Traveling has felt different since the pandemic in 2020. After travel totally shut down, we slowly started to leave home. We started with short weekends and eventually took longer trips. While we stuck to timeshares or Airbnb cabins where we could avoid others, it was still travel.
Once we knew more and had access to vaccines and therapeutics, our travels expanded. Bit by bit, we ventured out into the world.
While we went from spending the weekend at our Disney timeshare in Vero Beach to renting cabins on Airbnb, it was a process to back to normal.
Once we were over the hesitation, we headed to Iceland and took a Virgin Voyages cruise.
While we were willing to travel again, the industrial travel complex wasn’t back to full staff. Knowing this, we had to make changes to our travel plans.
When airlines were having problems staffing flights, I booked a backup flight for all our trips in the summer and fall of 2022.
Eventually, it felt safe enough to plan short weekend trips. With my work schedule, this is the best way for us to get away.
Flash forward and we’re at a place where short weekend trips are becoming the norm. This means I have to go back to 2019 and have a separate travel bag for toiletries and electronics.
Previously, I had a small set of shampoo, shaving cream, toothpaste, deodorant and other toiletries in a quart bag which I would replace as needed. During the pandemic, I used these items and never replaced them. However, I purchased a 3-pack of quart-sized Ogato bags for when we started to travel and now I’m able to use them.
On our recent trip, I realized that I didn’t have toothpaste or deodorant small enough to meet the TSA Requirements. I settled with a tube of toothpaste from an airline loyalty kit and by using Sharon’s deodorant.
That’s how I know we’ve reached the final stage of normalcy. I’m back to having a dedicated set of toiletries and cables for when we travel. I realize this might just be a me thing as Sharon kept her travel set fully stocked for the past 3 years.
Some of my travel needs have changed, and I had to purchase an extra USB-C cable to charge my Beats earbuds. However, that’s a small price to pay for being able to travel like it was in 2019.
What other things have you stopped or resumed now that traveling has somewhat returned to normal?
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1 comment
Years ago, I used tiny tubes of toothpaste that I refilled. Just before the pandemic, I found that Crest toothpaste had a 2.7 oz size. It’s not a tiny tube that only lasts 4-5 days but considerably larger.