The World Puts out the Welcome Mat!

Around the globe in every place where vaccination rates climb, Covid infection rates fall. 

This has unleashed a level of optimism and exuberance that is both exciting and maybe a little terrifying. I see Americans, desperate to amp up their lives, now hell bent on catching up for a year's worth of lost travel and life in general. I believe travel will see a rubber band effect. In my own household we are booking future travel with vigor. 

Much of the optimism has arrived with every tangible sign of nations reopening. So far they include France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria and much of the Carribean.

This week I received this note in my e-mail from Spain.

As Spain is one of my favorite places to explore, this note felt especially good. And, I wasted no time booking my flights for a trip this fall to explore Northern Spain on two wheels.

So to those who refuse to vaccinate for the common good, I say that is your right, go enjoy the wonderful variety of food, culture and experiences to be found within the borders of our nation.

But, as for me, I look forward to climbing out of the Covid cocoon and enjoying the food, sights and culture found within and beyond the boundaries of the US. 

Roadboy's Travels © 2021

Someone Doesn't Like Roadboy

Google Locked Up My Blog Today

After posting for twelve years, and recording 115,000 page views, today my blog was reported to Google as a phishing site. For awhile it no longer displayed photos and my banner.

Thanks to those that filed "Inaccurate" reports to Google stating that Roadboy's Travel's was not a "Deceptive" site. 

As of 9:00 PM this evening Google reopened my site once again displayiing all the artwork, stories I've written and photos I've snapped all these years.

Thank you!

 

Roadboy's Travels © 2021

Vaxed & Ready to Go!

2021 and 2022

The travel year beckons and Roadboy is getting excited about emerging from my Covid induced cocoon!

Skies Over Phoenix Have Begun to Fill With Travelers Again

The good news is travel planning is pretty good now. Most hotels are offering free cancellations and airlines are being decent about waiving cancellation fees (but beware many airlines who said "Cancellation fees are gone forever!" are quietly reinstating them for basic economy). "Consumer protection" and "Airlines" never fit well in the same sentence. Airlines sell a product they don't have (ovebooking seats) and define "forever" as roughly 14 months. 

 So do I believe their claims for safety? Hell no, I'll continue to wear N 95's on board. In recent flights I've seen lots of nig nog fliers slip on masks just to get in the airport and then let them fall below their nose / chin once in the terminal. Jerks that travel tend to self-identify.

My last flight, and reports from others, confirm airlines are rapidly increasing fares and aggressively overbooking flights again. Also, many traditionally busy domestic destinations (Hawaii, Florida, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach are already booked and starting to price gouge for summer 2021). Happily, locations that are filling up (aside from Hawaii) are the same places Roadboy normally avoids.

So tentatively here is my travel line up!

July: Boston and Cycling Cape Cod / Martha's Vineyard

This will be another Vermont Bike Tours (VBT) bike tour. VBT was forced to cancel both of my 2020 trips (California wine country and Northern Spain). So I'm back to support them in 2021. If you've never experienced a cycling or walking vacation check into VBT or its sister company "County Walkers".

August: Boston and Maine

I travel once a year with my friend Carolyn from Austin. This year we had set our sights set on a visit to Montreal, but as Canada remains closed planning travel seems problematic. As I visited Maine a few years back and loved Acadia National Park, I proposed a return as a practical option.

Between the two trips I'll get two bites of the apple in Boston this year. So I'll be checking out the stops I've yet to make. Maybe a Paul Revere walking tour and visits to museums I missed the first time are in order. Oh, and lots of lobstahh.  

September: New Orleans

I'll be making a return to the "Big Easy" for a national convention in September. Its been many years since I've been to New Orleans and I plan to visit its new museums and eat a beignet (or three).

October: Spain and The Netherlands

My second VBT trip in 2021 will be Northern Spain: San Sebastian, Pamplona and Bilbao. I'll bookend the cycling with a visit with friends from Northern Idaho to sightsee my beloved Madrid. They will head out for a month of travel and I will catch a flight on to Amsterdam where I plan to spend a day in the massively renovated Rijksmuseum. From Amsterdam I'll catch a train to Rotterdam to inventory its contemporary architecture. This will allow me to use hotel vouchers from the "Tulips" trip I had to cancel last May.    

January 2022: Iceland

In January my friend Beth and I will meet up for a mid winter trip to Iceland. Blue Lagoon thermal pools and (hopefully) some Northern Lights!!

Other trips in 2022 will hopefully include my first visit to Greece (amazing right?). I also plan to make a return to Croatia and maybe Montenegro and / or Slovenia.

Lots of photos and stories ahead in 2021!

Roadboy's Travels © 2021