While the first official day of summer is still about a month away, the fast-approaching end to the school year will mark the unofficial beginning of summer for a number of Wells County and Hoosier students and families.
The last day of school varies around the state, but one bucket-list item that many families seem to have in common is the desire to travel this summer following two years of worries by many due to the global pandemic.
I read earlier this month that 73 percent of Americans feel positive about travel this summer, according to an article in USA Today. Of those planning to travel, some 50 percent said they would go somewhere in the United States. And 40 percent said they will travel this summer no matter what.
Travel experts caution that services may be slower this summer, that some hotels may offer reduced services, and that consumers will likely pay more due to higher gas prices and inflation.
Despite these obstacles, however, three out of four Americans still feel positive about travel.
While I wasn’t surveyed for the article, I find myself in that group who feels upbeat about returning to a more normal travel world.
Traveling and then writing about it in this column is one of my favorite pastimes each year. The last two years have been challenging for those of us who enjoy wanderlust. This summer, however, I’m looking forward to making a trip overseas for the first time in almost three years.
I received a grant to carry out an almost four-week project in Spain. The project will keep me busy from mid-June to early July, and I look forward to using this space later this summer to share a myriad of stories from my time traveling around the Iberian Peninsula.
This trip will be my first across the pond since COVID-19, and I expect some hiccups along the way. Services likely will be slower, and costs are probably going to be higher. (At least the exchange rate from U.S. Dollars to Euros is the best it has been for as long as I can remember, but I digress.)
An important part of travel, however, is being flexible and being OK with last-minute changes. This summer will more than likely include a multitude of bumps in the road as we and others from around the world jump back in to international travel.
The biggest worry that domestic travelers cited in the USA Today article was rising costs while the biggest concern for overseas trips was testing positive for COVID-19 and having to quarantine in another country.
That possibility does concern me a bit this summer but it’s a bridge we’ll cross if we get there.
If you’re one of the three-out-of-four Americans who will be traveling this year, where will your journey take you?
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