"I am very hopeful that in the first quarter of next year, we will have turned the corner on this thing. One way or another, I am convinced of that. But the next three months might be brutal."
The other day my wife and I were chatting about our former lives. Former lives? What the what? Let me explain. In our former lives, we liked to travel. Road trips. Go on cruises. We are in the loyalty program with Princess Cruises. We had fun being "cruisers" - we went to Alaska, South America, Panama Canal, Mexico, and the Caribbean. We almost did a WestPac cruise, but a super typhoon put an end to that journey, before it even started. We took our shipboard credits from that busted trip, and booked a cruise to Europe and Russia. Then Covid - 19 scrubbed that trip. Right now, wild horses could not get us on a cruise ship. No way, no how.
Right now, the travel industry is dying on the vine. Airlines, cruise lines, travel agencies - nobody wants to take the chance of being stranded on another Diamond Princess, where it became a floating petri dish for Covid. Passengers on board, instantly went from VIP status to untouchable. Nobody, no country wanted them. They were left there to be infected with this strange new disease, and yes, the most vulnerable - died. Then part of the ship became a morgue.
One of our contractors mentioned to us that he would love to go somewhere on vacation this fall. But where? His dreams of a fall vacation were quickly dashed by the thought of getting on a plane, wearing a mask for 3 plus hours, and then getting off in a state or country which has unknown restrictions due to the virus. Then, being trapped in a hotel room with nowhere to go, and nothing to do.
One of the problems some of the cruise lines are experiencing (besides the fact nobody wants to cruise), is finding ports which will accept the risk of having strangers visit their country. And if they do, what kind of excursions will be offered? Certainly not a tour bus, where everyone needs to "social distance". And will you have to wear masks everywhere? What about dining on the ship? No more formal or even informal dining? More questions than answers.
What we saw happened with the President and First Lady, is a grim reminder of how contagious this disease is. It is nothing to mess with. As much as we WANT TO return to something even semi-normal, I am afraid we are going to have to give Covid - 19 a wide berth until it mutates into nothingness - or a viable vaccine is found. Until then, I am afraid the travel industry will suffer the same hurts as the restaurant industry has suffered. Just last month, Princess had to sell two of its cruise ships, just to get some instant cash.
No, for those who have heard the term but before this year never experienced it - welcome to "staycation". People are staying at home, trying hard not to suffer from cabin fever. The other day, my wife and I needed to venture over to (the once very busy) Arbor Lakes shopping area. It was close to being a ghost town. Normally, the biggest problem we would have at Arbor Lakes is finding a parking place, even remotely close to where we wanted to go. Now? Park wherever you want. No going out for lunch, no browsing, just mask up, do your business, and go home. Yuck!
I am very hopeful that in the first quarter of next year, we will have turned the corner on this thing. One way or another, I am convinced of that. But the next three months might be brutal. Halloween, Thanksgiving, even Christmas, all promise to be a bust this year. Schools, work, vacation - all are different now. What can we do? Practice caution, pray for our country, pray for the First Family, and pray for your family. Pray that a hedge of protection be around all you hold dear and near.
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