In 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and travel came to a screeching halt. Since returning to the U.S. from Africa, I’ve remained stateside and delayed planning additional travel for my safety and the safety of others. And still, I’m anxiously awaiting the day when travel can resume. In the meantime, I’ve drawn up a list of countries I’ll return to first when travel restrictions lift. 1. Italy When I think of the end of COVID-19, I think of spending a month in Italy. I want to eat Neapolitan pizza, travel up the Amalfi Coast, and visit tiny local Italian towns. Italy always offers some of my favorite travel experiences with warm weather and delicious food, and it feels like an escape from the last year of social distancing and self-isolating. And yet, it is not lost on me that Italy was one of the first countries that was severely impacted by COVID-19. It saw early spikes in its numbers, overflowing hospitals, and hurting families. I’m not quite sure what I can expect from post-pandemic Italy travels, but I’m optimistic that it will be somewhat similar to some of my favorite travel memories of 2018 and 2019. I await the day that I can eat my favorite pizza in Naples, travel by train without fear of contracting or spreading a virus, and breathe life into the economy through responsible tourism. Eating pizza at Pizzeria L'Antica da Michele in Naples (March 2018) 2. New Zealand When asked where I would live outside of the United States, New Zealand always tops the list. I fell in love with the scenery and the friendly locals when I first visited the country in May 2019, and I seriously considered returning for ski season in the months following. As I am no longer traveling full-time, I foresee extended trips and vacations as being my path to international travel moving forward. A week here, two weeks three. I left New Zealand with so much left to explore, and I’d love to return to either island in the future to dig deeper. Visiting Milford Sound on the South Island of New Zealand (May 2019) 3. Canada There are numerous times during the pandemic that I wished that the Canadian border was open. For years, I’ve longed to visit Niagara Falls from the Canadian side and combine it with a trip to Toronto. I feel confident that this will be a long weekend trip that I do fairly soon after the world opens up and the U.S.-Canadian border restriction lifts. Standing on Grouse Mountain in Vancouver (August 2016) 4. South Africa Given that I visited here in February 2020, I’m even a little surprised that South Africa so readily made the list. And yet, it’s one of the countries I’ve so often thought about during quarantine. I find myself thinking about the places I went to and the locations I would revisit. Specifically, Cape Town and Stellenbosch appeal to me, and I could see myself revisiting before exploring a nearby country like Namibia or Botswana. I find that trips that combine old and new destinations allow me to revisit past locations without feeling like I’ve seen it all. I inevitably learn something new about the previous location (regardless of how many times I’ve been) but quench my travel thirst by counting that new country. Posing with the Cape of Good Hope Sign (February 2020) 5. France Anyone who knows me knows I have no great love for France. In fact, I’d put it at the top of the list as one of the most difficult countries to travel in for a non-native speaker. That said, I know I’ll return to France soon after the pandemic “ends” (whatever that means) because one of my closest friends currently lives in Paris (shoutout Caroline!). If there’s ever a time to visit France, it’s when you can travel with friends AND when those friends can speak the language. I’m fortunate to have both, and it would be a shame not to take advantage of that. There are also some beautiful areas of France that I’d love to travel to – Normandy is one of them! Standing on the Garonne River in Toulouse at sunset (November 2019) 6. Turkey I traveled to Turkey in October 2019, and it was gorgeous. The country lies right in the center of Asia and Europe, and I was traveling between the two at the time. I was coming from Asia and heading into Europe in a round-the-world adventure. I was in Turkey for around 10 days, but it just wasn’t enough to enjoy all the sites the country holds. I missed out on seeing Pamukkale, or the “cotton castle.” That, coupled with my boyfriend’s deep desire to visit the country for the first time, will likely result in a trip to Turkey in the next couple of years. Twirling in front of Galata Tower in Istanbul (October 2019) 7. Thailand I had a fantastic time in Thailand in July 2019 when I went during my post-grad travels, but there’s one attraction I wish I could have seen: the annual lantern festival called Loi Krathong. This lantern festival is celebrated across the country, but the best views are in Chiang Mai, a city that I loved. Because the lantern festival typically takes place in November, I
