Why We Wander

We are back! In this episode, we talk with Reed Harwood of Where There Be Dragons, a Colorado-based company whose mission is to cultivate meaningful connections through immersive and responsible travel. We asked him about the impact of COVID-19 on the student travel landscape, and what he thinks the future holds for the industry. For more on Where There Be Dragons and the topics we discuss, check out: https://www.wheretherebedragons.com/ and http://learningservice.info/book/

This episode continues our ongoing coverage of travel in the time of covid. We are about 7 months into the pandemic at this point, (or maybe even 10, depending on how you count), and in that time, we have gone from complete lockdowns and lockouts, to the gradual re-opening of borders to travelers. Americans are still being barred from entering most parts of the world, but some places - like Mexico and the Caribbean - are rolling out the welcome mat to US travelers. These are complicated issues for travelers and destinations alike, and when I learned that my friend Brandon was planning to travel to Aruba with his husband, I knew that I wanted to ask him all about it when he got back. I was also curious to know how a trip like that compared to traveling closer to home in these times. Because my other friend, Leslie, has done a fair amount of local travel these past few months, I brought the two of them together to share and reflect on their experiences. One thing that stood out in our conversation was how the idea of getting away has taken on a different meaning lately, not just because of the omnipresence of the coronavirus, but also because, for some of us, it's never really possible to escape certain realities. Take a listen.

In this episode, we talk about travel in the time of Covid. Shannon is away from the podcast for a little while, so I reached out to our friend Angela Moore to join me. She was one of the first people I knew to take a trip once stay-at-home orders were lifted this summer, so I had lots of questions for her. And even though we spoke in late July, the topic is especially timely considering how many more businesses and borders are starting to re-open, and how many people are taking advantage of the opportunity to get away. You've probably seen some of this in your news feeds and social media channels. People are taking short trips to nearby towns, hopping on flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, and even to parts of Europe. I've also noticed that tourism boards are starting to work with influencers again, which is a larger topic that we'll get into in another episode. For now it's worth pointing out that, from the looks of what some folks are doing, you'd think we're not still in the middle of a deadly pandemic. But we very much are, which means that there are some real logistical and ethical considerations to weigh when it comes to travel. And that's exactly what Angela and I got into. For more on the topics covered in this episode, check out the following links: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/scourge-hygiene-theater/614599/ https://www.traveloffpath.com/dominican-republic-battles-for-tourists-head-on-with-mexico/

In this episode, we talk about how the travel industry is reckoning with issues of racial diversity and inclusion. The industry, to put it mildly, has had a long history of whitewashing travel. This applies to how destinations get marketed, the travelers whose stories get featured in publications, and even who travel companies work with to promote their products. Black travelers, travel writers, and influencers have been challenging these practices for years, but the ongoing protests and activism around the Black Lives Matter movement marked a kind of watershed moment. Back in June, on BlackoutTuesday, several travel companies posted Black Squares on their instagram feeds in solidarity with BLM. But as several people pointed out, the action seemed performative at best. One of those people was Tanisha Cherry, a blogger, influencer, and podcaster based in Canada, who we had a chance to speak with to hear her thoughts on the issue. For more on the topics we discuss in this episode, and to learn more about our guest, check out the following links: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/20/travel/travel-brands-black-lives-matter.html https://www.blacktravelalliance.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tanisha.cherry/ https://www.instagram.com/cherryloungepodcast/

In our last episode we focused on the realm of fantasy, dreaming up where we would go, who we would visit and even what we'd order for breakfast on our next trip outside our immediate homes and communities. But the reality is that most of us are still safer at home and big trips to far flung places won't be happening very soon. So we thought we'd spend a little time sharing ways we and others are finding creative (and not so high brow) ways to escape the humdrum of work from home, eat from home, play from home life. Further Resources: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/04/27/a-michelin-starred-chefs-cooking-show-for-the-quarantined https://www.davidlebovitz.com/socca-enfin/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006vb2f https://www.kennedy-center.org/mowillems https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5uIZ2KOZZeQDQo_Gsi_qbQ https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2020/05/01/getting-antsy-try-quarantine-bingo/

In this installment of our Travel Fantasies series, we let our minds wander away from the realities we are all facing. We've all been cooped up in our homes for quite some time now, watching as spring and summer plans get cancelled as the world struggles in the face of a global pandemic. So we want to indulge a little bit, and asked some listeners to do the same. For more on some of the topics we cover in the episode, see: Jardins de Quatre-Vents: https://cepas.qc.ca/jardins-quatre-vents/ Flour Bakery's famous egg & cheese sandwich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ7DHE3MpOo David Lebovitz's socca recipe: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/socca-enfin/ Online card games: https://www.trickstercards.com

In this episode (record date: Thursday, April 2), we continue our coverage of the relationship between travel and the coronavirus. While any significant travel, beyond the big trip from our couch to the kitchen, in this new world of COVID-19 feels like a distant dream, there has still been a lot of talk and debate about interstate travel. Especially in the Northeast of the U.S. where areas like New York City are being whalloped by the pandemic, New Yorkers with second homes in less-populated destinations like the Hamptons, upstate New York, and the beach towns of New England are jumping ship for roomier digs and fresh air. But does this go against the shelter in place order and quarantine advisory for New Yorkers? And what are year round residents of these often small towns to make of this? Further Reading: - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/dont-even-think-about-leaving-new-york-city/608884/ - https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/as-the-coronavirus-ravages-the-city-where-should-a-good-new-yorker-be - https://jezebel.com/influencers-are-social-distancing-by-ignoring-lockdown-1842560076 - https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemcneal/an-influencer-is-getting-tons-of-hate-online-for-fleeing - https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/48577/1/influencer-tested-positive-covid-19-arielle-charnas-instagram-coronavirus

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the impact of the coronavirus on travel. Last week we talked about the vacations we decided not to take with our families, and how much our stories were reflected in similar kinds of media coverage. But the focus on vacationers has left out a big segment of the traveling population, from business travelers to those people doing something that is close to our hearts here at The Wandering Scholar, and that's studying abroad. So it's with the latter in mind that we bring you an interview with a student who was on a trip of a lifetime, only to have it cut short.

In this episode, we talk about something that is on everyone's minds: travel and the coronavirus. We'll talk about how it has interrupted vacation plans, inspired fear and panic over travel, and in some cases gotten people even more excited to hit the road. As this is a developing public health situation, we want to make it clear to our listeners that the purpose of this episode is not to provide travel or health recommendations for others, but to share our own personal experiences and decision making processes, and generally commiserate about a shared experience. Further Reading: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/12/20/xennials-millennials-generation-x-microgeneration/2369230002/

We are introducing a new feature called Travel Fantasies. We take a news story - about airline promos, trends in the travel industry, updates from the world of luxury travel etc. and use it as a starting point for a thought experiment. This episode's fantasy comes thanks to an article about a 3 month flight pass. We wrote our own set of rules: you can either travel for three months all at once, or take a series of shorter trips over a three-month period. And you can go anywhere in the world. Further Reading: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-flair-offers-700-unlimited-travel-pass-as-budget-airline-competition/