Here we go:
Alaska
I am a little biased in this one as living in Hawai’i gives me a head start on a direct flight from the middle of the Pacific to the top of North America. But aside from my location advantage, there is something so overwhelmingly mysterious about Alaska in general. From it’s vast beautiful wilderness in the interior and islands to the cultures of it’s many tribes. It would not only be a badass place for a road trip in the right weather, but some incredible exploration in those national and state parks.
Bhutan
Bhutan is interesting as it’s the only country in the world to charge a fee per day to be a tourist in the country. $250USD per day allows you to be in Bhutan, allows you a personal guide, & accommodation. While this doesn’t allow for open ended travel freedom I would want post covid, I think it would still make for a fantastic one-off kind of trip in “the happiest country in the world.” My budget barely would allow for 4-5 days, but still….I would definitely go!
Azores Islands
Maybe I have a thing for volcanic islands, let alone islands period. I mean I live in Hawai’i haha. The Azores islands are a volcanic archipelago similar to Hawai’i but part of Portugal. There are a total of 9 major islands and most of which have some incredible hiking trails and beautiful coastal scenery. There is also a strong spirituality I’ve found with volcanic destinations that has personally allowed me to cleanse my soul. So yea, this would be the perfect destination to shed the weight of a tough year and take it all in.
Faroe Islands
I hate places overhyped by social media, but if there is any exception to this for me other than Norway & Iceland, it’s the majestic out of this world beauty that the Faroe Islands have to offer. Faroe Islands aren’t very large but seems to be that the major islands are well connected by highways, bridges, and tunnels which make for one incredible road trip in a short period of time. And of course, those out of this world photographic stop offs overlooking jagged cliffs and inlets……😯 !!!!!!
New Zealand
For those who follow me already know that I have lived in New Zealand. And I am not hesitant to say that I am biased in this choice but I am. New Zealand is considered by many in the corner of the world and it is. This corner of the country is filled with endless beauty of high mountains, rolling hills, volcanoes, beaches, fjords, glacier lakes, subtropical rain forests, and Maori tradtion if culture is also your thing. Most importantly, there is so much land to simply enjoy and take in literally everywhere. Department of Conservation campground are nearly everywhere and set up for those avid outdoors people to campout or rv to take in all the nature. New Zealand was one of the best life decisions I’ve ever made, and wouldn’t hesitate to make it again.
To be honest and a tad bit realistic, this list would be much much longer but then that would be more of a discussion over coffee than a blog post. After all, this voyager could talk about the whole world. But for the sake of mental health, psychological balance, and a first step before transitioning RIGHT INTO world travel, I feel like trips like this in places like these would do justice for the soul after a hard year.
