My immediate reaction? Look out world, here I come!

Obviously that will not be the case, as travel is still very much on hold. The CDC recommends cancelling or postponing all unnecessary travel and a majority of locations have travel restrictions in place, especially internationally.

But there are people traveling, and for me, the FOMO has set in.

Can I travel right now? Should I? Will the vaccine change my views?

I’ve been mulling over this thought for weeks and I assumed other people had to be feeling this way too. What was the right thing to do?

I joined a Clubhouse chat, appropriately titled Sit Your Ass Home or Live Your Best Life? seeking an answer. Hosted by Baltimore based journalist John-John Williams IV, it was enlightening to hear the panelists discuss and gave me solace when I heard they were mulling over the same thoughts as me.

One of the biggest areas of agreement among the speakers in regards to whether we should be traveling was ensuring we are doing so responsibly. If you are traveling right now, you must understand that you are not only putting yourself at risk, but also those around you. Respecting the rules and mandates put into place by airlines, public spaces and destinations goes a long way in ensuring the safety of anyone involved. Wearing a mask (and wearing it correctly), is one of the easiest ways to provide a barrier between yourself and those you might come into contact with. Researching where you are headed will give you a better understanding of the precautions they have in place and may aid in deciding if it really is somewhere you should be visiting.

Travel shaming was another big topic that came up in the chat. Many of the panelists have a large following on social media and through their jobs, and worried what others might think if they posted pictures of them traveling during the pandemic. I think this is a sentiment even those of us without a large following can relate to. What will my family and friends think if I travel right now? There seemed to be a very fine line on this, some of the panelists saying live your life and do what is right for you and others expressing that they thought it was tone deaf of people to post pictures partying on the beach when so many people have died.

Getting vaccinated seemed to be a big tipping point in changing peoples mind about their willingness to partake in travel.

As far as my personal take, I am still very much on the fence. I live alone, so bringing COVID home to a loved one is not as much of a concern, but I certainly do not want to catch it myself. Between June and November 2020, I did travel a handful of times for work, always ensuring to wear my N95 during the duration of flights and sanitizing and washing my hands often. I am a frequent flier with Delta, who I think have done the best job of all the airlines in the states in providing for social distancing and safe flying conditions. In October, I took a personal trip to Cabo San Lucas after carefully researching the hotel and local mandates. The Cape (where I stayed), did a wonderful job in ensuring safe conditions in their public spaces and throughout Cabo, everyone wore their mask.

When the numbers started to increase after Thanksgiving and the holiday travel started to commence, my travel came to a halt. Multiple family members back home in Michigan had been diagnosed and I was not willing to travel home for the holidays and risk exposing someone else. With cases on the rise, I became more wary of the risk to myself as well. I had made it this far in the pandemic without having come down with it, I sure as hell didn't want to slip up now.

As the vaccine started to roll out in the new year, I became eligible in Baltimore City's first stage because I work in the healthcare space, receiving my final dose on February 24th 2021.

Will my vaccination status change my mind in terms of travel? Maybe slightly. I have my first work trip of the year scheduled in two weeks, but still plan to fully follow all mandates and restrictions at my destination. I do feel like I have an added layer of protection with the vaccine, but will still continue to take all the same precautions for the sake of those around me who have not yet received their shot. The only other trip I have planned at this point is home to Michigan to see my family in July, where we rented a house on the lake to spend a few days together.

I am looking forward to more possibilites for travel this year as more and more people get vaccinated. I do think there is a right and a wrong way to travel right now if you are going to go, and my plan is to go about making my decisions with information that is science based and evidence backed so I can be a responsible traveler.