Episode 1: Travel Planning in the Age of COVID

Mary Herendeen: 

The world is opening up. COVID cases are down and more and more places are welcoming back visitors. If you're like me, you're tired of being cooped up for two years and you're eager to experience the magic of travel.

But if we've learned anything in the past two years, it's that things can change fast. How do you go about planning your travel during these times? How can you be sure that you can cancel or postpone your trip with no penalty? What can you do to ensure a fun and safe family vacation? I'm Mary Herendeen. Welcome to traveling with AAA later in the show. We're gonna find out what it's like to go cruising during the time of COVID. But first to help us answer your travel questions and learn how to plan the perfect vacation we're joined by Emma Weisman, digital managing editor of travel industry publication, Travel Age West Emma. Welcome to traveling with AAA.

Emma Weissmann:

Hi Mary. Thanks for having me.

Mary:

Oh, we're really excited to talk to you. I am a I'm wondering destinations do seem to be relaxing. Some of their travel restrictions and the world does seem to be opening up. What are you seeing from your perspective? Are people eager to get back on the road? Like I am

Emma:

Absolutely. I mean, there's a huge pent up demand to get out and travel. And we're hearing that from our audience of travel advisors, from suppliers like hotels, cruise lines, tour operators, and the numbers really do back it up. So a survey from Forwardkeys, which partners with the world travel and tourism council shows that the 2022 summer season is seeing a 58% increase in travel bookings in the U.S. In general and an 87% increase in international inbound bookings to the U.S. So if all goes right, the tourism industry will bypass 2019s. So pre pandemic, total contribution to the GDP by 6.2%. And one reason for this actually has to do with our latest variant Omicron. Many travelers right now are taking advantage of what companies are calling an antibody window. So it's funny clients who are recovered from Omicron and are now feeling very secure to hit the road over the next few months are calling their travel agents. And these agents are reporting that they're getting calls from clients while they're still in quarantine, hoping to plan that vacation and leave once they test negative.

Mary:

Wow, Emma, those numbers are stunning. So, you know, you're sharing that, people are just ready to get on their vacations. They're ready to hit the road. What are some of the advantages of using that travel advisor to help plan their vacation and book their trips?

Emma:

Oh gosh, Mary. I mean, I love this question and I could talk about it all day. So feel free to cut me off. But a lot of people wrongly assume that travel agents are a thing of the past, but at last count, there're about 15,000 retail locations in the us that employ over 108,000 people. And they're in additional 60,000 agents working as independent contractors. So I like to break it down into four, four answers for you. So first is travel advisors save you money and this figure was collected prior to the pandemic. But on average travel advisors save you more than $400 per vacation. And that's due to how their business model is setup. So you'll probably pay a fee for a consultation and the fee structure might vary based on trip length and complexity. But these advisors are mainly getting paid, commissioned from suppliers, the cruise lines, hotels, excursion companies that they work with. The second thing is they save you time you don't have to go and try to plan your entire itinerary piecemeal. They're gonna take care of that for you. So no more browsing online, trying to find the best deals they'll work within your budget. The third thing is that they're your advocate before and during your travel. So if you book something and it's not what you thought it would be. I mean, how many of us have booked what we thought would be an amazing hotel or resort but we get there and the real property looks nothing like the pictures? In that case, you can call your travel advisor and they'll advocate on your behalf with the supplier. It's kind of like being prepared with AAA for your car. If your car breaks down, you don't wanna choose in that moment to become a AAA member, right? Like you wanna have them in your back pocket before something goes wrong. And the last thing is that they're experts travel is their livelihood. So if you wanna take a cruise and you don't know where to start, there are so many cruise specialists out there. There are agents who specialize in small ship, cruising or expedition, cruising, or river cruising. You wanna go on a safari there are adventure travel specialists and Africa specialists. If you have dietary restrictions or mobility issues or your traveling with a big group that all has different needs, these agents will know which hotels are accessible, which restaurants cater to special diets, and which excursions are good for groups of all ages. So that's, the complex but simple answer. I will always be an advocate for agents and I highly suggest working with one if you don't already.

Mary:

Wow, thank you for sharing that. Something you said triggered a memory for me. So I've learned the hard way, the value of buying travel insurance and really, I blame my husband for this he told me: "I don't believe in insurance." "We don't need it, it's just a trip to Salt Lake." We were going to Utah and we ended up having to cancel that trip due at an emergency, but we lost the value of four plane tickets for my husband and our two kids. So how can travel insurance help protect your trip? And will it cover you if your trip gets canceled or interrupted because of COVID?

Emma:

Well, Mary, first of all, I wanna say, I'm so sorry your trip got canceled and I hope that your husband listens to this because I have an answer for you. So this is one of the biggest lessons coming out of the pandemic for all types of travelers, please buy travel insurance, whatever you do and I think it's always some big crisis or emergency or big event that really wakes people up to the benefits of insurance. So prior to 9/11, the acceptance rate for travel insurance sales was in the single digits. A lot of people were like your husband and due to COVID 19, this figure has been pushed back to be now about 30 or 40%. According to Scott Mansky at Travel Guard Insurance. So if you use a travel advisor, they should have an idea about the different types of policies available and can steer you toward one that makes the most sense for the type of trip you're booking, whether that be domestic, like your trip to Utah or something a little bit more complex internationally. And now I'm not licensed to sell travel insurance. It's actually quite a process to learn all about policy, language and exclusions or limitations, and it's all regulated by the states. But what I do know is that COVID has caused an uptick in what we call CFAR policies. And that stands for Cancel For Any Reason. And in my opinion, this is something all travelers should look into because it's a way to recoup a percentage of the funds you have lost. If you need to cancel your trip in your case, Mary, the, the price of the plane tickets and like the name suggests you really, you can cancel for any reason. However, one thing to note about these CFAR policies is that there's actually only oftentimes a certain window of time that you can actually buy them. So for example, you can't be leaving the next day on a trip, call up the insurance provider and tell them you wanna see for our policy. Sometimes you can only purchase these policies up until you make your first initial deposit. So it really is important to read the fine print. And another thing to note about insurance, if you're traveling internationally, some countries require that you have specific COVID 19 travel insurance before you enter the country and it has to be government approved. And sometimes these insurance plans don't actually protect you fully so you really have to do your research and see what you wanna have in place. If you wanna have medical evacuation, if you want it to specifically cover a hotel stay if you do come down with COVID do your research, do your do your due diligence when it comes to travel insurance, but please do look into it.

Mary:

Yeah. Thank you for sharing that and also the value of having a travel advisor who is educated on those things, you know, speaking of COVID, how do you keep up with what seems like the constantly changing COVID restrictions and protocols?

Emma:

Yeah I mean, it's tough, right? Like that's just the question of the hour of the minute and I mean, things are changing so so quickly. So there are few, a few ways that you can do that. So if you're looking for a domestic getaway, let's say you can look at a tourism board or a convention bureau, that's gonna be for the place that you're going to, and they are an invaluable resource. So let's say that you're going to Salt Lake City to use your example for before, go on their website, peruse around and look at the protocols. They'll likely have them listed online, but if they don't go ahead and pick up the phone and call them, I mean, just ask them things like, do I need to wear a mask? If I'm patronizing businesses, do I need to show my vaccine card? Are there any restrictions in place at all?

Emma:

But if it comes to international travel, the airline is probably going to be your go to I've flown internationally a couple of times during the pandemic and the airlines have been pretty good about sending communications regarding COVID protocols in the destination I'm visiting and also what to expect regarding testing on the way home. Another resource is the US State Department's website, which has COVID 19 specific information sorted by country. So I suggest that travelers go and look there and then there are some other tools we especially like at Travel Age West, we have one on our website called Sherpa. And what I love about Sherpa is it's a map tool. You can hover around the map and very clearly see which countries are open to travel, which require a test which require a quarantine period or where entry is simply restricted. And you can use filters through this tool based on what passport you currently hold. There's a box you can check if you're vaccinated, etc. So I encourage people to check out that tool as well. And that's at TravelAgeWest.com.

Mary: Thank you for sharing that. Tip on Sherpa. You mentioned you know looking ahead and being prepared, especially right now, I think I'd really wanna be prepared. So the vacation goes, you know, more close to what I've planned. How far ahead should someone be planning travel right now?

Emma:

That's a great question. I think it really comes down to setting expectations about the type of experience you wanna have so if you're looking to book a once-in-a-lifetime bucket list, adventure like a world cruise, for example, and you know that you don't wanna be wearing a mask on board or having to deal with COVID testing, maybe aim a little further out 2023 or 2024, because a lot could change between now and then and the cruise industry and the CDC are in this fun, little dance and still trying to figure out how to best work with each other. However, when it comes to domestic getaways, booking windows tend to be relatively short and in my opinion, there's not a ton of risk when it comes to that. Especially if you're within driving distance to your destination or you're staying local and exploring your own backyard. A lot of tour operators are offering really great domestic getaways to national parks or less crowded areas of the U.S. But one thing I do wanna note, and we all know that inflation is like the buzzword right now. So hotel rates and airfare are set to continue to spike even more in the coming months. So hotels can increase up to 80% in the U.S. with their rates and airfares up 19% since before the pandemic, according to research from virtuoso. So keep all of that in mind, keep in mind what kind of experience you wanna have and really set those expectations ahead of time.

Mary:

Wow. Thank you for that. You know, as travel does pick back up, what trends are you seeing? Are people opting for domestic vacations rather than traveling internationally or people heading to the outdoors?

Emma:

Yes. So domestic getaways are still like really really top of mind for people so like we said, you went to Utah, I've gone to a lot of places in the U.S. and really just explored California, my home state, but there are certain trends that we're seeing the first is that reconnecting with family and friends is really a top motivator for travel right now. And the industry is calling this celebration travel so you're reconnecting for family reunions, destination weddings, honeymoons. You really wanna get together because you've spent the last two years not seeing anybody or being cooped up in your home so that's one thing that we have been seeing a lot in terms of international destinations, Mexico, and the Caribbean really top the charts for destinations for Americans. And we think this is because A: they tend to be a bit more lenient in their COVID protocols and B: they're close by and they're easier to get to and then the last trend that really is top-of-mind right now is throughout about sustainability and traveling responsibly because travelers, these days, they wanna make sure that the dollars they spend are going back into the local communities and the companies they're booking with have ethical practices and environmental awareness; it's all about the conscious comeback.

Mary:

Well, thank you for that. You know, you mentioned, Mexico, my husband, Wes, and I took our boys to Mexico last summer and, you know, we were able to create a lot of great memories. We had a lot of fun doing that safely is there any special tips that you would have for a family like ours planning, the perfect family vacation?

Emma:

Yes. So I'm not a mom so take this with a grain of salt maybe but one thing that I hear from travel agents is that the best family vacations really happen when the parents involve their children in the planning process so ask them what types of activities they wanna do have them attend travel advisor consultations with you. If you're not using an advisor, research the destination with them on the computer, but just include them as much as possible. So they feel like they really are a part of their vacation and then another tip that I have is, and this depends on the child, but don't over plan or stack your itinerary too much, especially with young children. So keep their individual energy and stamina levels in mind and what they need. So for example, they might not enjoy long stretches in the car during a road trip so make sure you build in some potty breaks or stops along the way. So it does depend on the child with that piece of advice but those are my two biggest pieces of advice.

Mary:

Thank you for that advice. And you know it brought something to mind. When we were in Mexico, I'll never forget this, you know we're at the table and in my mind I'm thinking we're gonna have this great you know quiet kind of romantic dinner with our two children there, one being a toddler. And my toddler starts grabbing everything off the table. He's throwing things down. I look around the restaurant and it's all couples and as my husband and I are trying to wrangle him in, we finally get him to calm down and I turned to my right. And, um, my son at the time had taken his shoes off and it stuck his feet up on the table and I thought, oh my gosh, okay. I need to change my expectations and think about what would be fun for the kids so, one of my funniest memories, but it just it makes me laugh when you say, you know, include the kids in the planning process, because I imagine my idea of what will be fun for them is going to be very different than their idea.

Emma:

Well that's hilarious that you put toddler and quiet together because those are the two things that I feel like never go together but it is so true. I mean, it's like with kids just expect to be surprised, expect that your plans are gonna change and, and don't worry about all the couples who are sitting around you because you know what everybody has sympathy for parents who are trying to wrangle kids who are being loud. Like we all get it we were all kids once.

Mary:

Thank you for sharing that. It's a really good tip and you said, you know, you're not a mom, but take it with a grain of salt, but I think it's one of the best reminders that I can have for planning my upcoming vacation. So as we plan ahead for spring and summer vacations, what are some of the most important things to keep in mind?

Emma:

Well, I mean, it kind of goes back to everything I said before about travel advisors and I hate to just, I feel like I'm, you know, like getting up on my soapbox, but really, really they are so so valuable to use, but I mean people are highly motivated to travel. The one thing to keep in mind is that things can shift very dramatically, very quickly. And for all of that recovery to actually take place that I mentioned earlier in the episode, there has to be several conditions in place we need to continue to have a downturn of, of COVID infections. We need to progress without another variant like Delta or Omicron that can knock us down a few pegs. And the travel companies really need to keep health and safety measures top of mind. So quite frankly, none of us have a crystal ball, but be prepared for the unexpected buy travel insurance, read through all the supplier terms and conditions. One piece of advice that I love and this comes from Jamie Busta, a Senior Editor at Travel Weekly. Our sister publication is be prepared to quarantine in place if you're traveling internationally this spring or summer. So pack enough essentials to last for the entirety of your vacation and then whatever the quarantine period might be so long as the U.S. still requires a negative test because you really don't know what's gonna happen. So expect the unexpected.

Mary:

I think that's a great piece of advice. Gone are the times that, we can just pick up our bags and walk out the door and go on a vacation without really thinking things through, especially if we have other commitments. So thank you for sharing that.

Emma:

A hundred percent.

Mary:

Yeah. So from your perspective, as a travel journalist, what magic ingredients go into making a great vacation?

Emma:

I would say research ahead of time, I cannot stress this enough. There's nothing worse than arriving in a destination and you're tired and you didn't remember to do a transfer from the airport and you can't find a taxi, you know really research ahead of time your options. And if you don't wanna do the research yourself, use a travel advisor because they will do it for you. Another thing is to buy travel insurance, like I said, so you're protected in case something goes wrong. Make sure that you read the fine print on the policies and think about your own personal comfort level and plan activities that go along with that.

Mary:

Thank you. And what's one thing you should always do when you travel?

Emma:

Well, one thing that I have in mind, and this is a little bit more superficial, and maybe I'll follow up with something a little more philosophical afterward, but what I always do when I travel is I bring in airplane pillow. If I am moving an airplane and I have invested in a good one, I mean, it's just, I hate being tired and some people can't sleep on planes. I get that, but this thing goes with me wherever I go so invest in being comfortable when you're transporting somewhere. But when it comes to discovering new places, there's nothing I like more than asking the locals where to go so if you are in a hotel, the concierge is great, but maybe step outside the hotel go to a local coffee shop, or even stop someone on the street. If you wanna get a bite somewhere and just ask them what's good. Because a lot of times they have the insider knowledge. They have the tips that the concierge simply can't provide.

Mary:

I love that tip. I love that tip. Thank you so much. Emma, is there anything else you'd want share with our listeners?

Emma:

You know, I think thanks so much for having me, Mary, this has been a great chat. I would say for anybody who wants to get in touch, you can reach out to the Travel Age West magazine team at letters@travelagewest.com. We'd love to hear from you, whether it's about an article that you'd love to see if you want us to direct you to a travel advisor who can work with you. You can also get in touch with me I'm on Instagram @Emma_enroute or through Travel Age West @travelagewest.

Mary:

Emma Wiseman, Digital Managing Editor of Travel Age West. Thank you so much for being with us on Traveling With AAA and for all your tips today.

Emma:

Thanks so much for having me Mary. It was really a great time.

Mary:

Mine as well. One of the most popular kinds of vacation is cruising, but what's it like to cruise under COVID protocols and restrictions? AAA's Doug Shupe is a Corporate Communications Manager and an avid traveler. Doug has taken a couple of cruises over the past few months and he's here to tell us what it was like. Doug, welcome to Traveling With AAA.

Doug Shupe:

Hi Mary. Thanks for having me on.

Mary:

Yeah, we're excited to have you and hear from some of your experiences. You've taken a couple of cruises during the time of COVID. I believe the first one after the lockdown was in Alaska last summer, what made you decide to do that? And were you concerned about COVID?

Doug:

You're right I went to Alaska onboard cruise ship through the inside passage. It was really an amazing experience. You know, Alaska was a trip that I had always wanted to take so when this opportunity came about, I jumped on it. I was not concerned about COVID because, you know, I was fully vaccinated. There were a lot of protocols board, the cruise ship in place, also protocols and requirements that had to be done before I ever, embarked on the ship. And, you know, really the, the decision to travel is very much a personal one that that must be made by the individual. And, you know, after discussing it with, with family I decided that this was something that I really wanted to do, and I am so glad I did, cuz it was just an amazing experience.

Mary:

Yeah. So thinking about Alaska, I've never been, would you describe for us what it was like?

Doug:

Yeah, it was just the coolest experience you, we left Seattle and it was a 7 day cruise through the inside passage where we went to, Juno, Scagway, and Ketchikan. And it was just amazing to be on the balcony, enjoying a cup of coffee every morning as you're, going by glaciers and looking for whales and all of the wildlife, the bald eagles. And it was just an excellent experience all around every single day. There was something new to see and each of those ports of call were very unique as well, you know, Juno was very different than Skyway, very different than Ketchikan. So there was just a lot of things to see and do and some of the excursions were excellent too. I went rock climbing in Scagway, took a sea plane ride in Ketchikan to the Misty fjords and, saw just breathtaking views, from the plane of the mountains and the lakes. And it was just absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking.

Mary:

It sounds like it I'm imagining now, you know, standing out with a cup of coffee and seeing the glaciers going by I've never seen anything like that. It sounds stunning. Now your second trip was to Mexico in October. What sort of precautions did the cruise lines take then?

Doug:

So both of them had very similar precautions at the time that I went on those cruises. They required vaccination proof of full vaccination as well as a negative COVID test taken before I embarked on the vessels. And that was also reassuring knowing that not only did I have to have proof of vaccination and negative COVID tests, but so did all of the passengers and the crew. And so that was very reassuring to me and just made me feel much more, more comfortable. And I gotta tell you both times when I got on the ships, it was like this really sense of relief among all of the passengers. I mean, the crew members were standing in line on both sides of the, the gangway clapping as people boarded embarked on the vessels and just you saw on the faces of all of the passengers, just how excited they were to be able to return to the seas again.

Mary:

Yeah. That makes sense. You know, thinking about it having that comfort, knowing that you're traveling safety so you can relax and really enjoy yourself is really important. Were there any major differences between the Alaska and Mexico cruises?

Doug:

Completely different experiences. Yeah, totally different. I mean, the cruise of course is very similar, activities on board. But just the experiences, in Alaska it was of course it's always a little more gray in Alaska. So people were wrapped up and bundled up on the decks watching movies on big screens under the stars where the Mexico cruises, people were sitting on the decks and getting sun by the pool. So very different experiences, but both were just fantastic journeys to be on. I think that I had been to Mexico before but seeing it via a cruise ship is so different. The Mexico cruise was also a seven day cruise that left San Diego and we went to Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta and it was just really great to experience the cuisine onboard the ships. They really made it very much, tailored to the destinations that we were going to, which was really a nice experience as well.

Mary:

Yeah, that sounds amazing. I also had gone on a short cruise to Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, and I really enjoyed the food, the drinks, the fun, it was a really good time, but it was a short cruise. What was it like for you being on the ship now? When I went, this is, you know, far before we were even thinking about COVID or worried about it. What was it like being on the ship for you? Did any of the protocols like having to wear a mask or stay socially distanced dampen any of the fun for you?

Doug:

Not at all, because honestly it's, it's stuff that we've already been accustomed to when we're on land. So masks were required when you were indoors. They were also of course, all of the dining areas the different theaters, the masks were required well indoors, but you didn't have to wear them while you were sitting down eating. You didn't have to wear them when you were outside on the outer decks, you didn't wear them in your state room or on your balconies. So it really was very much like regular cruising as usual. And all of the experiences were the same. I will say that, a lot of people asked about buffets, when I returned, well, did they stop the buffets on the ships? And they did not, they were just no longer self-serving buffets. They had crew members who would serve the food to you, but the assortment was there. I mean, you could have like 60 different options at every hour of the day of things to eat. So it was really amazing. I mean the food was awesome and, uh, it was very much like what people are used to when they go on a cruise that wide assortment of dishes and cuisine.

Mary:

So that sounds like a benefit to me is that the buffet was still there. You just had somebody serving, serving it instead. That's amazing, what were your favorite parts about the two cruises?

Doug:

I think for the Alaska cruise Glacier Bay National Park was awesome. I just spent the entire day there is no place that you actually stop in the National Park. You just kind of cruise through it for a day and there were Park Rangers from Glacier Bay, National Park who actually got onto the ship and narrated as you went through Glacier Bay National Park that day and pointed out wildlife and pointed out the various glaciers and talked about the features and that was just really so cool because the water was so interesting. It was like a green turquoise color that I had never seen before. And it was framed by these just bright white glaciers, blue and white glaciers. So it was just stunning. I got so many photos and videos. It was really one of those experiences that I'm so glad I did. It's something that I'd always wanted to see. And I have plenty of photos and videos to, remind me of that experience, but nothing's like seeing it in person.

Mary:

Wow. Sounds like you took a lot away from it. You'll be able to memorialize that trip. I'm thinking about it, the wildlife, the glaciers, that water that you're describing, really wanting to go, what type of wildlife did you encounter?

Doug:

Yeah so while the morning, you almost every morning you saw whales, right off of your balcony. Bald eagles and the ports of call, the various ports of call. We actually saw salmon swimming upstream. So that was really cool. Just an awesome experience. And on the cruise to Mexico, there was also wildlife as well, mostly saw a lot of like sea lions and things like that at the various ports of call. Some of those ports, particularly Cabo, you had to be tendered in, but it was neat just to see, there are lots of sea lions, we also saw sea turtles as well. As soon as we pulled into Cabo San Lucas, just off of the, port there to be tendered in, there were like four or five different sea turtles there just kind of waiting to greet us. It was just a really an awesome experience. Both cruises, I think, were, were amazing. Just totally different experiences.

Mary:

It sounds incredible. And I'm a sea turtles fan, so that's exciting. I had an opportunity to swim and do some snorkeling and see some sea turtles when I was in Hawaii last. Just beautiful. So thank you for sharing that now after, a long quarantine, you know, kind of everybody staying in, staying safe and having a lot of these things shut down, what was it like being out for you?

Doug:

It was so nice. It was really a great experience. Of course I had still traveled, you know, because once I was fully vaccinated, I started traveling more so those were two of the trips that I, that I had taken but I had also flown to other destinations, but just in talking with the cruise ship passengers, you know, cruise people who cruise are very loyal passengers. They had definitely missed being out there on the high seas and just when I was talking with them in the dining rooms or in the different theaters or wherever you would meet people on ships, everybody just talked about how excited they were to return to cruising again. And it was great because everybody talked about how the protocols that were in place really did not impact the experience at all. And there were some protocols that you could see, you know, you saw a lot of cleaning going on.

Doug:

I mean, they were cleaning constantly throughout the day. People wearing the masks and the cruise ship staff all wore masks as well. But then there were a lot of protocols that I learned about that we did not see enhanced filtration systems, air conditioning and filtration systems. They had a lot of increased medical evacuation plans should something happen which nothing fortunately happened on either of the cruises that I went on, but there were a lot of plans in place that you did not see. It was really reassuring that the cruise line industry had taken the steps that they took to make passengers feel safe again and it's just one of those things that, the few protocols that were in place that you did see were things that we have become accustomed to over the last two years anyway. So it didn't make that much of a difference.

Mary:

Yeah. It's your point wearing that mask and, um, socially distancing. So it sounds like you managed to stay, stay safe with all of those protocols that were in place, the things that you can see and also being aware of some of the things that the cruise lines were doing to keep everyone safe. So I'm glad to hear that you had a great time.

Doug:

It, it was great. And you know, the thing I think that really that I took from this experience was, when it comes to traveling is like I mentioned I met some great people and we all talked about how nice it was to be out there, but everybody has their different reasons for traveling. And I met a lady from New York and she was on the Alaska cruise with her mom. And she told me that her dad had always wanted to take her mom to Alaska and didn't get the chance cuz he had passed away and so this was her opportunity because her mom was failing in eyesight. She was losing her eyesight and she knew that she didn't have that much longer to be able to see all of the beautiful things that Alaska offers visitors. And so she said, you know what, COVID or not, I'm gonna do this because this is my mom's last chance to really see Alaska. And she had always wanted to do that with her husband. So she said, I'm gonna do this for her. So it's those kinds of stories that really inspired me to travel. Of course the protocols are very important to follow, but at the, at the end of the day, it has to be, you know, your personal decision to travel and everybody has their own reasons for taking those trips and doing those checking off those bucket list items.

Mary:

Wow. As you share this story of the woman you met on your cruise, I have chills. If you could see me now, chills just hearing about that because to your point, there are so many things on our bucket list and if we choose to, you know, move forward and experience those things just being safe very, very thankful. Thank you, Doug so much for being with us today and for all of our listeners, thank you for being with us. If you are planning a trip, connect with a AAA Travel Advisor or check out aaa.com/travel, or you can visit your local branch and meet with any of our travel advisors there. And if you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to subscribe. Thank you for traveling with AAA.