Anna Maria Richards
After last year, full of nothing but staying at home or finding solace in outdoor endeavors, many people are hoping to do more traveling this summer. Hope is the keyword here since variant strains are popping up worldwide, making it tricky to plan and execute those anticipated getaways.
There are still ways and places to visit and discover, though! It might just require more advanced planning and not a little bit of flexibility. From border closings to quarantine requirements, it is critical to your fun that you research and plan your vacation carefully ahead of time. Once the due diligence is done, however, you’ll be set for an awesome vacation.
Here are some destinations to get you started.
1. Take a Cruise
More of a journey than a destination, a relaxing transatlantic cruise could be your ideal getaway. Enjoy the luxury of a cruise with all your needs met and tons of things to do on the way. Hang out in historic places like Rome, Barcelona, or Lisbon. Explore the museums of London and New York.
A cruise offers more than a destination. You’ll have access to award-winning chefs, outstanding live entertainment, activities, and more. Not to mention you can simply opt to relax on deck and let the world pass you by.
2. Newfoundland, Canada
Though New Zealand made headlines when it successfully fended off the COVID threat, the northern neighbors were quietly fending off the virus’s onslaught with similar success, particularly in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, where Newfoundland, as an island, was able to shut itself off from the rest of the world.
The Maritimes, often overlooked in favor of more distant regions, give travelers much of what they’d expect to see along Norway’s fjords or Ireland’s pastures, but much closer to home and at a fraction of the cost. In 2021, Halifax, Nova Scotia’s capital, will get its first luxury hotel, the Muir, which will contribute to the city’s new Queen’s Marque district’s posh feel. Connect the dots with Newfoundland’s Fogo Island Inn, the region’s first high-end hotel, where you can see icebergs slide down from Greenland in the early summer and whales spout through the lonely ports.
The region’s unwavering commitment to all things small-batch is perhaps its best feature, as it ensures that even when the tourism engine roars back on, visitors will still be able to enjoy the area’s top attractions without the worry of crowds. Both Canadian Residents and visitors to Canada are highly encouraged to secure themselves and belongings with a comprehensive coverage of travel insurance Canada during traveling trips to Canadian Provinces.
3. Midwest Roadtrip
Travel experts dubbed 2020 the Year of the Road Trip, describing it as a “lemons-to-lemonade” flip that offered some control over people’s prized getaways. However, the predicted return to normalcy in travel by late 2021 should not relegate overland drives to the past; there are still plenty of American places worth connecting, particularly the country’s smaller cities that missed out on tourism traffic while everyone traveled out into the wilderness.
Visit Indianapolis’ new Bottleworks District, a renovated portion of downtown streets and warehouses that was originally a part of the city’s Coca-Cola factory. Then travel to Louisville and Lexington to learn about Kentucky’s vibrant equestrian culture, as well as some of the world’s top bourbon distilleries. Finally, head to Cincinnati, where a new West End soccer stadium will help to revitalize the city’s downtown and the surrounding Over-the-Rhine district, which is so excruciatingly cool it rivals the greatest parts of Brooklyn.
4. Napa Valley, California
COVID’s constant presence in the news cycle masked coverage of Northern California’s devastating wildfires earlier in 2020, a disaster that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people, particularly in Napa and Sonoma, where raging flames engulfed entire townships, institutional inns, and restaurants, and prize-winning vineyards. It will take time to rebuild, but the new Four Seasons Napa Valley—wine country’s first resort on a working winery, planned to debut in 2021—is a portent of things to come as the region reclaims its status as the country’s foremost wine region.
For those looking to get away and travel, there are many excellent places to visit, both locally and abroad. Plan ahead, be flexible and you’ll have a great time traveling this year.
