Travel dreams deferred

a traveler considers booking a bargain cruise  

The CDC wants to dock cruise ships for 3 months to slow the spread of infections, though some cruise lines appear to dismiss no sail orders. Some ships continue to sail while others desperately seek safe harbors for passengers to disembark. Since most cruise lines don’t pay US taxes, they aren’t likely to get a significant government bailout. No need for avid cruisers to worry just yet; analysts think the big 3 Goliaths (Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean) have enough cash to stay afloat for 10 months. Bargain hunters may be tempted to book now while prices are low, though savvy cruisers are waiting for assurances of enhanced cleaning to restore consumer confidence, and perks like free WiFi. Meanwhile Singapore is considering utilizing cruise ships for temporary housing of foreign workers.

Demand for US air travel has dropped 96%; roughly 95,000 passengers per day down from 2.3 million a year earlier. (All things considered, I’m personally shocked to learn that 95,000 people currently feel comfortable flying.) Several airlines are nearing acceptance of a $25 billion payroll aid plan. Intended to help airline employees more than investors, terms include provisions for potential partial government ownership of airlines receiving aid, with 30% of funds to be repaid. The future of discount airlines is debatable. While the UK treasury is also considering airline bailouts, Virgin Atlantic was told they needed to resubmit their application.

Amtrak, Greyhound, and the American Public Transportation Association have announced new safety measures. While bike and scooter share programs have been suspended in many cities, service providers in Denver and Tampa offer free rides to health care workers.  

In the spirit of spreading happy, positive, and/or silly vibes:

• Chris Mann sings Bored as Hell.
• Dulce Sloan of the Daily Show critiques homes seen in background during broadcasts.
• Med school student sings I Don’t Know parody of Let It Go.

Daily pandemic update:  

Spain's death toll surpassed 20,000 and the total number of coronavirus cases reached 191,726 in one of the world's hardest-hit countries while opposition members within the government voiced fears mortality rates could be much higher than anticipated. Saudi Arabia's grand mufti said prayers during Ramadan and the subsequent Eid al-Fitr festival should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues.  Aljazeera.com timeline

18 Apr 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
13:31 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	2,193,665	2,275,782	147,384	156,104	555,590	582,443
US	678,210	710,272	34,641	37,175	57,844	63,510
NY	223,691	231,691	12,248	12,822	28,103	28,227
CT	15,884	16,809	971	1,036	63	63
NC	5,670	6,200	156	182	964	997

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/     https://www.coronainusa.com/  

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news: 

• Trump defended his series of “liberate” tweets after criticism he was fomenting rebellion.
• Florida beaches reopen as governor eases restrictions.
• Payroll Protection Program and phase 4 stimulus negotiations stalling along party lines.
• TV doctors Drew, Oz and Phil triggered backlash for recent comments about coronavirus.
• Wuhan case count and death toll adjusted to reflect sharp increases following investigations.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• 12 year old geography fan fills world map with help from twitter.
• 99 year old British veteran raises $6 million by walking laps in his garden.
• London photographer beautifully captures images of isolation.
• Marco’s Pizza donates pizzas to Cone Health workers for Triad Restaurant Challenge.
• MO hunters donate thousands of pounds of venison to charity.
• The Well podcast includes positive, uplifting episodes and info from a coronavirus survivor.
• Virtual play date ideas help keep kids entertained.

In my personal life…

As much as I love to garden, I also love to travel. During normal conditions, one interest is usually sacrificed for the other certain times of year. Wanderlust lives deep within my soul. However, travel has come to a screeching halt due to the pandemic. I don’t dare attempt to even think about tripping right now; too many travel restrictions and unknown variables. Yet I still dream of traveling, to visit Reid and to frolic at the beach and to explore faraway destinations. 

My dad was career military so we moved around a lot when I was a kid, including a year in Germany. Overall I enjoyed the nomadic lifestyle of an army brat. As an adult I’ve chosen to live in my home state of North Carolina for 30+ years though I’ve spent time in all 50 states and a few countries. Around 200 people claim to have visited every country on earth. My aspirations are a little less ambitious: to explore a variety of safely accessible countries on each continent. The thought of trying to sneak across borders of hostile regimes where Americans are not welcome does not appeal to me at all. I’m adventurous up to a point, but not a reckless adrenaline junkie. 

Thank goodness for intrepid souls like Michael Palin who document their world travels; his documentary on North Korea is fascinating. Also enjoy Richard Ayoade of IT Crowd fame in his Travel Man series. I routinely watch travel and history shows on tv, and occasionally read travel blogs and books though I actively avoid influencers and suspected scammers.

My mantra is to enjoy the journey, not just the destination. I’m a planner by nature so I tend to find pleasure in researching potential locations and logistics almost as much as the actual excursion. When I travel I carry a journal with me for note taking, and I usually post a few updates and photos to Facebook for personal record keeping as well as sharing with family and friends. Sometimes I travel with Greg and/or Reid though sometimes I travel alone; there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Having had a career as a university transportation planner, I willingly try multiple modes home and abroad. Beyond typical planes, trains, automobiles and buses I’ve also been hot air ballooning, flown in a doors-off helicopter, taken a few cruise vacations, and tried transport by canoe, clipper ship, ferry, gondola, pedi-cab, public bike and scooter share, skylift, subway, tram, trolley, cable car and of course walking. Despite being a fan of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I never developed an appreciation for motorcycles. I’ve ridden on the back of a few motorbikes; didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either. I probably would ride a Vespa type scooter or moped though, under certain circumstances. You know, when in Rome and all that. 

Trains are probably my favorite mode, followed by automobiles. My bucket list is filled with long distance trains and a few cross country car trips. I would be willing to book another cruise at some point, on a smaller vessel or possibly a cargo barge rather than a mega ship. I will continue to fly when practical to do so, though likely less often than I used to before coronavirus. 

Next trip will probably (hopefully) be to a beach or perhaps Connecticut to visit son Reid. Living in NC, we’re fortunate to have easy access to multiple mountain towns and coastal communities for a variety of vacation options. Ocean Isle is my favorite NC beach though any location with a bit of sand and surf soothes my soul. Even Gunnison Beach in NJ was fun the one time I visited 20 years ago. For now I’m mostly content with the current staycation lifestyle; napping in our backyard hammock, puttering in the garden, walking with Minerva, and watching tv with Greg. Even during a pandemic, life is good.  

Shout out and hat tip to Dwayne Hunter Design in Arizona for creating a bitchin blog logo! Originally from King (pronounced Kaaang) North Carolina, Dwayne is a buddy of Greg’s. If you or anyone you know might be in need of design services, hit him up for a consultation. Tell him the odd blogger from Pfafftown referred you. 😉