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Post-Covid Sticker Shock

Picture of Tyler Wilcox Tyler Wilcox : July 16, 2021

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Travel Reset

As we’ve noted, travel is back in 2021. But should travel be the same as it was in the “before times”? New York Times Opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo doesn’t think so. ““Tourism should not return to anything like its old, profligate normal,” he writes. “The pandemic has presented the world with an opportunity to reset how we tour this planet, and we should reach for it.” Some necessary food for thought in these post-lockdown times.

Post-Covid Sticker Shock

One thing that’s definitely changed about travel in 2021: high prices. The era of the awesome deal seems to be coming to a close. “Hotel rooms? Up about 44 percent at the end of June compared to a year earlier, according to data from hotel research firm STR,” writes CNN’s Chris Isidore. “Air fares? They were 24 percent higher in May than in the same month last year, according to the Consumer Price Index.”

Full of Stars

Some things remain free, however. Like stargazing. The hobby has been growing steadily in recent years, with the pandemic giving it another huge boost. As a result, rural locations with dark sky areas are seeing an uptick in tourism. The Billings Gazette’s Brett French reports: “Across the United States, more and more parks and other locations are seeking out the dark sky designation as a way to drive tourism as well as to promote the ecological importance of darkness.”

Bucket List Comeback

Everyone had a lot of time to think during the pandemic — and a lot of people thought about their bucket lists. Now, with travel opening up, bucket-list travel is making a big comeback. But the concept has changed a bit, writes Well + Good’s Zoe Weiner. “[I]n the case of post-quarantine travel, a "bucket list" vacation doesn't have to mean jetting off to Africa for a safari or jumping out of an airplane over Dubai's Palm Island. Instead, it's about having an experience that truly means something to you. And that meaning doesn't have to come at the cost of all your vacation days or life savings.”