I'd been thinking about two holidays this summer. One would have been a trip to a faraway place, like the ones I've taken to Greece, Southeast Asia, Italy and France during the past few summers. The other would have been a bike tour that would have taken me out of this city but would have kept me, probably in the United States, definitely in North America.
In fact, I was ready to book the "exotic" trip a few weeks ago. But, for whatever reasons, I decided to "sleep on it."
The next day, I read that one of the places I'd thought about visiting was under lockdown, and a cruise boat was quarantined in the area. And then the travel restrictions spread across regions, countries and even oceans.
Even if everything goes back to "normal," I don't think I'll be taking the "exotic" trip this year. For one thing, I can't count on travel restrictions being lifted or flights being restored. Also, I have to admit, I might be a bit leery of having to spend hours in enclosed spaces.
The bike trip may still be possible. At least, that's what I think--or hope. But I'm not counting on taking that trek, either, especially after reading about Marcia van der Meer and Bas Baan.
More than a year ago, Ms. van der Meer embarked on a round-the-world bicycle tour from her native Netherlands. She crossed the Atlantic in a cargo ship, rode the length of South America and hitchiked from island to island in the Caribbean with American sailors before she arrived in Miami. There, she met Mr. Baan and set out across the United States.
Somewhere in the middle of their cross-country ride, they first heard about COVID-19. "We thought, 'Ah, it's some kind of disease over there in China, you know," van der Meer recalls.
But, as they rode across the western US, one part of the world--and the US--locked down. Still, they thought that once they got to Los Angeles, they'd continue their journey to Japan. Then the Land of the Rising Sun closed its borders to nonessential travel from the US and other places, and van der Meer's travel visa was about to expire.
Baan and van der Meer flew back to the Netherlands. For both of them, cutting their trip short was more than a disappointment. "This is the culmination of years-long dreams, savings, banking time off and putting aside money," Baan explained. "I think it's a dream deferred."
For van der Meer, it's not only a "dream deferred" or lost savings: Aborting her trip could also mean cutting her income considerably. "I write books, I do presentations in theatres and everything afterward when I come home," she says. "If I cannot finish my trip, I don't know what will happen to my income."
Still, she says, "I will do it." She plans to "chill for a couple of years and "I will do another attempt to go around the world by bicycle."
In fact, I was ready to book the "exotic" trip a few weeks ago. But, for whatever reasons, I decided to "sleep on it."
The next day, I read that one of the places I'd thought about visiting was under lockdown, and a cruise boat was quarantined in the area. And then the travel restrictions spread across regions, countries and even oceans.
Even if everything goes back to "normal," I don't think I'll be taking the "exotic" trip this year. For one thing, I can't count on travel restrictions being lifted or flights being restored. Also, I have to admit, I might be a bit leery of having to spend hours in enclosed spaces.
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| Marcia van der Meer in the Los Angeles International Airport |
The bike trip may still be possible. At least, that's what I think--or hope. But I'm not counting on taking that trek, either, especially after reading about Marcia van der Meer and Bas Baan.
More than a year ago, Ms. van der Meer embarked on a round-the-world bicycle tour from her native Netherlands. She crossed the Atlantic in a cargo ship, rode the length of South America and hitchiked from island to island in the Caribbean with American sailors before she arrived in Miami. There, she met Mr. Baan and set out across the United States.
Somewhere in the middle of their cross-country ride, they first heard about COVID-19. "We thought, 'Ah, it's some kind of disease over there in China, you know," van der Meer recalls.
But, as they rode across the western US, one part of the world--and the US--locked down. Still, they thought that once they got to Los Angeles, they'd continue their journey to Japan. Then the Land of the Rising Sun closed its borders to nonessential travel from the US and other places, and van der Meer's travel visa was about to expire.
Baan and van der Meer flew back to the Netherlands. For both of them, cutting their trip short was more than a disappointment. "This is the culmination of years-long dreams, savings, banking time off and putting aside money," Baan explained. "I think it's a dream deferred."
 |
| Marcia van der Meer and Bas Baan, on their way back to the Netherlands. |
For van der Meer, it's not only a "dream deferred" or lost savings: Aborting her trip could also mean cutting her income considerably. "I write books, I do presentations in theatres and everything afterward when I come home," she says. "If I cannot finish my trip, I don't know what will happen to my income."
Still, she says, "I will do it." She plans to "chill for a couple of years and "I will do another attempt to go around the world by bicycle."
