Marilyn Foster: Yearning to travel once again

Like many of you, I have been following the governor’s command to “Stay Home for Nevada,” and in doing so, I now have a cleaner home, an almost weed-free yard, and have rediscovered my kitchen.

Like many of us who love to travel, I am a social person and miss my good friends with whom I enjoy a good game of cards and conversation. I miss my lunches at the senior center to keep in touch with what is going on in our community. We do stay in touch the old-fashioned way — via telephone. No Zoom meetings for us. I miss being able to countdown to my next trip, for I usually have two trips planned annually. There’s still so much to see!

And, like yours, my feet are more than ready to travel new paths, but understandably that is still impossible. I keep hoping travel restrictions will be lifted, and while many European countries are now accepting visitors from within their own bordering countries, our increase in COVID-19 cases have caused the “no welcome” sign to be hung for Americans.

Even some parts of the U.S. are banning travel from certain states.

Ever an optimist, I rebooked my April trip to Russia to April 2021. We surely will not still be in the throes of this pandemic by then! I had so looked forward to that trip and was even brushing up on my Russian history. In fact, all I seem to be doing lately is reading one good novel after another immersing myself in the adventures of fictional characters. I do love TV sports, but that, too, has been curtailed.

Those of us who love to travel and were forced to rebook spring trips surely thought the post September trips would be a go. Now, we are not too sure. I am booked to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico in September, my fingers are crossed. From what I am told by those who have taken a few road trips thus far, it’s not much fun traveling domestically either since hotels and restaurants are so constrained by all the rules and regulations to keep us all safe that it’s almost better to just stay home.

It appears COVID-19 will not be going away in the summer heat as was anticipated by those “in the know.” Seems this germ has stymied even the best of the epidemiologists.

The Carson Chamber has a robust travel club where those who have been frequent travelers themselves stop in periodically to check on when travel will resume. While the Chamber staff provides periodic updates and stays current, they cannot predict the uncertain future. Our once robust travel club has become a club of those who so want to, but cannot, travel.

While I have been consciously doing all that is right to keep myself physically and mentally healthy and to avoid exposure to COVID-19, I find that I now suffer from another malady — cabin fever. Though I share my lovely — and now very clean — cabin with my wonderful canine companion Misty, I find that I need just a tad more than the 2-mile per day walks to keep me engaged.

I will be happy when this pandemic subsides and allows us to return to some semblance of normalcy – although our everyday world and the world of travel as we knew it may be completely changed forever.

I urge you all to wear your masks and stay close to home. Like you, I want to enjoy traveling again and making new friends. In spite of our current pandemic, we do live in a wonderful world. Now, to finish washing the outside of my windows!

Marilyn is 91 and loves to travel the world and is looking forward to packing her suitcase once again.