6/26/2021

Headline, June 26 2021/ ''' '' TIMES -TRAVELS- TIDES '' '''


''' '' TIMES -TRAVELS-

 TIDES '' '''



THE QUESTION OF TRAVEL IS not merely a matter of fun. Travel is a necessary part of our continuing education.

The 19th-century naturalist Alexander von Humboldt wrote : ' There is no worldview so dangerous as the worldview of those who have not viewed the world.''

CAN TRAVEL BE FUN AGAIN? After life in a Covid world, taking to the skies once more can mean real liberation for the students.

Much as the boundaries of our bubbles drove many of us slightly mad during quarantine, so being locked in our own country has been simply devastating for many of us. Each country's success depends on the inquisitiveness of its citizens. If we lose that, we lose our moral compass.

After the attacks of Sept. 11, people wondered whether anyone would still travel. How could anyone take to the skies after such a hideous tragedy? 

For a while, it felt risky, though I was back on a plane even before carry-on items were allowed, for a flight to London that seemed to take a lifetime without even a book. Security amped up [really?, my shoes? my belt?] and so did anxiety.

Yet international travel did not wither, but burgeoned. Many travelers grew accustomed to the risk, which felt on par with health risks of fast food, the firetrap perils of living in tall buildings, or the risk of crossing urban streets against the light.

In a world battered by the pandemic, anxiety about travel has reached a similar peak. Necessary business trips are undertaken with considerable apprehension. Journeys people once took for sheer  pleasure now look threatening and dangerous, even irresponsible.

Travelers tend to be both restless and self-protective, and while some have historically tended toward adventure, more have looked for relaxation and a pleasant change of pace. It is usually safest to stay home, but that safety can feel deadening.

Wary after a year of dealing with an airborne virus, many people/students are wondering when it will be possible to plan a week in Paris or the Caribbean without worrying whether the pandemic will overshadow the fun. Will a cruise ship ever again seem like a pleasure vessel rather than a deathtrap?

The cycle of modernization dictates that new dangers emerge in one area as new safety measures pop up in another : cars are faster, but they have seatbelts; more people visit the Grand Canyon, but there are guard rails where visitors congregate. Will we continue to wear masks at 5,000 feet?

Given how many ordinary colds I contracted after flights in the old days, the idea of exposing myself to shared, recycled, compressed air has become distasteful as a matter more of general hygiene than of mortal terror, though most airlines are employing advanced filtration systems.

WHAT WILL TRAVELER STUDENTS FIND?

The pandemic is under better control in developed locations than in developing ones. This is not only a moral outrage, but also a problematic one for less wealthy countries where local economies depend on tourism.

Those who fear Covid may prioritize travel to Britain or Europe. But what will they find there? Covid has closed down restaurants and museums, and they are reopening only very gradually, even in London, Vienna, Sardinia and Prague.

Decisions must be made country by country. Many travelers across the years have assessed reports of possible unrest, or considered whether particular places are welcoming to women, to L.G.B.T.Q. people, to members of religious minorities.

We will continue to follow those Covid numbers as if they were both revelatory and predictive. It's comforting to be vaccinated and to go where everyone is vaccinated, too; but there are ways to regulate trips to places where vaccines are  less available and still stay safe while ensuring you don't become a superspreader yourself.

Travelers can avoid crowded settings, wear masks and dine outside in places where the climate allows them to do so.

Tennyson's Ulysses says, ''I cannot rest from travel : I will drink / Life to the less.'' Many inveterate travelers share this brave impatience, the sense that the world is full of adventures and excitements begging for exploration.

I have visited about half of the world's nearly 200 countries, and my favorites are an odd assortment : England, because I live there part-time; Mongolia, for its wild beauty and unbounded authenticity.

Russia, for the streak of idealism that informs its intelligentsia even under the yoke of oppression; Afghanistan, for a quality of hospitality I have not encountered anywhere else; Namibia, because no other landscape is as arresting as the desert of Sossusvlei.

Peru, for the food and history; Brazil for its ecstatic parties and ineffable melancholy. The list could go on and on.

The Honor and Serving of the Latest Global Operational Research on Times, Tides, and Travels, continues. The World Students Society thanks author Andrew Solomon.

With respectful dedication to the Grandparents, Parents, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world. See Ya all prepare and register for Great Global Elections on The World  Students Society :  wssciw.blogspot.com and Twitter - !E-WOW! - The Ecosystem 2011 :

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless

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